Monday 27 September 2021

Antivenom - Karina Fabian - A Rescue Sisters Story

Antivenom
A Rescue Sisters Story
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ASIN B09DB4LFNF


I picked up this short story the day it released. I picked it up for a few reasons. First I have yet to read anything from Fabien’s pen that did not entertain. I had previously read the story at least twice. It appears in the anthology Infinite Space, Infinite God II edited by Karina & Robert Fabian and also in the Worlds of Fabian Space A Story Sampler by Karina Fabian. But I love the story and the Rescue Sisters so much I picked it up again, and both read it and listened to it using adaptive technology.

I have read works by Fabian twenty-four times now, many of them in the last 14 months. I absolutely love her style, her sense of humour, and the variety of stories she writes. This is a Rescue Sisters story. I love the novel Discovery. I greatly enjoy all of Fabian’s works, but I especially love her religious fiction. The Rescue Sisters are nuns of the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue they are post-modern nuns, brave to the extreme. They have specialized training for their work in space, and a modified habit. We are informed about their habit that:

“She knew it, but it didn’t stop her from grumbling as she pulled off the t-shirt and loose pants that were the order’s habit and slid into her spacesuit. Underneath, she wore the skinsuit that was as much a part of the Rescue Sister’s habit as a coif and veil was for other orders. This, too, had taken a lot of getting used to, not only because— as the name suggested— it fit like a second skin, but because she had to wear it nearly all the time— on or off duty. It offered a reassuring but also unnerving amount of protection. 

Before donning the spacesuit, she took a moment to make sure the skinsuit fit smoothly against her skin. Laces with compression bands that helped keep fluids from pooling in the body in microgravity, it would get very uncomfortable it had any folds. Then she checked her dock. Similar to the insulin pumps of old, it could administer medications if her suit detected any worrisome changes in her vital signs or if so commanded by a qualified Rescue Sister. In all, the skinsuit was a fantastically complex and useful piece of rescue equipment and a major expense for the Order, but Rita still felt like she was parading around in footed underwear.”

The description of this volume is:

“Three religious sisters from the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue offer help to a ship that is off-course and not answering hails. They find the ship crawling with venomous snakes who have killed their handler and bitten the pilot. When one bites her partner, Sister Rita must conquer her phobia and snatch the antivenin from their nest.”

And what an excellent adventure it is. Writing short stories is a very different skill than writing novels. I find few authors that are masters of both, but I would put Fabian in that list. I love each of her series and look forward to books that have been announced or are being rewritten but I also hope she has time to spin a few more yarns featuring the rescue sisters.

A great little read and one that will leave you wanting more. Even after at least 4 readings of this story I greatly enjoy it!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Karina Fabian:

Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:
?.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)
?.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition)
...  

DragonEye PI Short Stories:

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:
Live and Let Fly
...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
Space Traipse Stories
…

Mind Over Series:
Mind Over Mind
Mind Over Psyche
Mind Over All
Hearts Over Mind
…

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...









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