Aurealis “Section 7.3” by Robinne Weiss
“Buttons” by Patrick Axford
“Thus With a Kiss I Die” by Robert Bagnall
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Three stories with dark moods appear in this issue.
“Section 7.3” by Robinne Weiss takes place at a future time when most of the world has been depopulated by a virus. New Zealand is one of the few places still inhabited. Scavengers from that nation arrive in the former United States, searching for valuables in the homes of the dead. What they find in one such building leads to a terrible dilemma.
This is a very grim story, with a conclusion that may shock some readers. Without giving too much away, even the nature of the problem facing the scavengers might be too disturbing for sensitive persons.
In “Buttons” by Patrick Axford, a mysterious woman arrives at the apartment of a fellow with a gruesome secret. As their encounter continues, the man comes to understand his fate.
From the very start, it is obvious that the woman is some kind of supernatural entity and that the man is going to pay for his evil actions. There are not many surprises in the plot, but the final image is a striking one.
A brilliant scientist discovers a way to download his consciousness into a computer in “Thus With a Kiss I Die” by Robert Bagnall. The problem is that he has done this to himself and left his mindless body behind, with no sign of returning to it. The director of a gigantic corporation funded his work and has her own motive for bringing him back. She hires the scientist’s former colleague and lover, who responds to the situation in an unexpected way.
The concept of human consciousness existing in digital form is a familiar one, although the author treats the theme in a few new ways. The story’s climax manages to be both romantic and grotesque.
In general, the characters are fully developed and plausible. Even the director of the corporation, who could have easily been a stereotyped antagonist, is a three-dimensional creation. A glaring exception is the director’s assistant, who can literally smell people’s emotions and whether they are telling the truth. The only explanation given for this bizarre ability is that she was born that way. Although the author’s afterword states that she is one of his favorite characters, she is out of place in an otherwise realistic story.
Victoria Silverwolf notes that this issue also contains an article about the late author Vonda N. McIntyre, as well as other nonfiction pieces.