Writer M.A. Weeden recently shared The Last Tower with his grandfather, an editor for the fledgling indie publisher Frowzy Books, and a man so well-read that terminal bibliophiles look like weekend enthusiasts with no ambition by comparison. When asked for his opinion on the surrealist sci-fi end-of-days short, Grandpa Miler had quite a lot to say. I should warn you now, though, that the man probably has fewer filters in place than M.A. Weeden himself, which is to say none. He has no filters in place. But that means that peppered in with what is unquestionably inappropriate turns-of-phrase (the best kind) is the kind of unregulated honesty authors need to hear the most, for better or worse.
“Well, he read it twice,” M.A. said as he related his grandfather’s experience with the tale, “because he said he read it the first time with ‘disbelief’. The second go, he attempted to find a grammatical error, thought he had found a mistake but then when he looked at it further, he discovered that it was SO correct that it appeared wrong in one location. He said, ‘No one knows that rule anymore’. Though, he could not remember where that was specifically.”
[If you have difficulty thinking of grandfathers and the elderly as people, I suggest you look away at this point, as things are about to get flatteringly inappropriate.]
“I asked him for one sentence,” M.A. continued, “and this was him, verbatim: ‘Flawlessly written, eloquently put, and maddeningly brief. If she doesn’t write a book soon enough I’m going to call her up myself and bitch her out. This little story was excellent . . . if I want a constant cock-tease. Tell her I want payoff dammit! Write a damn book!'”
Regarding what could easily be mistaken as an amusing amount of ire from Grandpa Miler, M.A. hastened to add “He’s old school, so when he ‘settles in’ for a read, he’s expecting something that will last. I failed to warn him of its brevity so I took the blame.” This is not the first time The Last Tower has been called out on its length, though this may be the only mark against it. Still, it is something to definitely keep in mind while searching for a good read; long The Last Tower is not.
The Last Tower is a foray into the hazy world of the post-apocalyptic with details and colors drawn from dreams and the subconscious machinations of the mind. Buried beneath the elegant prose and hidden behind the obvious imagery are the things that speak to everyone in unique, and often unpredictable, ways. There’s something for everyone to discover about themselves as they read, analyze, and enjoy this most recent short story by Adalind Monroe.
—–
[ABOUT THE STUFF]
Adalind Monroe is a writer and part-time Magistrate of Impossibility. When she’s not up to her eyeballs in world-building, writing, or magistrating all the Impossible Things, she likes to while away the hours conferring with the flowers as an alchemist in Skyrim.
And for those of you who feel your inner Hulks threatening to overwhelm in the face of such excellent writing available only in short form, worry not; the whispers have begun and a novel is in the works. Stay tuned for periodic updates on “Prince of Darkness”, the first Eleasian Tale by infuriatingly talented Adalind Monroe.
Caffeinated Inspiration 