Michelle F's Reviews > Sandkings

Maybe be wary of spoilers. It's hard to capture the essence of this short without at least putting some labels on it, and that may be revealing a bit too much for some readers.

Who doesn't love the mysterious shop trope?

This is a disturbing comeuppance tale of big proportions, and it is highly entertaining. George writes us an outright detestable main character – not pathetic, not pitiable, not sadsack – just an unquestionably horrid man. Anticipating him getting what's coming to him is a genuine treat.

Looking for new sadistic entertainments for his equally asshat friends, Kress wanders into a mysterious shop and finds a curious colony of insects to replace his piranhas. Karma is a bitch in delightful ways, and things go terribly sideways for him, because he's a prat.

This is creepy and fun. A novella that would be a great introduction for those interested in trying out Martin's short fiction, it's got some fun worldbuilding, great character names, and good story movement. Though I am sad to report that I have yet to stumble across Jala Wo's shop in any of his other works. Missed opportunity, George.