Flash Fiction Online #130, July 2024

“Ascension’s Eve” by Rich Larson

“Salisbury Confederate Prison, North Carolina, 1864” by Tess Lloyd (literary, not reviewed)

“Perfect Vaca, No Filter” by Vivian Chou

“Sturgeon Moon Jam” by Jennifer Hudak (reprint, not reviewed)

Reviewed by David Wesley Hill

I’m not a Christian, and I know very little about the religion’s beliefs and rites. Apparently, the “ascension” refers to Jesus’s rise into heaven, but in “Ascension’s Eve” by Rich Larson, the first original genre offering of the July Flash Fiction Online, the term seems to refer to the point when most humans—“the makers”—left the Earth for another reality, leaving behind a few laggards—and a world full of disembodied artificial intelligences. Mostly these beings spend their time in exciting cyber-realities, but once yearly a few of them incarnate themselves in physical drones and go on a pilgrimage to pay the remaining humans a visit…. A thoughtful, rigorous, and plausible little vignette, and recommended!

I’m also happy to recommend the second original genre offering of the issue, “Perfect Vaca, No Filter” by Vivian Chou, which is actually one of the funnier stories I’ve read recently. Presenting itself as a series of reviews of the Sapphire Bay Resort, the story perfectly captures the inanity of the general public, while telling the tale of an invasion from outer space. If you’ve ever worked in the hospitality industry, as I have—I was a hotel chef—you’ll definitely recognize these idiots. Again, funny and recommended!