SciPhi Journal“And the Voice Will Not Say” by Dave Henrickson
“Motopia” by Gheorghe Săsărman (Translated by Jean Harris)
“Bunker Rules” by Tony Dunnell
“Continual Gehenna” by B. W. Teigland
“Roko’s Wager” by Ben Roth
“Harbinger” by R. M. Hamrick
“Barbarians at the Gates: A Parable of Dueling Philosophies” by Geoffrey Hart
“A Modification and Application of Variola Major to Impart Limited Precognition Within Individuals” by H. R. R. Gorman
“Don’t Blame the Eggs” by T. J. Berg
“Last Man” by Peter Roberts
“Tonight, Hopefully” by Nicholas Stillman
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
The Summer issue of SciPhi Journal has eleven first publication stories, of which six are flash stories.
“And the Voice Will Not Say” by Dave Henrickson
Henrickson’s flash fantasy is set in the Imperial City, eight hundred years after the Voice became known. No one knows where it came from, but so far, any question it has answered has turned out to be true. However, it refuses to answer queries about itself. So, the church that grows around it is rampant with conflicting ideas on the future of the Imperium.
This story was an allegory of all modern religions that rely on predetermination given by a superior being. It was a little slow and too predictable.
“Motopia” by Gheorghe Săsărman (Translated by Jean Harris)
This short SF piece describes Motopia, a self-expanding city dominated by motorized entities. The humobiles exist in a “survival of the fittest” contest that reduces most of them to metallic junk. However, the survivors entice humans to Motopia for sinister purposes.
The author crafted this story several decades ago, and this translation was its first publication in English. It came from a collection of city descriptions by this Romanian author.
“Bunker Rules” by Tony Dunnell
The rules for residents of an underground bunker/city are cited in this flash SF story set in a dystopian future. The laws are draconian in that they allow no leeway, and the punishment for a violation is often terminal.
The author revealed a future when humankind must struggle against unknown adversaries. The surprisingly entertaining story was quick to read.
“Continual Gehenna” by B. W. Teigland
Sainthood is challenging to achieve in this flash fantasy. The nun sits on a chair of nails, using the pain to keep herself awake while she imagines a Bosch-like triptych in her mind.
This story used weighty prose to describe a scene invoking the worst demons of the underworld.
“Roko’s Wager” by Ben Roth
This flash SF explores an alternative to Pascal’s Wager. What if someone claims an AI would come that could punish anyone who knowingly failed to develop it? Could such a thing become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and what consequences would it bring?
This snippet of a story raised a fascinating question. And having posed it, everyone who read the story was now part of the dilemma.
“Harbinger” by R. M. Hamrick
The Harbinger came from beyond the Solar System in this short SF. Everyone on Earth braces for the alien invasion as the Harbinger enters Earth orbit. But after no activity for a year, humans do what they do best. They attack what they don’t comprehend.
Damaged, the alien ship continues to orbit unperturbed, convincing the humans any aliens had already abandoned it. So, they do what’s logically next; they board the craft to commandeer any alien technology. Then, a decade later, another alien craft arrives, and its crew seems unhappy with Earth’s treatment of the first friendly visitor.
This plot was a curious treatment of SF material that has been explored extensively in this genre.
“Barbarians at the Gates: A Parable of Dueling Philosophies” by Geoffrey Hart
The Brexit events of today are reviewed in this short SF. However, the story examines this period from a distant future, after poor record keeping has lost many vital facts. The story sees the Brexit collapse as a war between the competing economic ideologies of Keynes, Friedman, and Hayek, comparing each to a barbarian tribe trying to subjugate the other. Meanwhile, everyone ignored the ecologist tribe.
Undoubtedly the writer enjoyed authoring the story, but it wasn’t very interesting to read. Ultimately, it was an allegory of today’s political challenge that perpetuated inaction against humanity’s climatic impacts.
“A Modification and Application of Variola Major to Impart Limited Precognition Within Individuals” by H. R. R. Gorman
Gorman’s SF short tells the story of using the deadly variola virus to induce predictive powers in the early 20th century. Because of the 30% fatality rate associated with this smallpox virus, they use prisoners as the test subjects.
Some prisoners make predictions as they lie in a stupor before dying. Strangely enough, these predictions come true. At least those prognostications that happen before publishing the findings. Some exotic prophecies, like destroying a city in Japan with a single bomb, are too extreme for belief.
The author styled this story like a report in a medical journal. Yet it remained a readable story.
“Don’t Blame the Eggs” by T. J. Berg
This short SF is set in another world where Margaret is ready to start her job of understanding the Rfgdt, the planet’s sentient life. Knowing it’s a delicacy here, she brought two dozen eggs. And knowing their rarity, she planned to sell them to Rfgdt for a good price.
But when she meets her Rfgdt liaison, she hears some locals explode when they eat an egg, killing many Rfgdt around them. When she hears about the planet’s history, she discovers why eggs are even allowed here. It leaves her wondering what to do about the eggs and her hopes for making extra money.
This was a well-crafted snippet of a story.
“Last Man” by Peter Roberts
He is the last one in this flash SF story. Everyone else has already jumped a thousand years into the future. Everyone else has chased the rainbow of a millennium of human technological development. Too lonely to resist the call, he leaves the present behind.
The author created a thoughtful story that fits well into the flash fiction format.
“Tonight, Hopefully” by Nicholas Stillman
The AI on Mars controls the wind created when humanity melts the polar caps in this flash SF. However, the AI is malignant. It hates humans and uses the winds to drive them from Mars. Now it faces a long and lonely future as the solar system drifts toward its inevitable demise as the sun ages.
This story was a little confusing at first and, in the end, felt unrealistic about its time span.
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