A mad rush to get the last batch of comments finished as I knew how far behind I have fallen! So without further pause:
Hope - Some wonderful imagery, and some very creative names form the skeleton of something a little different, a strong fantasy that is, in its own way as bleak as the most dystopian SF. A war between Elf and Fairy, a conflict where than can only be one winner, and that victory will be extinction. Of course there is more to it than that, there is the feeling that the Elves would happily let the fairies survive if only they would be that little bit more tractable in their attitude toward humanity. It could well be the story of the last stand of the fae, and it probably is. I thought the tale was something a little different and was a superb, imaginative piece, the creativity of the names and the title are probably the crowning glory, but then I might be wrong in what I have seen, you know, totally mothstaken.
Teresa - a wonderful little tale, that is a very emotive piece. The opening lines in fact most of the story comes across as maudlin, dark and sad. The perspective of an older woman works superbly, because she is able to easily offset the excitement of her grandchildren, as they ran through a world of darkness and despair as oblivious as only the innocent can be. As the world around them falls into continuous decay, all they have is their excitement and joy at the immediate than now. It is the old woman who pulls us back now, allows us to see the reality, but the true wonder of this story is the end, where we realise that even the most pessimistic and realistic people can be wrong sometimes and that even when almost all hope is lost miracles still happen.
BM - another magnificent entry that drags you completely in the wrong direction, for when you start reading the only thing you can think of is a family struggling to survive in a horrendous world. Of course, there is more to it than that and as the story progresses it seems to be getting steadily worse. The worry for the children, the children themselves sleeping oblivious and then as we get close to the end, as this desperate family find themselves reaching their destination you get that gut wrenching announcement that there are only two seats left. Even at this point as you recognise the brave sacrifice that the parents make as they place their children into the seats, you still don't see the superb ending coming. It is only then that you realise it appears that they are only waiting for a ride at some amusement park, somewhere where winter means winter and the queues are as bad as in the summer, only colder and wetter. I think I'd rather be struggling on an alien planet.
The Spurring Platty - this is one of those stories that really made me stop and think. My initial reaction of two scientists working on a rocket, especially one called on the V2, immediately made me think of World War II, and I thought it was just a play on the name. I was wrong it seems that this really is the rocket from World War II, and that there was a reason it never really got used, and its creators defected. An interesting alien intervention, that is not really an intervention. What I enjoyed more than anything else about this story was the way it twisted things and made me think, with the scientists are actually defected if one of them had not seen the alien, and then if they had not defected, would it have changed things toward the end of the war?
Mr Turtle - well, I guess you should never trust someone called Russell. This was a very entertaining story, that dealt nicely with themes of desolated world, the escape from that world, the excitement and hope that could come with one last desperate venture to escape, and of course underlying it all there is the theme of jealousy. I guess this Russell, did not take things too well and that I got to the point where he was beginning to act I thought perhaps that he was going to terminate himself, or that it might even have been a change of point of view and the captain of the ship was going to self terminate. When it turned out the device is not a gun and a detonator, I really was shocked, shocked as the people in the crowd I guess, I would have hoped that jealousy would not run that deep. But it lends itself to a superb and shocking story.
Nixie - a really fun little story this one, that seems to harken back to the days of great childhood adventures. Comments like not waking mum and dad, twisting and older siblings arm to get them to join in, going out to face the terrors of the world on their own and set at night as well all add to the feel of a rollicking good story. It was one of those that the words didn't seem to stay with me, rather the way I look back at it is an action packed movie, and all the things that come with it. I can just see the self-righteous twins packing their water pistols, and releasing the vinegar at the creatures and seeing them dissolve. What could be more fun than that, they might even have been Slitheen. (A reference to the Doctor Who fans!)
TDZ - no sooner do I mention Doctor Who, than we get a story that fits wonderfully well with the modern twisty turney, timey wimey approach, but that does not make it any less entertaining. In fact in its own way it is very much a magical adventure, unlike most time travel stories it has a wonderful paradox right in the middle of it. Here we see a tale from a family's past, of being lost at sea and the bizarre but wonderful tale of their escape from certain doom by following flashing lights. But of course those flashing lights come from no other source than the grandson in the future, who would not have thought of setting the lights flashing in the past if he had not heard the tale in the future, making it a perfect but head hurting loop in time.
johnnyjet - although the story here is a good strong one, I think it takes second place to the ongoing feel an atmosphere that the writer imbues it with. There is a genuine emotion carried in the story, that comes across as the old man stands at the door waiting for the soldiers to arrive and take him away. What makes it work even more for me, is the way that the soldiers themselves are not straightforward thugs, that seem more humane than your average type, allowing the old man time to prepare himself to leave. They even chat amiably with him as he makes ready to leave his home. The final part of the story that deals with his healing seems to indicate that it is some kind of power he has rather than just being a normal doctor, and it makes you wonder whether the power, bad or good is just what makes him an undesirable.
