During the Dance by Mark Lawrence

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Series: Stand-alone short story

Publisher: Self Published (July 4, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 9 pages

My Rating: five out of five stars.

This is a short story penned by Mark Lawrence, author of the grimdark masterpiece Prince of Thorns and its sequels. While it has some fantastical elements, it is definitely not a fantasy work nor a grimdark in anyway, but rather a simple tale of love and loss set in the modern world.

Since this is such a compact tale, I will not attempt to summarize it other than to say it focuses on a young girl who sees another side of the world.  And while nine pages is not much time to craft a complex story, Mr. Lawrence injects so much emotion into those two thousand words that even the most hardened person will likely find their heartstrings gently played by this girl’s poignant tale.

Truly, During the Dance is a story not to be missed. Its hauntingly beautiful narrative of love will echo in your memories long after you close your e-reader. While those who abhor The Broken Empire and its grimdark lead Jorg Ancrath may feel led to skip this short story, I would ask that they not do so, because it is a different story that should not be compared to Jorg Ancrath’s tale in any way.  I personally revisit it from time to time, and it never fails to cast its spell over me.  Due to that, it is one of my favorites stories of all time, and I’d love to help introduce it to others out there.

DOWNLOAD THE STORY AT AMAZON.