Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old

Review of “For the Peace” by Uri King-Levy

Plot:

Sudhir is leaving, part of a migration to someplace in the sky. Just exactly why isn’t clear until the end. A Scholar, he carries bags with tassels that contain the Memories of many different peoples. He meets a small alley girl, who, much to his dismay, lights a pipe of sweetleaf. He fights the urge to take her with him. He remembers other people he’s met along the way.

Thoughts:

What makes this story memorable is the portrayal of different people: the girl in the alley who lights up a pipe and the fisherman who touches foreheads with Sudhir and tells him, “You’re the future.”

The ending is not credible on two fronts. To describe those will require spoilers. To read spoilers, highlight the passage below. Or, ignore.

Begin spoilers:

On the first front, the ship is forced to carry more passengers than anticipated. Does that mean that people in other villages are left out? Or does that mean that the ship leaves with a heavier load than planned for? In either instance, bad things.

Secondly, how does Sudhir have time to teach all the other people the information in the Memories, especially after making his way to the front of the line?

End spoilers.

The story displays a lovely sense of compassion and duty to others. Sudhir maintains his composure throughout. All of this is admirable and enjoyable to read, as are the portraits of humanity. The solution just didn’t work for me.

Bio:

According to their blurb, author Uri King-Levy is a nonbinary Jewish author from California. They spend their days writing weird fiction, playing with their pet rats, and rescuing spiders barehanded. You can follow them on Twitter @FarOffTidbits, where they post microfiction, snippets of longer fiction, and guides on alien life.

The story can be read here.

Title: “For the Peace”
Author: Uri King-Levy
First published: November 10, 2020, Daily Science Fiction

Review of “Them” (1954)

from YouTube

This was last Saturday pizza and bad movie night’s offering. Good pizza and a flawed but enjoyable movie.

Plot:

A pilot (an uncredited John Close) in a spotter plane searches the New Mexico desert for a child who’s been seen wandering alone. Following him in a patrol car are Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) and Trooper Ed Blackburn (Chris Drake). When they find the girl (Sandy Descher), she is walking along in her bathrobe, clutching a broken doll. She does not answer the officers’ calls or respond to them in any way. They surmise she’s in shock and call for an ambulance.

The pilot alerts them to a trailer and a car not far away. He doesn’t see any people around. The officers guess the little girl came from the trailer and drive there.

When they arrive, they find one wall of the trailer collapsed, as if it were blown or pulled out. The inside of the trailer is in shambles. They find bloody clothes. This was not a robbery, as piles of money remain untouched. A recently-fired handgun turns up. All its ammunition has been expended. They also find cloth fragments and pieces that match the little girl’s damaged doll. Oddly, sugar cubes are spilled all over the floor.

As the little girl is being loaded into an ambulance, they hear an odd, high-pitched noise. Is it the wind? While they look elsewhere, the little girl sits bolt upright.

Thoughts:

The opening scenes of the movie are creepy, long before there’s a hint of danger. The viewer sympathizes with the little girl, wandering around in the desert by herself, clutching her broken doll. What has happened to her? What scared her so badly?

Later, it becomes apparent that her entire family is dead, and she must have witnessed their deaths. It’s not clear whether Sgt. Peterson has children, but he immediately takes care of her. He fits the pieces of her doll together, confirming the worst. It won’t be the last time he acts to protect a stranger’s children.

Finding the trailer and later a wrecked drugstore adds the air of creepiness. A wall in the drugstore has been ripped out, like the wall of the trailer. With a windstorm blowing, the lights sway inside the store. A radio news program blares. There’s no sign of life. Once again, there’s sugar all over the floor—this time from a knocked-over barrel.

A couple of things detracted from the nice creepy atmosphere. First was the sight of the ant-monsters. They’re supposed to be nine to twelve feet long. They just looked… goofy. There’s no other word for it. I suppose it’s hard to come up with a convincing nine-foot ant, so I won’t belabor the point.

However, when the viewer first sees scientist Dr. Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon) descending the ladder from the military plane that brings her and her scientist father (Edmund Gwenn) to New Mexico, her skirt gets caught on something, exposing her legs. This gives everyone a chance to ogle her. The first view of the giant ant head appearing over a hill is above Pat’s head. Of course, she’s initially oblivious. When she does see it, she screams, then starts running away in a skirt and heels. She falls. Twice. Oh, dear. What a clumsy, hysterical little girl. She needs someone big and strong like Sheriff Matt Dillon—I mean, Agent Graham—to watch out for her. Later, when scientific knowledge is required, Pat gets a chance to stand up to him.

Having said all that, I have to add this is overall a solid, engaging film. The viewer cares about the characters. Some thought went into the plot. Except for a single scene where an ant plays with a human ribcage, the ants are scarier off-screen than on. It’s the first of the radiation-induced giant bug flicks.

One treat is a few brief appearances by actors who would become well-known for different roles. Fess Parker is a gung-ho Air Force pilot who would later go on to play both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. As a resident of California, I remember him from jury duty orientation films. Dick York, the first Darrin Stephens on the television show Bewitched, shows up in a don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it part. Another don’t-blink goes to Leonard Nimoy, he of “Live long and prosper” fame.

