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These Deathless Bones
A horror tale about the Witch Bride, second wife of a King, and the discord between her and her young stepson.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
19 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2017
32 people are currently reading
2870 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Khaw
126 books2,930 followersCassandra Khaw is an award-winning game writer.
Their recent novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a British
Fantasy, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Bram Stoker
Award finalist. Their debut collection Breakable Things is now
out.
Their recent novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a British
Fantasy, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Bram Stoker
Award finalist. Their debut collection Breakable Things is now
out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews
October 6, 2017
“I hate you.” I crouch in front of him. “You have no understanding as to how much. You charmed little prick.”
I have to say I agree with this statement when I read about the horrific little brat kid and all of the things the stepmother was telling us he did. He deserved to boil!
He was so freaking evil. You can go and read this short for free on Tor.com
FREE LINK
Anyway, I enjoyed this little short and am going to add it to my collection. It's on Amazon for 99 cents.
I hated this little prince with a passion. Go and find out how you feel . . .
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
I have to say I agree with this statement when I read about the horrific little brat kid and all of the things the stepmother was telling us he did. He deserved to boil!
He was so freaking evil. You can go and read this short for free on Tor.com
FREE LINK
Anyway, I enjoyed this little short and am going to add it to my collection. It's on Amazon for 99 cents.
I hated this little prince with a passion. Go and find out how you feel . . .
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
March 31, 2020
“Oh, you little prick.” I smile in the penumbra of the dusty, green light, all teeth and hate. “You will hurt terribly.”
and this - this is my reward for dutifully reading a free tor short each week. many of the shorties fall into that “good-not-great” category for me, which is partly down to length, as more words = better as far as i’m concerned, and also just down to personal taste - the freebies give me a risk-free chance to try out authors i might not read otherwise, and not every author is going to be my favorite ever.
for example, with this author, i had seen her books at the store, and been drawn to them by their very karen-targeting covers* with dollar bills clutched in my hands only to be just as forcefully propelled away by the promises of the lovecraftian horror within.
i do not like lovecraft nor anything related to lovecraft other than my hometown of rhode island.
and if i’d remembered her name when i came upon this one, who knows - maybe i wouldn’t have read it, but my dummy brain had my back this time, and this story is now in my “free tor short hall of fame,” along with Fabulous Beasts**, Red as Blood and White as Bone, and all of the bardugo ones.
everything about it is wonderful, from its “kids-are-gross-assholes” opening paragraph:
to its “stepmothers get to say what needs to be said” situations:
“You’re uglier than my real mommy.”
“And you’re a piece of shit.”
all the way through to its high-five of an ending. it isn’t a pretty pink story of princesses and shaded forests, and those of you who can’t bear animal cruelty are maybe too gentle for it, but if you hang in there, i promise you it’ll be worth it, because every dog has its day, even dogs with shitty masters. besides, animal harm, while enraging, is one of the less-romanticized realities of the natural world, as the author reminds us while making a different, but equally true, point:
this is a fantastic, dark, brutal fairytale-ish story that ranks among my favorite short stories ever, and it’s really quite short, disproving my earlier equation. also, zero lovecraftisms.
give it a shot, if you daaaaaaaare….
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
*
similarly-styled covers that have drawn me in and are also supergreat books:
** itself sporting a similar "cover":
come to my blog!
and this - this is my reward for dutifully reading a free tor short each week. many of the shorties fall into that “good-not-great” category for me, which is partly down to length, as more words = better as far as i’m concerned, and also just down to personal taste - the freebies give me a risk-free chance to try out authors i might not read otherwise, and not every author is going to be my favorite ever.
for example, with this author, i had seen her books at the store, and been drawn to them by their very karen-targeting covers* with dollar bills clutched in my hands only to be just as forcefully propelled away by the promises of the lovecraftian horror within.
i do not like lovecraft nor anything related to lovecraft other than my hometown of rhode island.
and if i’d remembered her name when i came upon this one, who knows - maybe i wouldn’t have read it, but my dummy brain had my back this time, and this story is now in my “free tor short hall of fame,” along with Fabulous Beasts**, Red as Blood and White as Bone, and all of the bardugo ones.
everything about it is wonderful, from its “kids-are-gross-assholes” opening paragraph:
“You’re not supposed to say that,” the young prince whimpers, looking up from his dinner of sausages and truffle-infused mash, savaged and pearled with the bites he’d drooled out half-chewed. It’s hard to believe he’s eleven. There’s gravy everywhere; practically a gallon of flavorsome beef extract, seasoned with allspice and caramelized onions, a rub of thyme, a bay leaf cooked to gossamer. The new cook spent ages on it. I know. I was there.
to its “stepmothers get to say what needs to be said” situations:
“You’re uglier than my real mommy.”
