The Only Harmless Great Thing

Every now and then you come across a perfect piece of literature. The Only Harmless Great Thing was Tor's free download this month. Once I'd downloaded it, I cracked it open to peek at the first sentence (as I do nearly every time I receive a book). I then proceeded to inhale the entire thing in one long gulp. It's a good thing it's short.

This story re-imagines history a bit to explore labor rights and animal rights and the power of a story. It jumps between two different timelines and at least four different perspectives, two of which belong to elephants. Each section is short, but they pack a punch. There isn't a single word wasted in this incredibly tight, affecting story.

The Only Harmless Great Thing is beautiful and sad and haunting. It's about the mistakes humans make that are so much bigger than a single life. And the attempts to rectify those mistakes that fall impossibly short. And the catharsis of grand gestures. And the way history gets re-written and people get forgotten or remembered for the wrong things.

Like I said, this book is perfect. I'm so glad I had a chance to read it.

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