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Rag and Bone
Rag and Bone, by Priya Sharma, is about Tom, who buys unwanted household items and scavenges other materials (including bones) and resells them in an alternative 19th century Liverpool in which the wealthy use the poor for parts from the inside out, should they need them. Colorful, disturbing, and moving as Tom maneuvers warily between the masters he serves and the poor from whom he scavenges.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2013
About the author
Priya Sharma
182 books244 followersPriya Sharma’s fiction has appeared venues such as Interzone, Black Static, Nightmare, The Dark and Tor. “Fabulous Beasts” was a Shirley Jackson Award finalist and won a British Fantasy Award for Short Fiction. Priya is a Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award winner, and Locus Award finalist, for “All the Fabulous Beasts”, a collection of her some of her work, available from Undertow Publications.
“Ormeshadow”, her first novella (available from Tor), won a Shirley Jackson Award and a British Fantasy Award. It was a 2022 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire finalist.
"Pomegranates", her second novella (from Absinthe, an imprint of PS Publishing) is a Shirley Jackson Award, British Fantasy Award finalist and won a World Fantasy Award.
Her stories have been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Czech, and Polish.
“Ormeshadow”, her first novella (available from Tor), won a Shirley Jackson Award and a British Fantasy Award. It was a 2022 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire finalist.
"Pomegranates", her second novella (from Absinthe, an imprint of PS Publishing) is a Shirley Jackson Award, British Fantasy Award finalist and won a World Fantasy Award.
Her stories have been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Czech, and Polish.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 16, 2016
I leave Gabriel in the yard and go into town, taking my bag with the vials of skin and bone, flesh and blood, my regular delivery to Makin. The Peels are looking for body parts.
a second excellent free tor short by this author. i didn't like it quite as much as Fabulous Beasts: A Tor.Com Short Story, but it was still pretty damn good.
it's an alt-historical set in a 19th century liverpool in which the wealthy elite treat the underclass as a spare parts marketplace, and rag and bone men like our narrator tom acquire not only scraps of everyday odds and ends to sell and trade but also the above-quoted 'skin and bone, flesh and blood' from the desperate poor, for the benefit of the few wealthy ruling families. it's a living, and it's better and safer than most, but it's also not without its moral conflicts, even in a scrabbling world like this one, where options are very limited.
despite enjoying more freedom and respect than is typically afforded to those of his class by his wealthy boss on the strength of his character, despite the wisdom handed down to him by his father, Do whatever you need to survive, Dad would say. Do whatever you need to be free,when presented with the opportunity to risk it all for the sake of a woman he admires, tom does not hesitate to make the sacrifice.
there be consequences.
there's a twist here, but it's a twist so common in these tor shorts that i wonder sometimes if there's some sort of drinking game going on with the tor editors, or some plot-wheel authors have to spin before they submit their pieces where they have to incorporate certain elements into their tales if they land on 'em. i didn't predict it happening this time, which is preferable to seeing it coming a mile away, and there was definitely a dramatic payoff and a purpose for it, but you encounter the same twist in enough stories and there can't help but be diminishing returns on the old element of surprise.
apart from the twist, the real strength of this piece lies in her descriptions - the atmosphere really comes alive with strong characters and a vivid and bustling location. i also really liked the ending, although that opinion may be a lonely one.
still, this is definitely an author i hope will write many more tor shorts, or, you know - anything. i'm officially a fan.
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-and...
come to my blog!
a second excellent free tor short by this author. i didn't like it quite as much as Fabulous Beasts: A Tor.Com Short Story, but it was still pretty damn good.
it's an alt-historical set in a 19th century liverpool in which the wealthy elite treat the underclass as a spare parts marketplace, and rag and bone men like our narrator tom acquire not only scraps of everyday odds and ends to sell and trade but also the above-quoted 'skin and bone, flesh and blood' from the desperate poor, for the benefit of the few wealthy ruling families. it's a living, and it's better and safer than most, but it's also not without its moral conflicts, even in a scrabbling world like this one, where options are very limited.
despite enjoying more freedom and respect than is typically afforded to those of his class by his wealthy boss on the strength of his character, despite the wisdom handed down to him by his father, Do whatever you need to survive, Dad would say. Do whatever you need to be free,when presented with the opportunity to risk it all for the sake of a woman he admires, tom does not hesitate to make the sacrifice.
there be consequences.
