Summer 2019 (Hugo Award Nominee 2019 - Best Short Story);

Unlike the fable many are told as children of George Washington's teeth being made of wood, they were in all fact made from the teeth of slaves. This is the tale of where nine such teeth came from, set in a world like ours but made of magic and magical creatures.

While I don't consider this piece an overwhelming favorite of my life, I do think it's done incredibly well. The matter of fact tone the narrator/historian takes with the tales of the people, the lives of slavery, the life of George (facing the effects of the teeth), and every bit of sorcery seering through the words sells this world.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading Clark's novella The Black God's Drums now, too ( which was, also, nominated for a Hugo). ( )

This is a very strong and imaginative fantasy contender for the 2019 Hugo noms.

I think I may appreciate the idea behind this and all the clever twists more than anything. :) Hats off to the sharp dentition!

:)

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I read "Dust to Dust" by Mary Robinette Kowal and the award-winning "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by P. Djeli Clark. Both stories were well crafted, though I enjoyed Kowal's more. (It has more of a story; the Clark story is basically a series of nine vignettes that are only loosely linked together.) ( )