“And you’re a piece of shit.”
all the way through to its high-five of an ending. it isn’t a pretty pink story of princesses and shaded forests, and those of you who can’t bear animal cruelty are maybe too gentle for it, but if you hang in there, i promise you it’ll be worth it, because every dog has its day, even dogs with shitty masters. besides, animal harm, while enraging, is one of the less-romanticized realities of the natural world, as the author reminds us while making a different, but equally true, point:
People are always so quick to coo over children. So innocent, they simper as they press the screaming babes to their breast. So helpless. So pure. They forget that wolves are innocent, too, that the wild dogs savaging the family kitten, itself once a thing inclined toward toying with broken-breasted mice, harbor no cruelty in their ribs.
this is a fantastic, dark, brutal fairytale-ish story that ranks among my favorite short stories ever, and it’s really quite short, disproving my earlier equation. also, zero lovecraftisms.
give it a shot, if you daaaaaaaare….
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
*
similarly-styled covers that have drawn me in and are also supergreat books:
** itself sporting a similar "cover":
come to my blog!
March 4, 2024
A Funny Joke.
The narrator is also very clever as well as interesting. She tells her story about a little boy who is deplorable. He needs to be tied up with the strongest rope available.
The book is okay. It’s even better than I expected it to be. I’m glad that I am not disappointed in the way the story develops. Come and take a look. You’ll be glad you did.
Definitely recommended.
Five fantastic stars. 💫💫💫💫💫
The narrator is also very clever as well as interesting. She tells her story about a little boy who is deplorable. He needs to be tied up with the strongest rope available.
The book is okay. It’s even better than I expected it to be. I’m glad that I am not disappointed in the way the story develops. Come and take a look. You’ll be glad you did.
Definitely recommended.
Five fantastic stars. 💫💫💫💫💫
October 23, 2017
Weird stuff... A short story at Tor.com about an intolerable brat of a kid (a little prince) told by a mysterious woman. Dark and mysterious.... what's going on.... and who is this woman....
This is the story in short: A horror tale about the Witch Bride, second wife of a King, and the discord between her and her young stepson.
Mmmm... fascinating... Out-of-the-box. Tor.com is a good place to explore short stories and get to know unknown authors. Many stories freely available, here's this one: https://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-...
“I hate you,” I continue. “With everything that I am. I hate your screaming. I loathe your lying, screeching ways. I abhor your crocodile tears, your sly little smiles—oh, don’t think that the adults don’t know. We can tell when you’re putting on a show.”
This is the story in short: A horror tale about the Witch Bride, second wife of a King, and the discord between her and her young stepson.
Mmmm... fascinating... Out-of-the-box. Tor.com is a good place to explore short stories and get to know unknown authors. Many stories freely available, here's this one: https://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-...
“I hate you,” I continue. “With everything that I am. I hate your screaming. I loathe your lying, screeching ways. I abhor your crocodile tears, your sly little smiles—oh, don’t think that the adults don’t know. We can tell when you’re putting on a show.”
October 24, 2017
A chilling fairy tale horror short story, free here at Tor.com. It's a great short read for October. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
A familiar fairy tale setting: A witch of a stepmother nursing a secret hatred for her stepchild, an eleven year old boy who is the prince of their country. The king, the boy’s father, is oddly absent. But gradually the reader’s expectations are cracked, then shattered, in this dark and disturbing yet morbidly satisfying tale.
As the prince and the stepmother have dinner, they begin to argue and insult each other. The stepmother, who narrates the story, excuses the servants and then magically shields the room so no sound within it can escape, while she and her petulant stepson let loose with all their frustrations and venomous hatred for the other. In between, she gives us a few glimpses of her past: her desires and her regrets, and some unspeakable things she has seen and experienced.
Content note: Sensitive readers beware. There's disturbing cruelty, including descriptions of past animal cruelty.
A familiar fairy tale setting: A witch of a stepmother nursing a secret hatred for her stepchild, an eleven year old boy who is the prince of their country. The king, the boy’s father, is oddly absent. But gradually the reader’s expectations are cracked, then shattered, in this dark and disturbing yet morbidly satisfying tale.
