“Sword & Spore” by Dominica Phetteplace

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Story can be read on-line: https://www.tor.com/2022/04/06/686071-dominica-phetteplace/

Rating: 3/5 Stars

A story that starts out like the usual fantasy of a boy who finds a sword and goes on to be king, but the cast of supporting characters (a wizard, a king and his estranged wife) turn out to be more SF when the wizard talks about travelling between universes, gathering books on science and educating others.

The wizard convinces the king to meet his wife (who has taken over the body of the boy) and the ensuing encounter upends the world as the boy becomes king and, in a twist, does all he can to get an education to make the country a better place.

A very condensed tale of a situation that cries out for a longer tale that looks into how the wizard, the king and his wife came to the world, and what happens after.

Story read from 2022/08/02 to 2022/08/02