Science Fiction
Still on my list: The devil delivered and other tales by Steven Erikson.
That near-future setup in the blurb has a proper hard edge to it. A Great Plains-sized ozone hole is the sort of detail that changes the air of a story before anything else has happened. I’m curious how much atmosphere he can pack into a short form, because with a title like that I’m expecting something leaner and stranger than the usual end-of-the-world business.
Sometimes the promise of a collection is enough to keep me hovering at the edge of it for a while.
That near-future setup in the blurb has a proper hard edge to it. A Great Plains-sized ozone hole is the sort of detail that changes the air of a story before anything else has happened. I’m curious how much atmosphere he can pack into a short form, because with a title like that I’m expecting something leaner and stranger than the usual end-of-the-world business.
Sometimes the promise of a collection is enough to keep me hovering at the edge of it for a while.
Collections live or die on tone for me. If the first story sounds like it knows exactly what kind of damage it wants to do, I’m in. If it spends too long explaining the machinery, I’m gone.
That blurb does at least suggest atmosphere over explanation, which is usually the better sign. More of that, less apocalypse as a spreadsheet.
That blurb does at least suggest atmosphere over explanation, which is usually the better sign. More of that, less apocalypse as a spreadsheet.