In Peter McLean’s War for the Rose Throne series, one character of particular interest is Billy the Boy, the young orphan described with considerable understatement in the dramatis personae of Priest of Bones as “a very strange young man”. Featured in Grimdark Magazine Issue 18, the short story Hunger and the Lady offers the first opportunity to explore a little of Billy’s backstory. It’s the tale of an eleven year-old boy scraping a living in the ruins of war-torn Messia as enemy soldiers close in, a story about survival, about enduring hardship, and maybe even the presence of a higher power.
McLean’s novels Priest of Bones and Priest of Lies are dark, powerful stories packed full of violence and intrigue, but this short story…this is bleak stuff. It’s only short, but in just a handful of pages it paints a vivid picture of wartime desperation, the lengths people will go to just to survive, and the damage that can do to a person physically, psychologically and emotionally. It’s grim stuff, albeit entirely in keeping with this world and its overall tone, and if you’re a fan of this series you’ll appreciate the brief glimpse it gives into Billy’s character. Just be prepared for the heartache.
Click here to buy Grimdark Magazine Issue 18 and check out Hunger and the Lady.