As the prince and the stepmother have dinner, they begin to argue and insult each other. The stepmother, who narrates the story, excuses the servants and then magically shields the room so no sound within it can escape, while she and her petulant stepson let loose with all their frustrations and venomous hatred for the other. In between, she gives us a few glimpses of her past: her desires and her regrets, and some unspeakable things she has seen and experienced.
There was one thing [the king] wanted, and such a simple thing, too, such a compassionate desire. More than anything else, my husband yearned for me to love his son. The little prince was all that remained of the boy’s venerated mother; a pale wraith, sweet if slightly stupid, given to whimsy. She was beloved by the court, I’m told, an overgrown pet whom no one saw reason to censure, charming enough in brief doses. When she died, they mourned for weeks.“These Deathless Bones” frankly explores the dark side of life with lyrical and expressive writing. It engaged me with its strong-willed and unrepentant protagonist and its gradual and chilling subversion of my expectations.
Small wonder they feared me: the flint-eyed, sharp-mouthed wildling the king brought home from a distant land, mere months after the tender one’s tragic demise—midnight and bone to my noonday predecessor.
Content note: Sensitive readers beware. There's disturbing cruelty, including descriptions of past animal cruelty.
October 2, 2022
These Deathless Bones is a horror tale about the Witch Bride, the second wife of a King, and the discord between her and her young stepson.
Delving into the book, you'll get to see the subversive in the ideal portrayal of an evil stepmother and how it did not evade the narrative; making this book twisted and compelling on its own. I'm captivated by horror stories that exert fantasy element, especially when it was drawn from fairy tales. Perhaps, justifying the stepmother for behaving the way she is.
However, it is undeniable that the book's strongest suit is its evocative prose that got me hooked as soon as I started it. I was skeptical if this book would work but 19 pages and it does! I enjoyed this and wished it was a little bit longer. Even though the ending felt kind of abrupt, it is still a pleasant read.
"I laugh, a little bitterly. There were many things I wasn’t supposed to do, or be. I wasn’t supposed to be someone’s second chance, someone’s happily ever alternate. I wasn’t supposed to be the malevolent stepmother—heartless, soulless, devoid of the natural compassion expected of childbearing women, the instinct to drop everything and coddle needy, whiny little whelps like him."
Delving into the book, you'll get to see the subversive in the ideal portrayal of an evil stepmother and how it did not evade the narrative; making this book twisted and compelling on its own. I'm captivated by horror stories that exert fantasy element, especially when it was drawn from fairy tales. Perhaps, justifying the stepmother for behaving the way she is.
However, it is undeniable that the book's strongest suit is its evocative prose that got me hooked as soon as I started it. I was skeptical if this book would work but 19 pages and it does! I enjoyed this and wished it was a little bit longer. Even though the ending felt kind of abrupt, it is still a pleasant read.
August 12, 2017
People are always so quick to coo over children. So innocent, they simper as they press the screaming babes to their breast. So helpless. So pure. They forget that wolves are innocent, too, that the wild dogs savaging the family kitten, itself once a thing inclined toward toying with broken-breasted mice, harbor no cruelty in their ribs.
I'm guarding the children's section of the library today, beset by unattendedbrats youngsters sicced on me sent to entertain themselves in our "playland" whilst their parents browse our booksale. While I appreciate mom and dad dropping their pennies and dimes on our used books, I wish to remind them that we do not offer FREE BABYSITTING SERVICE.
What a perfect, and perfectly appropriate story to read today of all days . . . a tale of a monstrous little boy, and the well-deserved punishment that is bestowed upon his royal heinie.
The court at large paid no mind to the little prince’s eccentricities, lauding them as portents of glories to come. In battle, the soothsayers exulted, he’d be a monster.
Funny how they wouldn’t talk about how he was one already.
Thank you, karen, for bringing this gem to my attention.
Read here - http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
I'm guarding the children's section of the library today, beset by unattended
What a perfect, and perfectly appropriate story to read today of all days . . . a tale of a monstrous little boy, and the well-deserved punishment that is bestowed upon his royal heinie.
The court at large paid no mind to the little prince’s eccentricities, lauding them as portents of glories to come. In battle, the soothsayers exulted, he’d be a monster.
Funny how they wouldn’t talk about how he was one already.
Thank you, karen, for bringing this gem to my attention.
Read here - http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
September 22, 2021
mind-boggling to me that this trash story has so many admirers. different strokes, I guess. Khaw writes a dark fairy tale in prose that alternates between strenuously mannered and witlessly vulgar. the plot, if one could call it that: over the top child-villain finally meets his match in a wicked witch stepmother. a promising set-up indeed, but this felt like an excuse to devise various ways that animals can be tortured and killed and various ways that an author can be pretentious and portentous. I was the opposite of enchanted.