there's a twist here, but it's a twist so common in these tor shorts that i wonder sometimes if there's some sort of drinking game going on with the tor editors, or some plot-wheel authors have to spin before they submit their pieces where they have to incorporate certain elements into their tales if they land on 'em. i didn't predict it happening this time, which is preferable to seeing it coming a mile away, and there was definitely a dramatic payoff and a purpose for it, but you encounter the same twist in enough stories and there can't help but be diminishing returns on the old element of surprise.
apart from the twist, the real strength of this piece lies in her descriptions - the atmosphere really comes alive with strong characters and a vivid and bustling location. i also really liked the ending, although that opinion may be a lonely one.
still, this is definitely an author i hope will write many more tor shorts, or, you know - anything. i'm officially a fan.
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-and...
come to my blog!
November 27, 2025
2.5 stars
Free copy here: https://reactormag.com/rag-and-bone/
short review for busy readers:
One of Priya Sharma's early historical fantasy short stories from about 15 year ago.
in detail:
The world of an alternate, dystopian 19th century Liverpool is the best thing about his piece. It's gritty, it's shambolic and it reflects in no small amount the actual conditions many of the citizens of the city lived in at that time.
Wonderful.
However, the literal take on the phrase/job of "rag and bone man" didn't work for me. It's too superficial, too obvious. That meant that the entire plot didn't come together as the author probably intended, leaving gaping holes where explanation and meaning should have been.
Also, and I'm usually never one to say this, but this piece really should to be longer. The reason: more needs to be shown of the horror the wealthy families are up to. As it is, we're only afforded a quick glimpse of what our rag and bone collector is in for.
Not enough. Needed another 1 or 2k words for the idea to function properly.
As far as the twist goes, it was nice but not one I'm too much of a fan of, unfortunately. Other readers enjoyed it far more.
Free copy here: https://reactormag.com/rag-and-bone/
short review for busy readers:
One of Priya Sharma's early historical fantasy short stories from about 15 year ago.
in detail:
The world of an alternate, dystopian 19th century Liverpool is the best thing about his piece. It's gritty, it's shambolic and it reflects in no small amount the actual conditions many of the citizens of the city lived in at that time.
Wonderful.
However, the literal take on the phrase/job of "rag and bone man" didn't work for me. It's too superficial, too obvious. That meant that the entire plot didn't come together as the author probably intended, leaving gaping holes where explanation and meaning should have been.
Also, and I'm usually never one to say this, but this piece really should to be longer. The reason: more needs to be shown of the horror the wealthy families are up to. As it is, we're only afforded a quick glimpse of what our rag and bone collector is in for.
Not enough. Needed another 1 or 2k words for the idea to function properly.
As far as the twist goes, it was nice but not one I'm too much of a fan of, unfortunately. Other readers enjoyed it far more.
April 13, 2018
An incredibly sad ending. Made me sigh and my eyes well up. Poor Tom.
The writing was a little disjointed but an overall enjoyable story.
The writing was a little disjointed but an overall enjoyable story.
March 10, 2018
Oh, to wield so much power that you don’t have to exert it.
Some stories read like protest songs, and this is one. Set in an uncertain time period, though it reads either Victorian or retro dystopian future, Tom the rag and bone man makes his rounds and gathers volunteers for a kind of spare parts program - spare parts in the Repo: The Genetic Opera sense.
Absolutely great short story, and available free from Tor here: https://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-an...
Some stories read like protest songs, and this is one. Set in an uncertain time period, though it reads either Victorian or retro dystopian future, Tom the rag and bone man makes his rounds and gathers volunteers for a kind of spare parts program - spare parts in the Repo: The Genetic Opera sense.
Absolutely great short story, and available free from Tor here: https://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-an...
March 24, 2017
Easily four stars. Priya Sharma NEEDS to write more.
I want to say, Look at me. Look me in the eye. I'm a person not a piece of meat, but then I realize I just might as well be. A piece of meat. Rag and bone.
Y'all know I love a well written short story. When I don't feel up to reading much, or I need to shake off a book hangover, a Tor short is often the way to go. They're the perfect little snack sized read.
And damn, this is a satisfying snack.
Read Sharma's Fabulous Beasts as well if you haven't yet, especially if you enjoy having your emotions shredded. I wish she would write a full length novel; these gorgeous short stories only leave me wanting more.
You can read Rag and Bone for free here.
I want to say, Look at me. Look me in the eye. I'm a person not a piece of meat, but then I realize I just might as well be. A piece of meat. Rag and bone.
