Ursa - Well it seems as though our punning bear has gone one better than normal, not only has he delivered a story littered with wordplay, but it is the character in the story that is actually doing it, but for logical reasons. Clever, a good story and a ironclad punchline, what more could one ask?
Cul – There is nothing quite so evocative as being lost in a raging blizzard, but the surprise of finding a respite from that storm must be a boon as rewarding as the heat of a stove and a hot stew. What I liked most here was the way it is all told so naturally, so the horror of what is going on seems almost mundane. It is only when you think about it after that it hits home.
TDZ – What a magnificent piece of poetry! It’s truly a masterpiece, with perfect rhyming but delivering a stunningly scary warning, and a strong story to boot. It has a feel of a localised legend that slowly spreads outward becoming a modern fable, and urban myth. Loved it.
TJ – This is one of those stories that I love because I can see it in at least two different ways. The story itself is a strong one, and as I read it I loved various elements, from hiding under the stove, to the gene banks, to the unspoken paranoia in the young mans heart. But was it all in his imagination, a story cooked up by a scarily accurate imaginative mind, or are the aliens bringing back the dead? Whichever a great tale.
MB – This is a heart rendering story of a child trying to come to terms with the loss of a beloved parent, but his coping mechanism is slightly more thought provoking; is he just trying to hold onto his father my trying to keep his presence felt, or is there some truth in his thought, that if you believe hard enough it will bring him back. Superb.
Mosaix – This was a great idea well executed. I just loved the idea of a society being developed as a simulation, but the underlying concern is, of course, the more freewill , the more real you try and make something, there is always the chance that they well do something outside of expectations. Of course to exceed the expectations is a real risk. But what happens to the simulations who beam themselves out of the simulation? Where do they go?
Phyrebrat – Well a chilling end to the challenge as the ghost of someone killed when he got in the way of someone else’s plans comes back to make sure people know just what happened to him. There are some lovely touches – the fact the spectre is black a reflection of what happened to him, as is the fact he floats when his feet were cut off. And of course it adds to the story that the closing of the railways is based on reality, and another meaning to Doctor Beeching’s savage cuts.
I seem to have misplaced October.