Highlander - something a little different is presented here, more a reflection on the demise of society, rather than action packed nuclear holocaust. It is also a warning of how important it is that vital information should be shared and written down rather than kept in the head of just one man. Some of the ideas presented in this story are magnificent, most especially the central idea of a shell fired over the world to protect it from just the sort of catastrophe that befalls the planet. I think the other reason the story works so well, is the way in which it is presented gives the impression that it really could happen, that all those missiles are sitting above will planet just waiting for something to set them off. The conclusion of the story goes back to my comments about storing vital information in one man's head. Always a mistake!
Cul - this is one of those stories where I sometimes feel my interpretation might well be missing the point that the writer intended. All the same something that is based around the enjoyment of comic books is going to appeal to me. Here a young boy's life is defined by said funny books, giving him the escape he needs from grim reality. And although the love of such material may well be part of the cause for his early teasing, they can also form some of the strongest parts of what makes a good man a good man. When a woman the protagonist is obviously close to steps over a line it is the morals and actions of those heroes that define the main characters response to the situation, no matter what the cost. Whether those actions lead to disaster and ruin is not really important, because in the end our main character did the right thing and was true to himself.
TJ - what are the lights! What are the light? What a great story of escalation. I don't know if there is much I can say about this wonderful little story, that really tells itself so well. Here we see a small run in with a strange tower with flashing pink lights, and then those lights spread back through the system and it seems there is no stopping them. The choice of pink as a colour really adds something to the story, but more so is the fact that we get no explanation about what they are, and do not see a resolution to the story itself rather it is left to our imaginations, as those flashing lights spread ever outward and you have no idea just where it is going to end, but the impression it is good and badly, and as mysteriously as it started.
AlcubierreWarp - a world where totalitarianism has been adopted and is used in a manner to better civilisation. At least when you look at the big picture it could be seen this way. But often beyond the big picture there are the normal peoples lives that are changed and affected by what some would call the greater good. When even the smallest of crimes can lead to exile and struggle and possible death perhaps the system is going too far, even if what is intended will ultimately be to the benefit of all. I really enjoyed the way that the story was not just about this, it was also about the love of a father for a son and a son for his father. That a father would be prepared to pay the price for what his child had done, is nothing more than it through parental reaction, and the end of the story sees the son taking full responsibility for that. Although I have a good idea what the pressing the button may well have been, it is still nebulous and we are left to finish the story on our own.
Kaladan - for me this was like the conclusion to an epic fantasy, although giving you all the details you needed without having to read epic tomes beforehand. Of course there seems to be an epic quest that has led the main characters to that which they search for. I really like the way that the main characters are presented and some of the descriptive passages are superlative. The impression I got of the main character is that he might not be the nicest people and whatever reward he has been hunting might be something you would not want that kind of person to get their hands on. I also got the impression that the ghostly character speaking to him might have had a better idea of what was going on. In the end though it seems our protagonist got just what he deserved. Yet another excellent story.
MB - this was a wonderfully unique take on the photograph, and I really enjoyed the story throwing away snow and replacing it with something else, in this case spores just seem to work. I also enjoyed the feeling that this first contact situation went in a different direction from that which we normally see, giving us something that is a threat, but in the way that I read it not in the normal aggressive sense that a more passive threat, almost as if this alien presence is more plant in sentient creature. (Of course I may well be wrong.) There is more than the though running through the words, there is the human component in this instance the person chosen to deal with the threat and the consequences of his actions which obviously weigh quite heavily on his heart. It makes you wonder whether the alien presence truly deserved to be destroyed, but then at what cost had it been left alive. Great thoughtful piece.
Ursa - here is presented a wonderfully formed and completed story, that gives you all you need to know about what is going to happen, without telegraphing the ending of the story. We are told earlier on that Gregor can be a bit unpredictable, and that is what plays out at the very end. How much of what he did was just to reach the end he hoped for, is unclear what he really like to different people will just a clever manipulative character? More than that an awful lot is squeezed into this story and you could just imagine it being expanded into something a lot bigger giving us a lot more of the history that is just hinted at in these words. The end is almost inevitable, and what ever it is that Gregor is after is irrelevant as he is cut down by the arrow.
Dermit - how fitting is it that the last story of the challenge is called The End? Brilliant! What I really liked about this story was the way it set itself up to me at least did not give away the ending. The presenting of a planet where life has become precarious, and the best hope of survival is to launch those capable of bearing new life into space worked very well in its own right. It was a great idea well presented and executed. The thing that really made the story however was the ending, which I did not see coming and hit like a punch, as the spaceship blew up upon launch. This was the kind of ending I try to imbue my story with, and I hope it works just as well as this one.
As I have already stated elsewhere this will probably be my last batch of comments on the 300 word challenge for a while, as next time round we will be awfully close to a major event in my life, and I'm pretty sure things might get in the way!
I have done these comments with the voice recognition software once more, so as always any mistakes are blamed on that!
