"Shooting Fish" by James S Dorr
"Tourist Trap" by Charles Black
"Written in Water" by Michael Sellars
"The Worst Social Sin" by William McIntosh
"The Dissenter" by David McGillveray
The story, although short, moves between Cal and Esme’s point of view. Though Cal never rises beyond the stereotype of the obsessed artist, Esme is an endearing main character, and the spirits themselves are quite funny. Davies has made what could have been a gruesome tale into a quirky little story that sustains its quiet humor until the end.
"Shooting Fish" by James S Dorr is a story about an alien invasion—or more accurately, about Advance Scout Second Class Brrolz, who has made the mistake of telling his literal-minded commanding officer that invading Earth is going to be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. Now, of course, he has to prove that shooting fish in a barrel is easy.
A lot of "Shooting Fish" depends on the reader accepting what is, on the face of it, an absurd premise. I’m sorry to say I had some trouble getting into the right mood for the story. The humor that ensues from Brrolz’s attempts sometimes felt forced to me, although the ending was funny. I think the piece would have benefited from being a little shorter to showcase its punch rather than the middle of the story. That said, if you like your humor closer to slapstick than to subtle comedy, this piece will probably appeal to you.
"Tourist Trap" by Charles Black is another slyly humorous story about an American stumbling into a quaint English village and being mistaken for a witch.
I was pleasantly surprised by what appeared at first to be a run-of-the-mill chase comedy. Without revealing too much, Mr. Black manages to mix comedy and darker moments perfectly, giving this story a gritty edge that helps it stand out.
Jenny, the heroine of "Written in Water" by Michael Sellars, is an Ephemeron: she has, as one of the main characters puts it, "no existence beyond the parameters of the contract between [himself] and [her] current employers." Jenny’s contract has expired, and now it’s time for her to disappear. But Jenny doesn’t want to be "folded away."
I thought this was a terrific premise, and the story that ensues from this, aside from being a very taut and very well-written suspense piece, is also a reflection on what makes us real, on whether we are the sum of our memories or something more, on whether constructs can have an existence of their own—themes reminiscent of Philip K. Dick. This is what gives Sellars’s story its memorable side. Recommended.
In "The Worst Social Sin" by William McIntosh, Benjamin Valentine is about to be recruited to work as a teacher in a literature department. But Benjamin is not one person, but two: his Siamese twin, Champ, has remained attached to his body, and Champ is as outrageous as Benjamin is shy. When Champ starts an affair with Deirdre, a hanger-on from the art department, things between both twins escalate.
"The Worst Social Sin" sometimes skirts a little too close to voyeurism. Despite that, the intricacies of the relationship between Benjamin and Champ are well-painted, and their unsteady triangle with Deirdre feels true. The one thing I did not like was having the moral clearly enunciated at the end of the story; it felt forced and unconvincing whereas the reader could probably have worked it out on their own.
"The Dissenter" by David McGillveray takes place on Trespass, a planet where several robots have been marooned after their ship crashed. Under the leadership of the Guide, the robots undertake an unending march that brings them back every year to the ruins of their ship where they offer prayers in the hope that they will be forgiven, and that they will one day be able to leave Trespass.
This was my favorite story of the issue: McGillveray manages to hint at a very complex future without too much exposition, and the image of the robots endlessly walking the Path is a striking one. The narrator, who starts having doubts about their possible redemption, is very convincing, and while I anticipated part of the ending, McGillveray nevertheless managed to surprise me. Recommended.