The Finite Canvas

by Lee Mandelo

We are marked by what we have been. And erasing either of those can have unpredictable consequences...

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction

32 pages, ebook

First published December 10, 2012

Reviews

[s.penkevich [mental health hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

When going down in a blaze of violent glory is the only hope one has for a happy ending to their life, all success is bound to be a spiral of sorrow and sacrifice. At least when you work for a crime syndicate such as in Lee Mandelo’s The Finite Canvas, a shocking sci-fi story of where both revenge and paying tribute to the dead involve a lot of bloodshed. With incredibly expansive world building for such a small package and an excellent framing of stories within stories, The Finite Canvas come roaring off the page with zero chill–except for the ones it’ll make you feel at the end. Bold, surprisingly heartfelt and delightfully queer, this is quite the entertaining tale full of tension and twists where desperate people must make brash choices and hope to still be standing when the gunfire clears.

‘It was ugly and it hurt, so I stopped feeling it, and started hunting.’

This was my first introduction to Lee Mandelo, of whom I’ve heard high praise for their abilities to create amazing worlds and action that center queer characters under the umbrella of speculative fiction. This story is tough as nails and hits with fury. I’ll admit I was initially apprehensive when the first sentence read a tad overwritten but it really drops into the tangled and layered narrative and makes for a fun, one sitting read. I love the framing. Jada gets a doctor, who seems stuck on a mostly-destroyed earth for unpleasant reasons, to add another scar to her body in tribute to her latest murder. Over the several days of taking scalpel to skin, Jada tells doctor Molly the story of how she came to kill someone close to her and the narrative moved between the tension of Jada’s story and Molly’s present and how she will handle the information she is receiving. It’s very cloak and dagger with death always ready to strike.

‘Being lovers doesn’t mean you know each other. Nobody ever really knows anybody; you just think you do.’

This is a quick but well constructed burst of sci-fi that has quite a wealth of depth to it. The Finite Canvas was a gritty but great little read and I can’t wait to check out more of Lee Mandelo’s work.

⅘

‘I was wrong. I was big, bad wrong. Because love isn’t enough when something in you is just broken and nobody cares. He wasn’t saying “I love you.” He was saying sorry’

[rick. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what is most impressive about The Finite Canvas is the robust world-building which Brit Mandelo was able to accomplish within the constraints of short form fiction. This is a story of a three day encounter between two women who are confronted by their own mortality. The mercenary threatened by violence and the doctor by illness. These aren't shadowy specters. They each vividly understand their reality. The title refers to a ritual scarification that is done to record a tribute to the victim on the body of the murderer. Within this act and the story that accompanies it, we learn all we need to know about the world, politics, environment and culture. We never get to the how and why the world is the way it is, but it doesn't matter. Those are not the questions which concern our characters. The restraint of writing keeps us focused on emotional truth of these women as they weigh duty against the cost of a life at the margins of society.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A female assassin atones for her murders by letting a medicine carve her arm (cf the great illustration by Rick Berry) while telling her story. This is the frame story for The Decameron-like redemption/love/family story. Two strong female characters, an intense mystery set in a dystopian world with a bit of action, and a perfect ending make up this novelette. I don't understand why this one didn't win the Nebula instead of Close Encounters. It isn't for the faint of heart and I'm pretty sure it will stick with me a while.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m old, Jada had said. That’s just how stories like mine end, Jada had said.

Once again, Lee Mandelo stuns with the power of the written word. So much world building in such a small story, and characters that felt real enough to touch… Perfection. Mandelo is quickly becoming one of my top favourite writers.

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, it was okay

[Malapata · Rating 1 out of 5]

Flojito, no me ha convencido ni la historia ni los personajes. A ratos previsible.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD

[James Ranger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such an easy read it could pass for a book for children. Prose style is nothing fresh or unique. Dialogue was atrocious. Clearly the author thinks they are witty, with their pinky in the air, but what this bland, banal and boring story comes off as is a failed attempt at being high and mighty. I'm glad I spent no money on this, but I feel bad for my colleague who did, which was how I got to read it.

[Renee Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this years ago and it's still a relevant read today. Carried much more of an emotional punch than I was expecting. A lot was packed into this relatively small novelette, a whole complete world.

[skyler :p · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars.
did you just stab me?
im still amazed by the fact that this book is so short, it felt like an entire lifetime passed as i was reading this. really happy that i ended the year with such a wonderful story

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was even gayer than I expected

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy Lee Mandelo’s work

[melancholicus. · Rating 3 out of 5]

the world building was so interesting id def eat this up if it were a series

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read a Tor.com Original, I feel like I've experienced a little bit of magic. Like I've left somewhere, yet time didn't move, and returned different. This one is the same, and I adore it like I do many of the others.

This one is going to stick with me awhile, I think. It's beautifully macabre, and I feel that the tone and flow of the story certainly fits the subject material. I don't think it will be a tale for everyone, but for me, it "fit." It's also one of those wonderful short stories where it just seems the perfect length - to fill it out and make it a novel, I'm not sure it would have held the same sort of magnetism for me. As a short story, though, it works, and it works incredibly well. Poignant.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

tor.com original

Definitely bleak, but there is also a hope for the hopeless going on here. Jada, wants to get her story out and honor the dead she also desires something for herself that is dependent on Molly. Molly needs something that Jada can give but in the end is given even more. Though both women get what they hope for this is not a happily ever after.

[Rand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and shining evidence that narrative tension and imaginative grandeur remain possible in the short form.

A story to be savored slowly so to let the details build, written in the shadow of Bradbury's Illustrated Man.

Available free to read on tor.com. Highly recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction.

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Li aqui, marquei lido aqui: Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2012 edition.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters, and their world and hope I get the chance to read the story again and/or to read more within the series.

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

That one made me almost cry at the end. Ouch. Ouch. How strong! Picking more by Mandelo ASAP.
(Read as part of he "Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection", but this one totally deserves to be listed and recommended extra.)

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hard hitting and incredibly well-written short from Tor's free fiction series, this time about justice and stories and the tough choices that people make. Mandelo packs an enormous amount of world building into a a few pages, as well as a lot of emotional.

[Kimikimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Tor.com short story.

My god this is bleak.But it's kind of haunting and beautiful too.

[JM · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story. The protagonist's motivation wasn't quite to my liking, but I can see how some people react that way.

[Geert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping novella about a doctor who finds her peace in carving up a mercenary

[Velma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice to see female characters in scifi/fantasy.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't really grab my attention like others have.

[R.K. Nickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was absolutely brilliant! Oh man, such beautiful writing, and such a simple yet evocative journey between this two characters. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy crap that was amazing

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice story about art and meaning.