Okay, so this is not actually a book. “The Final Flight of the Blue Bee” is a short story which originally appeared in Asimov’s a few years ago, and which I later bought for $0.99 as a Kindle single. It was written by James Maxey, author of Bitterwood (link goes to the Kindle edition, but it is available in paperback as well).
Maxey likes to write about superheroes. And he has a skill which I really admire, to take something that starts out feeling like it might be parody or simple derivative hash, and through a layering on of detail and character development, turn it into an emotionally affecting statement about the human condition while still telling a kickass story.
“The Final Flight of the Blue Bee” is about Mick Payton, out on parole after forty years in prison, and his planned revenge on the man he believes is responsible for his incarceration–the apian superhero, the Blue Bee.
In some ways, the story is not at all what you’d expect. But in other ways, it goes exactly the way you know it has to.
I’ll talk more about Maxey next week, but right now, I’d encourage you to read the story. If you don’t want to spend ninety nine cents on the Kindle version, it is now available to read free at Daikaijuzine.
