The Alchemist

I like this one much better than the paired novella, The Executioness. This one follows an ill-fated alchemist whose noble goal was twisted into a horrific purpose and being forced to take part in it.

It is set in the same city, and the events happen more or less simultaneously with the other novella. There's two or three places that hint at the events that happened in the other novella.

The reason I preferred this treatment of the world is because it goes down into a more personal level. It follows the challenges faced by the alchemist forced to juggle between his dream, his life, and his daughter. The inner struggles and self-justification of the use of magic was well portrayed. It showcases the dark side of human nature, being collectively unable to resist temptations and always focused on the self, damning the many, to benefit the few.

It suffers a similar problem with The Executioness though, in the ending of it. A bit of problem with realism - it just happened too fast and too easily, it's just “the end”. The unbelievable bit is how the daughter could even have made it through the city gates "leaking" a blue glow. Unmanned city streets and gates I suppose. And how a scholarly man who was locked up and weakening in a cell for two years, poisoned by bramble, and resuscitated (read: scorched and jolted) from near-death able to make an escape on foot out of a city is just incredible.

But don't look at it too critically and it's actually a nice story. The plot is not exactly fresh (genius forced to work for villains) but it's a good take. Like the other novella, it would probably be a lot better as a full-length novel, with greater room for developing not just the protagonist, but the supporting characters as well.