Diabolical Plots #28, June 2017

“The Existentialist Men” by Gwendolyn Clare

Reviewed by Valerie A. Lindsey

Gwendolyn Clare’s “The Existentialist Men” details the narrator’s friends and their extraordinary or slightly unique abilities. Some are amusing, like the friend who can only predict one or two seconds out. Her exceptional talent is the friendship of these unusual individuals.

“Regarding the Robot Raccoons Attached to the Hull of My Ship” by Rachael K. Jones and Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali is an outstanding story written as letters between two competing sisters, Anita and Ziza. The authors quickly draw you into a painful relationship while eloquently detailing their personalities and opposing agendas concerning settlement on Mars. I became very invested in the sisters and the events that brought them to this destructive impasse. When they were young, their father stranded them on Mars trying to improve their relationship. While on Mars, they discovered miniscule, wonderful garbatrites which are part of the current issue. The pain and anger radiating in the exchange of letters escalates until a very satisfying ending.