Summer 2019 (Hugo Award Nominee 2019 - Novelette);

An invitation to a Temporal Confections dinner is equally coveted and feared, but never declined.

(4.5 Stars)

Dark, deep, and decadent, is how you will find this piece. There is the endless sumptuousness of the food itself, delectable enough to tease the tongue of any reading with its gorgeous descriptions, and yet it promises (and delivers on) so much more. The stage is set as the Duke's Banquet of Temporal Confections, and though we don't yet know why the title calls it the last, the story, and our narrator, the Duke's TasteTester and the Baker's Wife, draw us slowly, delicately through this intrigue of both dinner and a land under siege.

The idea of the temporal confections, all of which bring up specific memories, sometimes linked and sometimes now, is wonderful. I love the idea of pastries, and breads, and sweets that would bring you back to the best and the worst of times, that would make you revisit your past to change and to bolster you with goodness, pride, and peace when you need it as well. Bravi. ( )

This short fits the bill for both a sweet tale and also a sweet revenge.

What? A foodie Revenge?

With magic, beautiful taste, and a non-standard end?

Short and sweet, indeed. The pain is reserved for others.

Free on Tor right now! :) ( )

Dang. Had to sit with this one for a little while. ( )

Interesting and bittersweet. A baker and his wife are held by the Regent of a kingdom. Their only way to communicate is by memory-provoking baked goods. Shades of Proust..

A fantasy novellete about a baker's wife who is able to trigger certain types of memories when people eat her baked goods. This is a very original and interesting story as the main character goes through a series of memories. ( )