Cyd Athens Freelance Speculative Wordsmith
Reviewed in this issue are:
“Cliona’s Coat” by Leslianne Wilder
“Death Comes for the Microbot” by Aimee Picchi
“Star Box” by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks
The old woman in Leslianne Wilder’s “Cliona’s Coat” reminisces through song and drink about the life she has lived and the adventures she has had since leaving her man. The circumstances of their relationship and her exodus are the meat of this short, surprising, and satisfying story which waits until just the right moment to reveal its speculative bona fides.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to them when they become obsolete, “Death Comes for the Microbot” by Aimee Picchi provides an answer. Bee, the microbot in question, is the subject of a lack of funding for AI-microbot projects, and therefore not worth repairing. Picchi addresses the subject of friendship with a distinctly non-human, yet totally relatable, touch.
“Star Box” by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks concerns an Old Man, a phoenix, and a young girl who wants to share with her sick sister the stars they used to look at together. When the young girl does an impossible thing by finding the Old Man and his titular Star Box, things take an interesting turn. This story captures not only the onset of an adventure, but also the journey.
A version of this review appears on the Tangent Online website.
