We’re starting back up with feature Fridays at AMV. Starting late, but starting nonetheless, and we’re kicking off with the return of Short Story Friday. Today (actually tonight), it’s a story by Todd Robert Petersen. Why? Because his Marilyn Brown Unpublished Novel Award-winning Rift* has just been published by Zarahemla Books. For more on Rift, see Laura’s recent interview with Todd. For a taste of his work, click on the link below.
Title: Now and at the Hour of Our Death
Author: Todd Robert Petersen
Publication Info: Dialogue, Summer 2003
Submitted by: Theric Jepson
Why?: Theric writes: “.
I think Petersen is the best short story writer we have at the moment. This particular story is often mentioned to me by others as being their favorite.”
Participate:
Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
All Short Story Friday posts so far
*Full disclosure: this is going to sound like bragging, but I do think it’s best to disclose any conflicts of interest. So here it is: I read a draft of Rift and commented on it. I have not read the final version of the novel. Also: I very much enjoyed the version I read even though I was initially put off by the idea that Todd was writing a rural Utah novel when I specifically applauded him for the international flavor of his short stories in Long After Dark.
A Motley Vision 
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After the irritating foreword and the rural-Utah first story, I was prepared to set LAD down for a few months. But I was holding a sleeping baby and no other reading material within reach so I read the next story, a gem called “Now and at the Hour of Our Death” and was blown away. The book hardly left my hands over the next few days and since finishing it I’ve been pressing it on everyone.
And so, even though Rift is based on that first rural-Utah story, I’m very excited.
What’s the foreword? C.B.?
I thought it was good, tight prose that brought me in and made me wonder about why I just can’t relate to some people. Protecting my family would not bring me doubt, or did I misinterpret something?
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The foreword’s by Brian Evanson and you can read it at Google Books. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but it left me cold and set me up to hate the book. Good thing I had already bought it at that point.
As to your question, did you miss how he wanted to go beyond merely protecting?