July 25, 2020
A creepy little take of bones, revenge and one sadistic little prince. One of the best Tor shorts I've read.
September 21, 2024
I don't read much horror, & as excellent as this short story is, it won't change me to a horror afficionada.
I'm a sensitive soul with an overactive imagination. & I like to sleep at night.
This short story about a stepmother with a literally horrifying princely stepson.
Beautifully written & just about perfect of its kind. The cover is also amazing.
You can read it here; https://reactormag.com/these-deathles...
I'm a sensitive soul with an overactive imagination. & I like to sleep at night.
This short story about a stepmother with a literally horrifying princely stepson.
Beautifully written & just about perfect of its kind. The cover is also amazing.
You can read it here; https://reactormag.com/these-deathles...
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
August 5, 2017
In battle, the soothsayers exulted, he’d be a monster.
Funny how they wouldn’t talk about how he was one already.
I would love for there to be a sequel from the point of view of .
Funny how they wouldn’t talk about how he was one already.
I would love for there to be a sequel from the point of view of .
October 3, 2022
A perfect example of how karma bites you back. I prefer this version of little prince. No hate though.
December 11, 2021
I need more answers!
June 25, 2019
This week for Short Tuesday I left Nightmare Magazine aside and returned to Tor.com once again to read “These Deathless Bones” by Cassandra Khaw. You can read the short story here…
This short story details the relationship between a witch queen and her maniacal young stepson. The piece has evocative, beautiful writing and definitely inspires a sense of dread.
It has a definite sense that this is the start of a larger work of fantasy fiction, where we are being introduced to crucial characters—this sentiment is echoed by many of the commenters on the story, who wonder if there will be a forthcoming piece featuring more of the main character. I don’t exactly count that as a good thing, though, since the story feels incomplete. Plot events happen, but not in any sort of way that comes together into a cohesive, satisfying story—we’re just left as readers wondering if there’s more. Can you count something as a short story if all we are given is set up, an event, and some back story? The whole thing is more like a scene than an actual story.
So while I did enjoy the writing here, I ultimately felt that this story wasn’t very successful.
This short story details the relationship between a witch queen and her maniacal young stepson. The piece has evocative, beautiful writing and definitely inspires a sense of dread.
Bones pour from every crack in the walls and windows. Lengths of rodent ulna. A blanket of hedgehog spines, undulating down the tapestries. Vertebrae, joined even in death, slithering like snakes. The molars from his first kill, the fragments of its skull. Everywhere, bones, clacking their way across the curlicued tiles.
It has a definite sense that this is the start of a larger work of fantasy fiction, where we are being introduced to crucial characters—this sentiment is echoed by many of the commenters on the story, who wonder if there will be a forthcoming piece featuring more of the main character. I don’t exactly count that as a good thing, though, since the story feels incomplete. Plot events happen, but not in any sort of way that comes together into a cohesive, satisfying story—we’re just left as readers wondering if there’s more. Can you count something as a short story if all we are given is set up, an event, and some back story? The whole thing is more like a scene than an actual story.
So while I did enjoy the writing here, I ultimately felt that this story wasn’t very successful.
February 19, 2021
One of the best short stories i’ve read. The best fantasy short story I’ve read, actually 🤡🤡. This entire book was just so so damn good. I honestly cannot find any flaws with it.
First lets talk about the characters, we got the perspective from the “evil” stepmother but damn nothing’s just black and white and the author does such a great job in articulating grey morality. Even the prince, being a side character in such a short story was so well realized, it takes so much talent and precise wordings to make that happen. Nothing but praise for the author!
I was marveled, again for such a short story to have fleshed out such an intricate world. How did the author manage that? The fantasy elements, the court politics, family dynamics, all of which were so so well realized and descriptive, i was able to visualize it so clearly.
Then my favorite part of the book; the writing style. It was SO ATMOSPHERIC AND SO SO GOOD. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Honestly words cannot describe how much i love the writing style of this book, its lyrical without being purple prose and its descriptive without making it boring. It didn’t have an over the top plot, but the plot twists, the story telling, character work, and world building paired up with this particular writing style just was truly a magical experience. One more thing is the writing style really fits with this horror esque sombre tone and character which makes the character even more real and the voice more distinctive.
I cannot recommend this enough, such an easy 5/5.
