The Rat Burglar is, quite simply, tremendous fun. Based on Japanese mythology, it tells the tale of Sandy, a security guard at an expensive city gallery, and Rudy, a thief with a very unexpected skill. Needless to say, the two clash when Rudy decides to steal a priceless Japanese artifact from the gallery. Needless to say, the path of true love does not run smooth, as Rudy battles to control his shapeshifting abilities, while Sandy struggles to trust him.
The characters are possibly the best thing in an all-round good story. Sympathetic without being goody-goody, attractive without being Ken-dolls, they engage the reader's interest and come off the page as delightfully real. Even though one's a shapeshifter and the other is half Japanese with a distinctly exotic past, you feel like they're the sort of people you could meet every day on the street. Because of that, it's very easy to care what happens to them.
The story itself can best be described as rollicking, with fights and motorbike chases and misunderstandings galore, but this isn't just wham-bam comic strip action. There's thoughtfulness, too, and just the right amount of angst. The plot twists are both unexpected and clever, the well-researched Oriental mythology adds interest to an already intriguing tale, and the ending is delightful and feels just right.
I won't go into any more detail for fear of spoiling the surprise, but this is a perfect short story whether you like shapeshifters or not!
The Rat Burglar is available in Shifting Perspectives from Aspen Mountain Press.
You can read Emily Veinglory's review of Understanding Forgiveness here, and you can read TA Chase's review of my own story, Feathered Friend, here.
1 comment:
...and I finally got to write my were-rat(s) :)
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