The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections
Published July 11th 2018 by Tor Books, ebook 30 pages
A young food taster to the Traitor King must make a difficult choice in this story of pastries, magic, and revenge. The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections is a Tor.com Original from fantasy author Tina Connolly.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Nebula nominee for best novelette in 2018! 4.5 stars for this excellent Tor fantasy story, free online here at Tor.com. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Saffron is one of the official food tasters for Duke Michal, the regent for an infant prince. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Duke, who everyone calls the Evil King, plans to usurp the throne in the near future. But meanwhile he and his soldiers have terrorized the entire kingdom, murdering or imprisoning those who try to stand against them. They’ve also kidnapped Saffron’s husband Danny, a gifted pastry baker, because of his ability to magically infuse his confections with the ability to evoke memories. Now the royal pastry chef, Danny is confined to his kitchens, not permitted to see or even communicate with Saffron.
Saffron offered to take any job at the palace, just to be closer to Danny. The Duke has made her the Confection Taster, doubtless thinking that if Danny has any plan to try to poison the Duke, he’ll have to poison his wife as well. Now there’s an immense royal banquet, including several courses of Danny’s magical pastries that Saffron tastes before anyone else. Saffron begins to surmise, from the memories the different pastries bring to her mind, that Danny has some kind of plan, but what is it?
“The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections” is well-crafted and wondrous. All of the pieces fit together so well, with just the right amount of foreshadowing. There are numerous flashbacks, when Saffron is recalling the memories that Danny’s pastries evoke in her, with these sections of the story titled after the charming names of the pastries, like “Rosemary Crostini of Delightfully Misspent Youth” and “Rose-Pepper Shortbread of Sweetness Lost.”
This story has deeper elements as well; the twin themes of the need to fight against tyrants, and the temptation to leave those battles to others when you and yours are safe and comfortable, are woven in without becoming overbearing. I do wonder just a little about the linchpin concept of the story: (view spoiler)
[The last pastry doesn’t seem like it should work without the Duke having personally seen the death and pain he has caused others, and that level of personal involvement by the ruler seen seems rather doubtful to me. (hide spoiler)] But that’s a minor quibble; overall I highly recommend this read.
Rating: really liked it
She knows already that there is something special about this moment. It is the sort of memory you recall for years after. A moment when the world changed around you. A moment etched with both beauty and loss, a moment that you leave behind as you move away from it, a moment you can never reach again.
Except, with what Danny has now made, perhaps you can.
this one's really strong - all the 'imaginative food magic' of Like Water for Chocolate, all the 'poetic justice for tyrants' of ... so many things. a baker whose secret ingredient triggers fuguelike states in all who eat it, during which they are transported into one of their memories as real as waking life, is essentially imprisoned and forced to serve as the pastry chef at the pleasure of the cruel regent to the throne. his wife volunteers to become the regent's confection taster, to prevent any poisonings and whatnot, and although the couple are not allowed to see each other, they communicate through his creations and the specific memories they invoke in her. and food, especially magical food, can say a lot.
excellent free short and a good way to start your day. SHORT REVIEWS FOR SHORT SHORTS!!!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/07/11/the-la...
come to my blog!
Rating: really liked it
Wow. Some short stories just connect with the reader instantly. Like this one. Food afficionados will get a special kick out of this but any lover of fantasy is going to enjoy this tremendously.
It is the story of a kingdom that has lost its king and has since been ruled by a scrupulous tyrant who has people disappear for saying the wrong things.
In this world live Saffron and Danny. Danny is a baker, Saffron his wife, and both have suffered by the hands of the Traitor King. Danny, however, has a unique gift: he can bake pastries that make you remember!
How can you use whatever skill you have for the good of an entire kingdom?
Apart from the delightful cuisine shown here, I very much enjoyed the artful writing style, vivacious characters, the concept of memories having such power over us and others as well as the spin on the age-old question of
What would you do?.
Rating: really liked it
Another one that has been added and deleted and re-added.
My thoughts? Who the eff knows. But you can find them at my blog.
The Hugo-nominated novelette:
https://www.tor.com/2018/07/11/the-la...
My blog:
https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2020/...
Rating: really liked it
This short fits the bill for both a sweet tale and also a sweet revenge.
What? A foodie Revenge?
With magic, beautiful taste, and a non-standard end?
Short and sweet, indeed. The pain is reserved for others.
Free on Tor right now! :)
Rating: really liked it
The Traitor King gets his just desserts! Sweet retribution. This novelette was a Nebula Awards Finalist in 2018!
Rating: really liked it
A tasty story of beautifully prepared dishes (that invoke memories) and slow, careful, revenge.
Rating: really liked it
Fantastic interlude. Praise is well-deserved.
Rating: really liked it
An impressive flight of imagination. I’ll definitely check out this writer’s other work.
Rating: really liked it
“A young food taster to the Traitor King must make a difficult choice in this story of pastries, magic, and revenge.“Imaginative confections. An usurper of the throne get his just dessert. Not a terribly surprising ending. Granted, the names of the various pastries were funny and their increasingly more ominous effects were nicely done.
Has the feel of a traditional fairytale. ★★★¾☆
Can bed read for free here: https://www.tor.com/2018/07/11/the-la...
Rating: really liked it
Food that triggers memories. And a happily married couple that works together even when separated! This had a great build up and a good use of flashbacks.
Rating: really liked it
This was an OK short story with a fresh feeling premise. We followed the tale of a poison taster at a magic food filled banquet. It was weird but quite fun as we saw how the magic baker tried to get around the issue of his wife being the poison taster to a tyrant everyone wanted gone!
The story never got above average for me but was an OK read.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Rating: really liked it
Death by chocolate! A despotic treasonous king rules the land, but one brave baker and his wife will take their chance for a better world.
Rating: really liked it
A taster for a Traitor King receives a message from her indentured husband in the form of a feast to remember. It evoked a fairytale from the darker days when Ariel turned to sea foam and wolves ate little girls, but was entirely original.
Saying too much would spoil the journey, and it's free to read here: https://www.tor.com/2018/07/11/the-la...
Rating: really liked it
Loved it! If only it were that easy to over-throw a tyrant... short freebie. Highly recommend it. 5, yummy, stars!
