Diabolical Plots #93, November 2022
“The Restaurant of Object Permanence” by Beth Goder
“Beneath the Crust” by Phil Dyer
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are two new short stories in the 93rd issue of Diabolical Plots. Both were entertaining reads.
“The Restaurant of Object Permanence” by Beth Goder
The archivist is transported to the restaurant of Object Permanence in this flash fantasy. There, she is presented with articles from her past. To relive those memories, she has to ingest the objects, but are they the right ones for her?
This story wrapped up the everyday challenges of remembering events into a metaphysical story.
“Beneath the Crust” by Phil Dyer
Clipper is one of three foodies in this SF short. It’s his job to imagine foods under the digger that will support its weight as they mine the endless bread from another dimension. Things are going smoothly until he smells familiar foods he hadn’t summoned, but they clearly come from his childhood memories.
The digger almost sinks into the soft bread when Clipper’s mind creates grandmother’s apple pie crust under it. The flaky crust is too fragile, so Clipper has to override the image with something more solid, like a baguette. But the misfires continue, and Clipper fears something has taken over his mind.
At first, it was a confusing story until it resolved itself into the common theme of alien mind control.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com. There are links there to join his mailing list for a weekly newsletter on the recent release of his debut novel, Defender of Vosj.