First lets talk about the characters, we got the perspective from the “evil” stepmother but damn nothing’s just black and white and the author does such a great job in articulating grey morality. Even the prince, being a side character in such a short story was so well realized, it takes so much talent and precise wordings to make that happen. Nothing but praise for the author!
I was marveled, again for such a short story to have fleshed out such an intricate world. How did the author manage that? The fantasy elements, the court politics, family dynamics, all of which were so so well realized and descriptive, i was able to visualize it so clearly.
Then my favorite part of the book; the writing style. It was SO ATMOSPHERIC AND SO SO GOOD. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Honestly words cannot describe how much i love the writing style of this book, its lyrical without being purple prose and its descriptive without making it boring. It didn’t have an over the top plot, but the plot twists, the story telling, character work, and world building paired up with this particular writing style just was truly a magical experience. One more thing is the writing style really fits with this horror esque sombre tone and character which makes the character even more real and the voice more distinctive.
I cannot recommend this enough, such an easy 5/5.
November 6, 2021
Read this story for free here on Tor.com!
I had read this story once before, in the collection Worlds Seen in Passing: Ten Years of Tor.com Short Fiction (which is a magnificent anthology that I highly recommend to anyone looking for an impressive fill of SFF and horror tales), but when my friend Mark reminded me of its existence today, I knew I was overdue a re-read. This was one of my favorite stories in that collection, and I loved it even more upon re-visiting it.
When it comes to wicked step-mothers, sometimes there's more than meets the eye.
I had read this story once before, in the collection Worlds Seen in Passing: Ten Years of Tor.com Short Fiction (which is a magnificent anthology that I highly recommend to anyone looking for an impressive fill of SFF and horror tales), but when my friend Mark reminded me of its existence today, I knew I was overdue a re-read. This was one of my favorite stories in that collection, and I loved it even more upon re-visiting it.
When it comes to wicked step-mothers, sometimes there's more than meets the eye.
March 10, 2024
Ookaay
Now I should hate this or love...
I decided
He deserved it
and
I liked her
so
My very very unusual 5-star for a short, fucked up, dark witch tale with animals cruelty trigger warning
Now I should hate this or love...
I decided
He deserved it
and
I liked her
so
My very very unusual 5-star for a short, fucked up, dark witch tale with animals cruelty trigger warning
February 21, 2018
A well paced and readable story. Had my interest from beginning to end. Enjoyed it very much.
January 3, 2021
Impressive, intense and horrifying. I’d read more about this witch queen!
June 3, 2020
These Deathless Bones is a macabre fairy-tale that was instantly compelling and morbidly satisfying. The writing is stunning and this short story was an impressive introduction to Cassandra Khaw’s work, it made me realise that I need to read more of her writing!
August 8, 2017
Amazing. I wish all people like the prince received such a fitting justice. Short freebie, highly recommended. 5 stars!
September 7, 2020
Phoargh!!
All I can say is... he had it coming!
4 stars
All I can say is... he had it coming!
4 stars
July 12, 2024
This was an amazing horror short story.
October 4, 2024
i read this because i was bored at work but now i’m mad where’s the full book? give it !!
July 26, 2017
You want a good fairy tale? I mean a good one, that has not been whitewashed by the Victorians. One that still has the blood of the old tales, told around the fire, long after the kids have fallen asleep? Then check out this Tor Original horror short story.
All I will say, this being a short story, and not wanting to spoil it, is if you hate the prince in the beginning, you are probably feeling what you should be.
Go read it now. It's free.
All I will say, this being a short story, and not wanting to spoil it, is if you hate the prince in the beginning, you are probably feeling what you should be.
Go read it now. It's free.
August 8, 2017
Brutal and one amazing fairy tale. I want more of this protagonist!
It's free too :)
http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
It's free too :)
http://www.tor.com/2017/07/26/these-d...
December 3, 2020
GIVE ME MORE, MAKE IT LONGER FOR FUCK'S SAKE OMFG
August 11, 2017
These Deathless Bones reads a bit too much like a proposal for a book than a standalone short story. There's a great story wanting to get out, it just needs a bit more detail to make it seem earned. As it is, the imagery and magic are haunting, and this is definitely a case of more would be better.
December 16, 2017
At this point I've realized I will pretty much invariably love whatever Cassandra Khaw writes. Her style is so consistently good.
July 28, 2017
Wow.
I am speechless with this wondrous, dark fairy-tale.
Original, twisted, interesting and satisfying.
I am speechless with this wondrous, dark fairy-tale.
Original, twisted, interesting and satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews