Diabolical Plots #80, October 2021
“Audio Recording Left by the CEO of the Ranvannian Colony to Her Daughter, on the Survival Imperative of Maximising Profits” by Cassandra Khaw and Matt Dovey
“It’s Real Meat” by Kurt Pankau
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are two new short stories in the 80th issue of Diabolical Plots. Both stories were entertaining reads.
“Audio Recording Left by the CEO of the Ranvannian Colony to Her Daughter, on the Survival Imperative of Maximising Profits” by Cassandra Khaw and Matt Dovey
The daughter of the colony’s CEO finds a recording waiting for her in this short SF horror story. The mother describes each of the Ranvannian dishes they have made famous across the galaxy, boosting the colony’s economic survival.
Each dish has a perverted aspect to its creation. And at the end of the recording, the daughter hears of one more entree. It’s a new recipe that has an intimate impact on the daughter.
This story felt slow throughout the cataloging of dishes. And then it came with an ending twist that struck like a baseball bat.
“It’s Real Meat” by Kurt Pankau
Ty Qin is a geneticist in this short SF horror tale. Newly hired to improve the flavor of vat-grown meat, he soon finds himself forced into an unethical situation.
The real meat grown in a vat and controlled by AI is not beef, chicken, or even pork. In fact, Dr Qin isn’t sure what it is, though he claims to hear voices. The company CEO is away on business, and things are getting dicey at the factory for Ty.
The author’s exchanging-emails structure worked well for this plot and produced a fast-paced story with an unexpected twist.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com