A Review of Kate Elliott’s THE BEATRICEID…in Verse

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Paul Weimer in Book Review // 0 Comments

REVIEW SUMMARY: A con or bust short piece that is a perfect lighthearted bit of whimsy and fun for the holiday season

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Set in the author’s Spiritwalker universe, and done in iambic pentameter, a short story of a retelling of a portion of the Aeneid as part of a school conflict with Cat and Bee, set against a Roman snob.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Excellent poetry, illuminating backstory of the Cat and Bee team
CONS: Really only meant for fans of the Spiritwalker series only
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining short story in an uncommon measure from Kate Elliott

Listen, o readers of SF Signal
I shall relate this review so metered
A short story by one Kate Elliott
Set in past of her Spiritwalker World

Catherine and Bee, cousins and friends too
Poor and proud, students with strength and due
Their tale against a snobbish Roman girl
The story of The Beatriceid

The author’s feats of words are bright and true
Her meter and wordplay rise ever high
Rhythm and flow of poetry divine
Of any bad word choice there is no sign

The art by Julie Dillon catches eye
Depicting Bee in act of declaiming
The world she conjures with her honeyed words
So beautifully lovingly shown

There are five sides to every story
There are many aspects to every myth
Telling Aeneas’ tale in her world
The author gives a myth a brand new shift

Of Cat and Bee, what can I ever say
The characters are as strong as ever
Where Beatrice beautiful like the day
And Catherine bold, and ever clever

Readers of Spiritwalker heretofore
Should not hesitate to buy this work
Those souls unfamiliar with Cat and Bee
Get thee to reading Cold Magic today