"Small Deaths" is a wish fulfillment story: In it a character discovers that she has an extraordinary power that sets her apart from other people and to a degree makes her superior to people. This may vicariously satisfy a reader's desire to be in some way special by inviting the reader to imagine himself as the extraordinary character, in this case, Zoe. This sort of tale has long attracted young adult readers and may be found in books such as A. E. van Vogt's Slan (1946) and Jane Yolen's Merlin (1997; see separate entry). Readers of any age of audience may feel the attraction of wish fulfillment, but young people trying to establish their personal independence tend to find such stories especially satisfying.