TITLE: YA
GENRE: Secret
I was not about to step aside for Kaptan Berker.
His gaze on the front of the room, the middle-caste barge master smoothed his greasy hair and sniffed like I was a fool for not reacting to his general magnificence. The many bells on my headscarf jingled as I shook my head. Magnificent belly maybe. He didn’t run a full ship. Just a barge. My back to the man, I leaned against the floor-to-ceiling elephant tusk that marked the license line’s half-way point.
The light from the window’s pointed arches had gone from morning’s white to noon’s yellow as I’d waited behind middle-caste merchants and low-caste sailors like myself. Only now could I stretch my neck and glimpse the bearded men and steely-eyed women whose seal rings would allow me to continue shipping small loads of grain and poor passengers across the sharp waters of The Pass.
Miss Snark's First Victim
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I was tempted to write Historical with all the Persian references, but the first line in the last paragraph describing the light from the window confirmed the genre for me.
I don't know about this one. I wanted to say historical but the language doesn't feel historical.
ReplyDeleteOne small thing: she can't describe a man she has her back to.
Good luck!
HOlly
I'm not sure
ReplyDeleteI think Historical, but it could also be a modern setting. I see where the previous poster is coming from, but it didn't strike me as Fantasy, light does change thoughout the day.
Can't tell
ReplyDeleteI initially wanted to say historical, but the prose don't sound that way. It could be fantasy, but that would just be agues because I don't really get any hint of fantasy here.
I think fantasy, but am only basing it on the spelling of the name Kaptan - and the middle barge master - floor-to-ceiling elephant tusk implies a huge elephant or a small room.
ReplyDeleteCan't tell. Feels historic but I don't recognize a specific time era or culture? Could also be fantasy in a society without technology? It was a lot of unfamiliar words to swallow in the opening. I had to read it a few times to figure out what was going on.
ReplyDeleteFantasy
ReplyDeleteThe Pass, Kaptan... I think it's a setting that draws upon Persian influences.
Can't tell.
ReplyDeleteHow can the character tell what the Kaptan is doing? Also, the word "belly" after "bells" threw me off.
I'm gonna go with Alternate History. Mostly because it just gives me the same kind of adventure vibe that Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan did. I can see the main character (unsure on gender) teaming up with a group of others and breaking through the caste system, or else going pirate and swashbuckling their way to fame and glory.
ReplyDeleteFantasy
ReplyDeleteThe use of "kaptan" and "the Pass" made me think it wasn't historical.
Fantasy because of the bells on her scarf and the mention of castes. Good feel to this piece. Good luck, Sarah
ReplyDeleteI'm going to land on Fantasy though Historical was a strong runner-up. The setting, while not modern, didn't feel anchored in any particular era. That, coupled with some of the word choices made Fantasy the winner.
ReplyDeleteI AM NOT SURE
ReplyDeleteI can't decide between Fantasy and Historical...
Historical.
ReplyDeleteKaptan and middle-caste made me think fantasy, but the sailor's big problem doesn't lead me into an alternate world.
Alternate History
ReplyDeleteThe floor to ceiling elephant tusk that marks the half-way point of the license line was the sentence that leaned me in this direction. It could also be Speculative Fiction, depending how the seal rings are given.
A female sailor wearing a headscarf paired with the old-fashioned language makes me think fantasy or alternate history. And I think the MC is female because of the "I was a fool for not reacting to [him]" Odds are the barge master is straight, so if he expects the MC to react to his appearance, this leads me to think female.
ReplyDeleteFANTASY.
ReplyDeleteI was tempted to say PIRATE FANTASY, if there is such a thing. :-) But overall it was a combo of the headscarf, the mention of castes, and the boat reference that got me there. Historical was a close second.
historical adventure?
ReplyDeleteI really want to say "pirate fantasy," but I'm not sure anything I'll come up with is going to be an actual genre. It sounds like fun though.
I can't tell
ReplyDeleteIt somewhat feels historical, but I can't ay for sure.
I can't tell.
ReplyDeleteHistorical? Fantasy? It seems Persian-inspired, whichever it is. Which is neat. I haven't seen as many of those around lately.
Fantasy. A fantasy world based loosely on real historical places.
ReplyDeleteI felt fantasy all the way through, though other commenters have good points.
ReplyDeleteFANTASY
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe Indian historical until "the Pass." I like the world this is setting up.
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI had to read it several times to make a guess, though. The elephant tusk and caste system could suggest historical, but the seal rings are something that sounds like it belongs in a fantasy world rather than being historical. Steampunk wouldn't surprise me either since it sounds like about the right time period.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe barges, the caste system and the title Kaptan don't jibe with any historic setting I can think of. Seal rings may imply magic.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of details that could mean historical, but I think the tone suggests fantasy.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteThe spelling of Kaptan. I'm guessing the mc is a woman (headscarf,bells) and I don't expect a woman to be a sailor responsible for shipping grain and passengers in historical.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteKaptan, barge master, headscarf, elephant tusk, The Pass (invented place).
Sidenote: the line about the MC noticing their own headscarf feels a bit author intrusive; that it's meant to explain to the reader a visual detail rather than shown organically through the scene. It feels oddly distanced for first person POV.
FANTASY
ReplyDeleteThat massive elephant tusk -- floor to ceiling?! Even if it can happen (yeah, I Googled it ;) ), this size here seems like an intentional exaggeration of the ordinary for an extraordinary alternate world. Plus "seal rings" and "The Pass."
Fantasy.
ReplyDeleteOdd spelling of Kaptan, bells on headscarf, middle-caste and low-caste, seal rings, and sharp waters of 'The Pass' all suggest fantasy adventure.
Fantasy
ReplyDeleteTHe mention of castes and the fact that she's a sailor. If it was historical, she probably wouldn't be.
Maybe historical. Maybe fantasy. To be honest, I'm not even sure I know what's happening in this excerpt. I think someone is waiting in a line with other people and there's a pompous guy in his/her way. I'm afraid the worldbuilding details are overwhelming the flow of the narrative.
ReplyDeleteFantasy
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of references to world building that I don't recognize and I'm a little lost. It sort of feels like it could be historical, but there are just so many things I don't recognize that it feels like an original world.