Sci Phi Journal #20, December 2016
“Couch, with a Labrador” by Shauna O’Mear
Reviewed by Richard Cartwright
“Couch, with a Labrador” by Shauna O’Mear is an interesting tale which examines the question of what would the animals that touch our lives have to say to us if they had the chance. Ms. O’Mear’s answer is surprising yet plausible.
In “Love Guarenteed” by T.C. Powell delves into the world of virtual reality and relationships. What if you could program the “perfect” relationship partner? What if the perfect person is not enough? Or would you want the virtual partner to be more real? This is a story with some dark places, but with a surprising twist at the end. It’s worth the read, but if you are disturbed by graphic themes, you may want to skip it.
“Close Enough” by J.R. Johnson wasn’t so much a story as a hypothetical for several ethical questions concerning cloning, guilt and situational ethics. The writing was skillful but you really didn’t care so much for the characters as for the bioethics and other issues they present. You feel nothing for the characters and thus really can’t engage with the story.
August von Orth in “The Road Not Taken” visits the well plowed field of going back in time and guiding yourself. The author does an excellent job of it on the whole, leaving the reader with several questions to ponder. The one thing that detracts from the story is that there is a certain amount of wish fulfillment that tends to make things a bit too pat and predictable at the end.
“Price of Allegiance” by Alex Shvartsman is a fascinating story about loyalty and earning trust. Set in a future where Earth is a junior member of a Galactic Union, its loyalty is tested when it is asked to help defend the Union from outside aggressors. This is not a “boots on the ground” story so much as what goes on with the motivations of the leadership. The twist at the end is well placed and you don’t really see it coming.
Double Grave by James Fitzsimmons addresses the sometimes prickly relationship between father and son, and thanks to some voices beyond the grave the realization that the father may not have been the man the son always thought him to be.
“The Teenage Girl’s Robot Army” by Rawle Nyanzi is shockingly enough the story of the adventures of a teenage girl in a world where all labor is automated. While not as well written as it could have been, the story poses some interesting questions about the worth of human life in a world where people are made redundant to machines.