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Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction (June 1986), “The Bloody Man” introduces Jack Limekiller—a restless, observant outsider navigating a place where history, folklore, and uneasy truths overlap. In this episode, we set the stage for Avram Davidson’s singular voice, its rhythms, humor, and moral complexity, and the world Limekiller inhabits.

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Chapters 17–20 bring everything to a rolling boil, as power changes hands, jobs vanish, pressure mounts, and the town’s many moving parts drift toward the same crowded moment. Avram Davidson balances tragedy, farce, and dark humor with astonishing ease—moving from private grief to public spectacle without ever tipping his hand. Old loyalties surface, institutions close ranks, and a few quietly overlooked people turn out to matter more than anyone expected. When celebration, denial, and mechanical inevitability collide, Yokums proves it can turn even a parade into a moral stress test. The result is funny, unsettling, and deeply human, with Davidson letting cause and effect do the talking.

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In this episode, Virgil and Bob discuss “The King’s Shadow Has No Limits,” unpacking Davidson’s portrayal of empire in decline and the quiet, unsettling ways power manifests among the poor, the faithful, and the forgotten. They explore the story’s historical texture, its use of religious ritual and civic tradition, and the unsettling ambiguity at its core. The conversation touches on themes of identity, sacrifice, political decay, and the blurred boundary between ruler and subject—along with why this story feels both ancient and eerily modern.

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