Review: The Devil and Dice by Diana Hurlburt

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Review of The Devil and Dice by Diana Hurlburt (6901 words)
Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 039 :Read Online

This is the second story by Diana Hurlburt that I am reviewing. It stood out to me then, and it stands out to me instantly now, that her descriptions are beyond spectacular.

She paints wonderful pictures, and I repeat myself, but it's true - I don't like to read descriptions very much for many reasons. They do nothing for me in terms of the story in most cases, it gets draggy and people don't edit. But Hurlburt is just fantastic.

Orca and Dice. Black and White. Devil and God. Twins. Twins that grow up together, but one is for the Devil and one is for God, as declared by the pastor of their small town. The premise is interesting, as well as the description of the passage of time.

The story has fantastical elements, combined with the general ordinariness of life, which isn't always ordinary to begin with. Combining the real, unreal and surreal is a special skill, and one that is beautifully on display in this story.
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