Stephan van Velzen's Reviews > Unfettered

Great stories, great cause, great authors, amazing collection. I've added a lot of new authors to my to-read pile because of this anthology. I believe that was exactly what Shawn Speakman was aiming for.

My favorite story was without a doubt The Sound of Broken Absolutes by Peter Orullian. Here's what I wrote about that story, because it deserves being mentioned:

At about 22,500 words, Peter Orullian’s The Sound of Broken Absolutes can just barely be classified as a novella. It is short fiction, though, and it may well be one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. If you’ve seen my review of The Unremembered, Orullian’s debut novel, you may know I wasn’t very impressed by his writing. Having read this stunningly gorgeous, painfully intimate, and magnificently epic story, however, I stand corrected. The Sound of Broken Absolutes proves there is so much more to Orullian’s fantasy world than meets the eye, and the magic system of music that was merely hinted at in the first book is intricately fleshed out in this story. Orullian’s words resonate with a love of music and, through its perspicuous cast, convey the cost of our actions and emotions in realistic ways. This is a story of war, music, loss, and restoration, and it will touch the hearts of its readers.