Strange Horizons, July 6, 2020

“Last Orders in the Green Lane” by Stephen O’Donnell

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

Less than one thousand words long, “Last Orders in the Green Lane” by Stephen O’Donnell describes a group of rural people in a bar, waiting for the approach of an unspecified menace coming from a burning city. Narrated with very long, flowing sentences, the story creates an eerie, hypnotic mood. The fact that the author never reveals the nature of the threat, and that the story ends before it arrives, will frustrate readers looking for a more traditional, plot-driven tale.

Victoria Silverwolf forgot to change her sunglasses for her regular glasses when going into work today, and had to go back to the parking lot to get them.