5 stars

This is how we failed to lose.

This was really great. It left me warm and hurting in the best way. Inexplicably, it made me want to cry.

RECOMMENDED ( )

An astonishing amount of story packed into a small and powerful package. Beautifully done commentary on the ways kindness can break through hate, even in long entrenched conflicts. Also a poignant exploration on how telepath vs non-telepath might play out. Compassionate and satisfying. ( )

Enemies in name
only partially in thought
resuming the game. ( )

A wonderful short story about the aftermath of war. While the peace holds after a long war, Calla, a military nurse from Enith visits Valk, an officer from the enemy side recuperating from his injuries in hospital. His people, the Gaantish, are telepaths and the two had become friends - first, while she nursed him in an Enithi facility and later when she was captured by Gaant, and she has visited him to complete an unfinished game of chess.



Despite a couple of fairly cliched turns of phrase at the beginning, this quickly becomes a beautiful take that hints at the horrors of war both sides have experienced, and shows the slow, painful process of building trust between those who have long been enemies. "We each have our stories," is repeated in some form throughout.



Due to their telepathy, the Gaant don't play strategy games, so Calla has to teach Valk the rules, and teach herself a new way to play. Their game becomes a focus of fascination for the other Gaant in the hospital, following the moves and the thoughts of the players. When one asks the point of the game, Valk answers "The point is the fight little wars without hurting anyone."

There was silence then, because yes, they all had stories. ( )

How we failed to lose. :)

This is a simple yet very warm tale and it comes laden with a ton of emotional baggage that doesn't overwhelm us, the readers... Rather, it leads us to a place where there is understanding and actual hope. It's like an inoculation against greater tragedy.

What? In a simple game of chess?

Well, yeah, made a lot more difficult when it's a metaphor for two whole countries fighting when one is made up of telepaths and the other isn't. :)

Pretty cool. We just have to roll with the premise, but hell, it's short and worthy to be a nom for '17 Hugos. Which, in fact, it is. :)

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