Lightspeed “The Ambient Intelligence” by Todd McAulty
“The Vampire of Kovácspéter” by P.H. Lee
“Everything and Nothing” by Jenny Rae Rappaport
“Everquest” by Naomi Kanakia
Reviewed by Tara Grímravn
Lightspeed is back this October with a selection of original SF and fantasy stories. There are a total of eight tales on offer, only four of which are new and, therefore, the subject of this review.
“The Ambient Intelligence” by Todd McAulty
Due to a mysterious government program called the Deep Temple Project, the water in Lake Michigan has been steadily boiling away. Its shoreline is now little more than a series of mudflats and interconnected stagnant pools that go on for at least a mile before one reaches the water. Barry Simcoe is on a mission by AGRT, an international peacekeeping organization, to disable a gigantic robot destroying large portions of Chicago and killing its citizens. According to his friend Zircon Border, it was spotted coming and going from the exposed remains of an old shipwreck. In order to do this, Simcoe must navigate the treacherous bog that is now the lakebed and try to disable his opponent before it can kill him.
McAulty’s SF story is a great read. It takes a little while to get to the more exciting bits, but that’s necessary to give the reader enough background to understand what’s happening and why. The ending doesn’t disappoint either. The characters are quite well-done, and I especially liked the interactions between Simcoe and True Pacific. Give this one a read!
“The Vampire of Kovácspéter” by P.H. Lee
The village of Kovácspéter has a long-standing problem: a vampire who claims one of their children as an offering each year. This year, though, old Balazs, whose own sister was sacrificed to the monster when he was a child, has an idea. He’s going to put out a call in the hopes of attracting a hero to the town, one that can destroy the vampire and liberate its people.
This dark fantasy story (I hesitate to call it horror) was an entertaining read, even if it was a little frustrating. I like the style in which it’s written, but it feels like characterization is a little lacking. There is some attempt but it’s not enough to really make the reader connect with the hero, the vampire, or Balazs. The only remotely likable character is the vampire, and even he falls a bit flat. The hero really isn’t exceptionally heroic—he’s basically a nameless, watered-down version of Gabriel Van Helsing from the (2004) film Van Helsing, only far less relatable. Honestly, the entire story comes off as being rather derivative of that screenplay. Overall, it’s an okay story but nothing to write home about.
“Everything and Nothing” by Jenny Rae Rappaport
In the distant future, the archetype of the Lovers, found in stories and fables everywhere, is viewed as a lesson in the dangers of romantic love. Instead, most people believe that friendship between partners is more important (and safer) than passion or lust. It is in this environment that Vela and Hanna are two women from separate households trying to shield their children from the dangers of love. Eventually, they must come to terms with the fact that, as they grow, their children have their own stories to live.
This one is a difficult piece to summarize properly and do it justice. Written in the first- and second-person present, Rappaport’s SF story is a bittersweet tale of love and the human condition. It’s really Vela’s recounting of events that led to her and Hanna’s first meeting and the relationships between them and their children. The focus is heavily on the human drama, not so much the SF aspects of the world they inhabit. As long as one goes into it with that understanding, they won’t be disappointed.
“Everquest” by Naomi Kanakia
For Christmas, Gopal’s father gave him a copy of a game. From the moment he boots it up, he is hooked. His first character is a female wood elf named Gayatri. Unfortunately, due to slow internet connections resulting in terrible lag, he’s never able to level up, forced to stay in the low-level areas. Still, that doesn’t stop him from getting into trouble with his guildmates and sadistically ruining the game for other players. Eventually, though, his parents start to become worried and cancel his account, sending Gopal into a downward spiral.
This fantasy piece brought back a lot of memories for me. I was an avid EverQuest player for a lot of years and encountered more than my share of people like Gopal in-game. For that reason alone, Kanakia’s story struck a chord with me. Like the previous tale, this is mostly about the human condition and relationships with a decidedly fantasy ending. While I really didn’t find Gopal a sympathetic character (he’s really quite despicable), the story is actually quite enjoyable.