Diabolical Plots #48, February 2019
“Local Senior Celebrates Milestone” by Mathew Claxton
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There were two short stories in the 48th issue of Diabolical Plots.
“Local Senior Celebrates Milestone” by Mathew Claxton
Millie celebrates her 110th birthday in this SF short, while a local reporter interviews her beside her large birthday cake. But though she looks human, she’s a first-generation alien, with human DNA mixed into her genomes.
As the reporter explores her ‘human’ life, Millie remembers the struggles of her alien life as she and her offspring lost contact with home. Now she waits patiently for the second wave to arrive and finish the job.
This was an intriguing short story, easy to read and leaving the reader wondering just how it was going to end.
“How Rigel Gained a Rabbi (Briefly)” by Benjamin Blattberg
A distress signal diverts Rabbi Dov to Rigel-7, in this SF short. Despite dire warnings that Rigelians will eat any uninvited visitors, Dov finds the source of the distress signal.
Here, he discovers a small clan of unorthodox Rigelians, chased by the majority. Feeling sympathy for the clan’s cause, can the Rabbi find a way to help them, without the other Rigelians eating him?
This was a charming, story, written with a tongue-in-cheek style.