Illustration by Galen Dara
“In the middle of the maze, there’s always a monster.
“If there were no monster, people would happily set up house where it’s warm and windowless and comfortable. The monster is required. The monster is a real estate disclosure.
“So. In the middle of the maze, there is a monster made of everything forgotten, everything flung aside, everything kept secret. That’s one thing to know. The other thing to know is that it is always harder to get out than it is to get in. That should be obvious. It’s true of love as well.”
So begins GIVE HER HONEY WHEN YOU HEAR HER SCREAM, yet another wildly creative and voice-driven masterpiece written by Maria Dahvana Headley. At the outset of audiobook month, we highlighted another, THE TRADITIONAL, but this one is just a little extra special because it was a finalist for a 2012 Nebula Award in the Short Story category. And boy, is it clear why. Headley has this way of taking all the old story tropes—monsters and mazes, magicians and witches, even love—and turning them all on their heads to delightful results.
Narrator Gabrielle de Cuir takes this story on with a breathy, mysterious, all-knowing tone that fits perfectly, leading her listener through diners and taxicabs and cemeteries without question. Enjoy it for yourself below, then read Lightspeed’s latest Author Spotlight if you want more love and magic from Maria.
GIVE HER HONEY WHEN YOU HEAR HER SCREAM AUDIO
Maria Dahvana Headley is the Nebula-nominated author of the dark fantasy/alt-history novel Queen of Kings, as well as the internationally bestselling memoir The Year of Yes and several short stories. Most recently, with Neil Gaiman, she co-edited the young-adult monster anthology Unnatural Creatures, to benefit 826DC. Find her on Twitter at @MARIADAHVANA.
Maria Dahvana Headley
Gabrielle de Cuir is a stage actress, director, playwright, and audiobook narrator and producer with dozens of Audie Awards up on the wall. Her first film, THE DELIVERY, was an Official Selection of the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival and winner of the Fantasy Award at DRAGONCON Film Festival. With Stefan Rudnicki, she is the co-founder of Skyboat Media.
