"I can help." "Maybe he expects that."

November 26, 2021 7:21 AM

"Everybody knows about Thrull. Thrull like legend among us folk—biggest, greenest, meanest, nastiest, and dirtiest of all—with one big difference: legends false, Thrull true." "Big Thrull and the Askin’ Man" by Max Gladstone is a short fantasy story, told as a tall tale or fairy tale, in which a straightforward host learns to respond to manipulative questions from a seemingly weak guest.
posted by brainwane (7 comments total)

You had me at "by Max Gladstone".
posted by Ber at 8:31 AM on November 26, 2021 [9 favorites]

I almost never read sci fi, but I like this very much. May those who would destroy our planet meet the same fate as Askin' Man. I Love Big Thrull.
posted by mermayd at 10:16 AM on November 26, 2021

I love this! It reminds me of some of R.A. Lafferty's stories, such as "Ride a Tin Can".
posted by Agave at 1:52 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Brainwane back with more excellent nuggets! Where you mine these I don't need to know, I'm just thankful you bring them into town and share!
posted by jellywerker at 3:42 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Thrull not so slow as a box of rocks, but not so fast as a snail neither. Still, Thrull got to where she needed to go, when she needed to be there.
posted by brambleboy at 5:09 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

You had me at "by Max Gladstone".
For those unfamiliar, Max Gladstone is very much worth looking into. The Craft Sequence is fantastic.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 6:06 AM on November 27, 2021

Nice story, thanks for sharing.
posted by lon_star at 2:08 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]