October Sky is a novella by fantasy author Alledria Hurt. She’s written several novels and novellas available on Amazon although this is the first I’ve encountered her.
Most of the story is good, albeit with some potholes in the plot. Emmaline Simmons is an apprentice alchemist; in this story an alchemist works with potions to effect healing or other results. She wakes to hear someone in her mirror talk about the Well of Souls, which in her world is a fall constellation. Eventually she gets pulled through the mirror to help Cedric heal his king. She and Cedric keep one step ahead of the evil chancellor’s guards as they gather the ingredients Emmaline needs to make a healing potion.
The pluses:
- Emmaline is a compelling character. I cared what happened to her.
- The idea of brewing potions from herbs and things like werewolf hair to make changes, both good and ill, is intriguing. I’d like to see the author do more with this.
- Minor characters Mr. Amon and Emmaline’s grandmother were well done, especially given the short novella length.
- I’m interested in some of the events that weren’t explained. Why was the chancellor so determined to keep the king ill? Who was the stranger who shot grandmother and threatened Mr. Amon? Did Mrs. Snow have any more to do with Emmaline or was this a one-off encounter?
- The writing style was good. Ms. Hurt crammed a whole lot of story into 44 pages.
The minuses:
- Plot holes abound. The world on the other side of the mirror is the world of death. So why would the chancellor try to let the king die? Can someone in the land of the dead die again?
- If the Well of Souls is the gate through which souls pass, then why are there not many undead people wandering Emmaline’s world?
- Emmaline just happens to have the ingredients to make a sleep-inducing smoke lying around in her dungeon cell. Can we spell plot device? Same when looking for the other ingredients. Of course this is fiction!
- Cedric, who should have been a major character, served mainly as a foil for Emmaline.
Overall I enjoyed the novella and the pluses outweighed the minuses. I’ll likely look for more by Alledria Hurt.
3+ Stars
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