Y'all know I love a well written short story. When I don't feel up to reading much, or I need to shake off a book hangover, a Tor short is often the way to go. They're the perfect little snack sized read.
And damn, this is a satisfying snack.
Read Sharma's Fabulous Beasts as well if you haven't yet, especially if you enjoy having your emotions shredded. I wish she would write a full length novel; these gorgeous short stories only leave me wanting more.
You can read Rag and Bone for free here.
April 17, 2016
I was very much looking forward to reading this Tor short. Why?
1. The Cover
Please, someone somewhere, just publish all the Tor covers in one volume. These are terrific.
2. The Reviews
Everyone seems to like it.
My experience ended up like a three-act play.
ACT ONE
Yay! I have waited as it wended its way up my book pipeline and now I am reading it. Woohoo! Ooooh, spooky weird! Great start, very involved.
ACT TWO
Slowing down a bit. But boy, that cover sure is something. Yes, still reading, still involved, just not as much as before.
ACT THREE
Is this over yet? Let me guess, there will be a twist at the end, ya-ya. But what a cover.
Alas, I fall out with the other reviewers. There's nothing exceptionally wrong with the story, but I just lost interest. It was well-written, but it just lost some steam along the way. Or maybe I was just upset that Liverpool had lost the Europa League.
Nice cover.
Book Season = Autumn (weird stuff)
1. The Cover
Please, someone somewhere, just publish all the Tor covers in one volume. These are terrific.
2. The Reviews
Everyone seems to like it.
My experience ended up like a three-act play.
ACT ONE
Yay! I have waited as it wended its way up my book pipeline and now I am reading it. Woohoo! Ooooh, spooky weird! Great start, very involved.
ACT TWO
Slowing down a bit. But boy, that cover sure is something. Yes, still reading, still involved, just not as much as before.
ACT THREE
Is this over yet? Let me guess, there will be a twist at the end, ya-ya. But what a cover.
Alas, I fall out with the other reviewers. There's nothing exceptionally wrong with the story, but I just lost interest. It was well-written, but it just lost some steam along the way. Or maybe I was just upset that Liverpool had lost the Europa League.
Nice cover.
Book Season = Autumn (weird stuff)
April 8, 2014
Oh, this one is creepy. Think: Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go' meets Thompson's 'Divided Kingdom' in a Dickensian alternate England. A bit of a steampunk feel to it (think George Mann's 'Affinity Bridge') - minus the steam.
But it's also a wonderful story in which humanity and compassion come to the fore, even in the face of complete and utter callousness. It illustrates both the best and the worst that people are capable of. I hope to read more from Sharma in the future.
But it's also a wonderful story in which humanity and compassion come to the fore, even in the face of complete and utter callousness. It illustrates both the best and the worst that people are capable of. I hope to read more from Sharma in the future.
December 20, 2019
Day 20 in my 24 Days of Shorts
This was okay. Well, it was good until it wasn’t. I didn’t understand the ending, so it made me feel stupid.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-an...
My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan
“All they ask is a chance to speak to you. No one’s forcing anyone.” It’s what I’ve been told to say, but the rich always have their way.
This was okay. Well, it was good until it wasn’t. I didn’t understand the ending, so it made me feel stupid.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-an...
My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan
November 20, 2023
A bleak story of the lengths people will go to in order to survive and protect others.
The setting is a dystopian Liverpool, where the ruling class sometimes farm the populace for parts.
Middle managers use every heavy-handed tactic they can to keep the threat of an uprising at bay.
Tom the Rag and Bone Man gets inadvertently embroiled in the search for a missing girl who they suspect might incite a revolution, and Tom has to make some difficult choices and sacrifices.
There is an amazing plot twist I did not see coming at all that made me marvel once again at Priya Sharma's talent. Across multiple genres, she excels at drawing the reader into the worlds she creates, revealing just enough to keep you hooked until the satisfying but sometimes horrifying conclusion. Bravo, once again.
The setting is a dystopian Liverpool, where the ruling class sometimes farm the populace for parts.
Middle managers use every heavy-handed tactic they can to keep the threat of an uprising at bay.
Tom the Rag and Bone Man gets inadvertently embroiled in the search for a missing girl who they suspect might incite a revolution, and Tom has to make some difficult choices and sacrifices.
There is an amazing plot twist I did not see coming at all that made me marvel once again at Priya Sharma's talent. Across multiple genres, she excels at drawing the reader into the worlds she creates, revealing just enough to keep you hooked until the satisfying but sometimes horrifying conclusion. Bravo, once again.
