Diabolical Plots #67, September 2020
“The Last Great Rumpus” by Brian Winfrey
“That Good Old Country Living” by Vanessa Montalban
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are two new and enjoyable short stories in the 67th issue of Diabolical Plots.
“The Last Great Rumpus” by Brian Winfrey
Hank is a ghost in this charming short fantasy snippet. Only one person can see him, but Hank leaps and runs and is loyal like any other shepherd mix.
But Hank’s friend can see that the end is coming. Each day, Hank’s smoky image is less distinct. And now his friend must decide between hanging on or letting Hank go in one last explosion of fun.
This was a warm and engaging summer breeze of a read. A story that left the reader happy for the chance to read it.
“That Good Old Country Living” by Vanessa Montalban
In this SF short, a group of tourist robots are going out to visit an animated mock-up of a human farm. Global warming caused humans, and their domesticated animals, to become extinct. Now, the robots look back with nostalgia on the old human civilization.
But though the reality of the old ways may be fun to watch and even participate in, they also bring a certain repulsion at what their creators did.
This was an interesting view of the future that would be a good background to a story. However, this was scene-setting without a story to use that backdrop.