Diabolical Plots #103, September 2023

“Every Me Is Someone Else” by Andy Dibble

“Requiem” by P. H. Low

Reviewed by László Szegedi

“Every Me Is Someone Else” by Andy Dibble

Mind reading—or rather placing one’s consciousness in the body of another, is the jumping off point of this story. The author switches between the point of view of the struggling telepath Joshua and his therapist Boa, but the parts written from the therapists point of view are much easier to follow and have more straightforward meaning, even containing some philosophy, and relates interesting details about the world they are living in.

The author ended the story just at the point where it started to be really interesting, where real emotions could have been fired up. Too bad, the rules of this society were quite intriguing and left the reader wanting to know more about it.

“Requiem” by P. H. Low

This intimate story pulls readers into the world of a dystopian tyranny governed by the state, where musical instruments are forbidden. This concept is definitely taken from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, but instead of fire, here music is the weapon of destruction.

The narrative contains lots of vivid moments with an abundance of colors, sounds, and emotions. But behind all this, the not so hidden drive is the protagonist’s profound longing for her father.

I found the most enigmatic and interesting figure in the story to be the Emperor. Despite his limited presence, he adds an air of mystery and intrigue that caught my imagination; I really wanted to read more about his character and motives.

Interestingly, I couldn’t find any traces of the musical pieces mentioned throughout the text, thus they all seem to be born in the author’s mind.

However, the plot remains tethered to its initial premise, and the story doesn’t really explore this world any further. That said, its personal touches still made it worth reading.

László is an SF enthusiast living in middle Europe, also writing songs in the attic.