June 20, 2019
Pleasant little dystopic story of the haves and have nots. Nothing particularly unique, but a decent writing style.
December 1, 2021
Too short, it felt rushed and underdeveloped even for a novella. It's an interesting theme, the rich feeding off the poor in a way that's more literal than metaphorical, and strangely relevant even more than a century later. I liked the concept, but the execution left me feeling mainly annoyed that it wasn't explored further.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
August 23, 2016
This story took a couple of turns I did not expect, and that really made me love it. Desperate and malevolent, a fantastic industrial-age dark fantasy.
March 12, 2023
Rag and Bone by author Priya Sharma is a short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2013/04/10/rag-an...
Tom scavenges and buys unwanted household items and other materials (including bones) and resells them in an alternative 19th century Liverpool in which the wealthy use the poor for parts from the inside out, should they need them. Colorful, disturbing, and moving as Tom maneuvers warily between the masters he serves and the poor from whom he scavenges.
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories. My second Priya Sharma story and I love this author more and more. She captures the desolation and squalor of this alternate universe Victorian Liverpool so well. I will look for more of her books.
4 Stars
Tom scavenges and buys unwanted household items and other materials (including bones) and resells them in an alternative 19th century Liverpool in which the wealthy use the poor for parts from the inside out, should they need them. Colorful, disturbing, and moving as Tom maneuvers warily between the masters he serves and the poor from whom he scavenges.
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories. My second Priya Sharma story and I love this author more and more. She captures the desolation and squalor of this alternate universe Victorian Liverpool so well. I will look for more of her books.
4 Stars
April 16, 2020
A well written short. I was unsure of this writer after reading Ormeshadow, but this is an interesting dystopian fantasy. The writing style is terse and may take a little getting used to. The plot twist was a little predictable, but the story is not worse for it.
May 4, 2021
ah, steampunk Liverpool - at least it's not London - shrugs.
It makes sense that if the factories flourished, they might one day want a literal pound of flesh from their workers.
And sea shanties for specific ships; that makes sense, too.
Feels as if there is more of this story to tell.
4 stars
It makes sense that if the factories flourished, they might one day want a literal pound of flesh from their workers.
And sea shanties for specific ships; that makes sense, too.
Feels as if there is more of this story to tell.
4 stars
January 14, 2024
Priya Sharma's latest story was an intriguing read as it had an unexpected twist on the end, making the experience all the more exciting. Although it wasn't quite as compelling as her other works, the few pages she used were able to paint a vivid picture, making it a pleasant read overall.
August 29, 2018
oooh i liked this one a lot
December 4, 2018
Wow! just.. wow.
You don't see the twist coming
You don't see the twist coming
May 18, 2019
Body parts for sale in a labor exploitative, alternate history Liverpool, England. Wonderfully done.
December 30, 2020
2.5 stars rounded up.
I didn't think the end justified the story though. It was okay
I didn't think the end justified the story though. It was okay
March 25, 2022
Li aqui, marquei lido aqui: Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013.
História alternativa que pode não ser tão alternativa assim. Não achei os riscos tão arriscados, talvez porque não os entendi muito bem, mas temi sim pelos personagens e queria que eles ficassem bem no final.
História alternativa que pode não ser tão alternativa assim. Não achei os riscos tão arriscados, talvez porque não os entendi muito bem, mas temi sim pelos personagens e queria que eles ficassem bem no final.
April 16, 2016
(Shudders) Rag and Bone is a very terrifying dystopic world where the poor sell pieces of themselves to the rich. There's also some interesting gender commentary that I don't want to spoil. All in all, it's a chilling little tale that would be a good foundation for a larger piece, but stands well on its own.
April 11, 2013
At first I wasn't liking it but soon it engagend me. The reveal at the end was, even if a common theme, still a surprise. The open ending also fit with the themes, I think.
Read
April 12, 20134 stars
July 8, 2013
Excellent. Dystopian themes and building suspense to the end. I'll think about this quick read for some time to come.
December 16, 2013
Fascinating little story set in an alternate Liverpool. Creepy and twisty.
February 3, 2016
Whoa! This was really good! Really liked the creepy and hope-less atmosphere.
March 28, 2016
Not what I was expecting and I quite liked that.
April 16, 2016
A good story with a surprising twist at the end.
[A Tor.com freebie]
[A Tor.com freebie]
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews