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Finishing Fantasy and Science Fiction
Jun. 3rd, 2006 01:30 pmI finished reading the last story in Fantasy and Science Fiction last night. I posted on the Nightshade web-site, but wanted to repost it here.
"Finally done!
I am a notoriously slow reader, generally only completing a book or so a month, so I am probably one of the last to finish this.
Let me first say that of the seven works of fiction in this issue, I found Heather Lindsley's "Just Do It" to be the most charming and fun to read. I found I could relate to the main character and, since one of my degrees is in marketing, don't doubt that the future she portrays isn't all that unlikely. Woo-Hoo! I liked it. Too bad it was buried at the back.
To be perfectly honest, none of the other pieces lit a similar fire in my veins.
The first piece, Robertson's "Kansas, She Says..." started off with a great deal of promise. I thought it might be a piece that tackled the fright of a young girl on the run. Instead, it turned into a bizarre knock-off of "The Wizard of OZ" (fully-intentional, I'm sure), the lesson of which should logically then be "there's no place like home." Unfortunately for me, this story slid into a preachy ending, with a character actually spouting the moral of the story from her munchkin mouth. Personally, I would rather have seen it develop into a madcap series of adventures....
Speaking of madcap adventures, let me skip to Wilce's "Lineaments of Gratified Desire". Huh?
Everyone has different tastes, exemplified by the fact that both Moby Dick and Peter Rabbit continue to sell long after their creation. I tried, really I did, but I just couldn't get into this story. I believe that it was an inability to relate to the narrative voice. So what verdict am I giving here? Basically that I didn't enjoy the story. That doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic story--might just be me. I couldn't get into it.
All right, back in order. "Holding Pattern" by Steven Popkes uses the unreliable narrator well. Unfortunately, I didn't get the resolution I expected at the end. I wanted to be told whether I actually HAD an unreliable narrator, or otherwise, but instead the author tells me it doesn't actually matter. I thought the narrative well crafted, but would have like to have my questions resolved.
"Billy and the Unicorn" by Terry Bisson, runs exactly as billed in the header--the story of how awful it is to be a kid. What else can I say?
"The Meaning of Luff" by Matthew Hughes details the value of foreknowledge. It was an interesting piece, which I thought had a valuable statement--that sometimes it's better not to know. I didn't relate to either of the main characters, though, which is always important to me as a reader.
"Republic" by Robert Onopa tells the story of an expedition gone wrong. The story is told as backstory, and the narrative voice didn't reach me. I think it was well crafted, and the plot worked out logically, although I did wonder why it didn't occur to these people that they would be quarantined from Earth before they made the trip back. I didn't understand the meaning of the name of the story, and mentally tried to attach it to Plato's Republic, but I suppose I have just demonstated my ignorance in saying so.
Finally, Seeger's "Memory of a Thing that Never Was" was enjoyable to read. I followed the plot easily enough, although I personally have a bias against stories that revolve around giant world-encompassing hidden conspiracies. I did enjoy reading the story.
If this issue was aimed at younger readers, I will be curious to see what they have to say in their blogs. I don't know that any of these stories are really aimed at anyone under 30. I will troll around and have a look, because I'm curious to 'hear' their opinions."
SO this is my opinion, FWIW.
"Finally done!
I am a notoriously slow reader, generally only completing a book or so a month, so I am probably one of the last to finish this.
Let me first say that of the seven works of fiction in this issue, I found Heather Lindsley's "Just Do It" to be the most charming and fun to read. I found I could relate to the main character and, since one of my degrees is in marketing, don't doubt that the future she portrays isn't all that unlikely. Woo-Hoo! I liked it. Too bad it was buried at the back.
To be perfectly honest, none of the other pieces lit a similar fire in my veins.
The first piece, Robertson's "Kansas, She Says..." started off with a great deal of promise. I thought it might be a piece that tackled the fright of a young girl on the run. Instead, it turned into a bizarre knock-off of "The Wizard of OZ" (fully-intentional, I'm sure), the lesson of which should logically then be "there's no place like home." Unfortunately for me, this story slid into a preachy ending, with a character actually spouting the moral of the story from her munchkin mouth. Personally, I would rather have seen it develop into a madcap series of adventures....
Speaking of madcap adventures, let me skip to Wilce's "Lineaments of Gratified Desire". Huh?
Everyone has different tastes, exemplified by the fact that both Moby Dick and Peter Rabbit continue to sell long after their creation. I tried, really I did, but I just couldn't get into this story. I believe that it was an inability to relate to the narrative voice. So what verdict am I giving here? Basically that I didn't enjoy the story. That doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic story--might just be me. I couldn't get into it.
All right, back in order. "Holding Pattern" by Steven Popkes uses the unreliable narrator well. Unfortunately, I didn't get the resolution I expected at the end. I wanted to be told whether I actually HAD an unreliable narrator, or otherwise, but instead the author tells me it doesn't actually matter. I thought the narrative well crafted, but would have like to have my questions resolved.
"Billy and the Unicorn" by Terry Bisson, runs exactly as billed in the header--the story of how awful it is to be a kid. What else can I say?
"The Meaning of Luff" by Matthew Hughes details the value of foreknowledge. It was an interesting piece, which I thought had a valuable statement--that sometimes it's better not to know. I didn't relate to either of the main characters, though, which is always important to me as a reader.
"Republic" by Robert Onopa tells the story of an expedition gone wrong. The story is told as backstory, and the narrative voice didn't reach me. I think it was well crafted, and the plot worked out logically, although I did wonder why it didn't occur to these people that they would be quarantined from Earth before they made the trip back. I didn't understand the meaning of the name of the story, and mentally tried to attach it to Plato's Republic, but I suppose I have just demonstated my ignorance in saying so.
Finally, Seeger's "Memory of a Thing that Never Was" was enjoyable to read. I followed the plot easily enough, although I personally have a bias against stories that revolve around giant world-encompassing hidden conspiracies. I did enjoy reading the story.
If this issue was aimed at younger readers, I will be curious to see what they have to say in their blogs. I don't know that any of these stories are really aimed at anyone under 30. I will troll around and have a look, because I'm curious to 'hear' their opinions."
SO this is my opinion, FWIW.
