[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, June 13, 2022

“Drosophila and the Beast” by Bryce Baron-Sips

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “Drosophila and the Beast” by Bryce Baron-Sips is a biology student who takes home a puppy-sized mutant fruit fly from the lab. She treats it as a pet, putting it on a leash and taking it to the veterinarian. An attempt to play with it using a ball leads to a problem.

There is not much to this very brief tale other than its rather absurd premise. The title and the climax lead me to believe that the author is saying something about the way people relate to animals, but the whimsical nature of the concept makes it hard to take the story seriously.

Victoria Silverwolf took biology in college, but never worked with Drosophila melanogaster.