"Myrrha" is a fantasy short story by Gary Jennings. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, in September 1962.
Synopsis edit
As Shirley Spencer lies catatonic, entries from her diary describe how a visit by an old school friend from Greece gradually destroyed her life — and indicate parallels with classical mythology. Myrrha very loosely draws parallels to the Greek myth of Myrrha, namely the name and references to Greece.
Reception edit
"Myrrha" was a finalist for the 1963 Hugo Award for Short Fiction.[1]
At Galactic Journey, Gideon Marcus found it to be "dreamy, humorless, (and) unpleasant", while conceding that he "might have liked it more had (he) understood it."[2] Piers Anthony considered it "an utterly savage story of revenge for a personal slight."[3]
References edit
- ^ 1963 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved October 1, 2021
- ^ Aug. 17, 1962: The 90% rule (September 1962 Fantasy and Science Fiction), by Gideon Marcus, at Galactic Journey, published August 17, 2017; retrieved October 1, 2021
- ^ Introduction to Myrrha, in One and Wonder: Piers Anthony's Remembered Stories, published 2013 by Fantastic Planet Books