Strange Horizons, July 13, 2020

“The LEAP Test” by Alex Jennings

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

“The LEAP Test” by Alex Jennings begins in a seemingly ordinary way, with a teacher administering a test to a student. It soon becomes clear that both adult and child entered our reality from strange fantasy worlds, reincarnated into young bodies after living full lives. A tense confrontation between the two leads to tragic, but inevitable, consequences.

The way in which the author gracefully transforms the familiar into the extraordinary draws the reader into imaginary realms full of exotic details made very real. The story’s style is plain and informal, adding to its verisimilitude. Although the conversation between the two main characters contains a large number of fantasy concepts, it is the mundane details of their meeting that render this striking tale so effective.

Victoria Silverwolf had to remember to type LEAP in all capital letters.