I liked this movie, goofy ants and all.

Title: Them (1954)

Directed by
Gordon Douglas

Writing Credits
Ted Sherdeman…(screenplay)
Russell S. Hughes…(adaptation) (as Russell Hughes)
George Worthing Yates…(story)

Cast (in credits order)
James Whitmore…Sgt. Ben Peterson
Edmund Gwenn…Dr. Harold Medford
Joan Weldon…Dr. Patricia Medford
James Arness…Robert Graham
Onslow Stevens…Brig. Gen. Robert O’Brien

Released: June 19, 1954
Length: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Review of “Lucky” by Thomas Gaffney

Plot:

While visiting the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire with her father, Mackenzie spots a carnation pink and forest green tent— her favorite crayon colors. It stands in an out-of-the-way place under an ash tree. Her father is distracted by a bosomy woman dressed as a character from the Witcher, but she manages to drag him to the tchotchke table by the tent.

The merchant draws a set of dice from a black satin bag and hands them to Mackenzie, not to sell, but for her to wish on and roll. Depending on the roll, her wish might come true.

The wooden dice are old, chipped, and unexpectedly heavy.

The merchant tells her there are rules. Because Mackenzie has touched the dice, she must now roll them. She must name her wish aloud and repeat it. For her part, the merchant has to answer all her questions.

Thoughts:

This is a creepy set-up. The dice are clearly enchanted. Mackenzie compares the dice to George Washington’s teeth—if he had wooden teeth. Who knows what’s real anymore? Do the dice determine one’s fate or merely reveal it?

The boy who rolled the dice before Mackenzie wished to be a dragon slayer. What will happen to him?

Mackenzie is unafraid. Her parents tell her she is the luckiest person they know. All the while, her father (for some reason only called “Mr. Burns”) tries to pull Mackenzie away from the dice and the merchant.

I liked the creepy atmosphere, though I found the “rules” around the dice a bit of a stretch. The ending was, for me, unsatisfying. The punishment did not fit the crime.

Bio:

According to his blurb, author Thomas Gaffney was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He fell in love with horror and storytelling while reading a beat-up copy of Stephen King’s IT. Gaffney survived twelve years of Catholic school before embarking on several careers—including computer programmer, barista, and account manager—while writing in his spare time. His collection of short stories, Stranger Things Have Happened, was a 2020 Book Excellence Award winner for Horror, a 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist for E-Book Fiction, and a 2019 New Apple Literary official selection for Short Stories.

Gaffney compares himself to the character of Henry Bemis, a bookish man played by Burgess Meredith in impossibly thick glasses in the “Time Enough at Last” episode of the original Twilight Zone.

I hope his story is not as sad.

He currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and (he says) spends too much time and money in random coffee shops.

“Lucky” can be read here.

Title: “Lucky”
Author: Thomas Gaffney
First published: November 6, 2020, Theme of Absence

Review of “Battle Ground” by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #17)

Plot:

Harry Dresden is Chicago’s only wizard in the phone book. He specializes in finding things. He once ran a detective agency but now has a less-than-voluntary gig with the Mab, the Fairy Queen of Winter. This gives him certain powers and protections, but it also leaves him in Mab’s obligation.

The book opens with Harry, his dear friend and love interest, Karrin Murphy, and a few others, returning to Chicago by boat. They expect the invasion of the last Titan, Ethniu, who is armed with the ultra-destructive Eye of Balor. Supporting her are allied peoples and beings of the sea known as the Fomor. They are all hell-bent on the destruction of Chicago, Harry’s hometown.

Chicago is darkened because Ethniu has already disrupted the power grid in the preceding book, Peace Talks. Harry is approaching the dock in his brother’s boat, The Water Beetle, running—slowly—without lights to avoid detection by the Fomor. At one point, the boat stops moving forward, but not because of engine malfunction. Has he run aground? Harry steps out of the wheelhouse to inspect the foredeck. He almost trips over some cables… those aren’t cables, but tentacles. A kraken is squeezing the ship, about to make it scrap wood.

The party isn’t even started.

A couple of personal issues arise. Most serious is brought up by fellow wizard Carlos Ramirez, a Warden of the White Council who wants to know about the company Harry keeps—vampires, werewolves, and fairies.

Thoughts:

This is book seventeen in the Dresden Files. The books generally do not make good stand-alones and should be read in order. If you have not read any of the Dresden Files, this is not the place to start. Further complicating matters, it’s the conclusion of a storyline begun in Peace Talks. A whole cast of recurring characters fills the book.

What makes the series interesting and entertaining is Harry Dresden himself. In general, urban fantasy is not high on my list of things to read, but I have enjoyed the Dresden Files for years. Harry has a wicked sense of humor. He’s an animal lover and has a soft spot for kids. He’s good at what he does but knows he’s not the best. With Ethniu—a Titan—it’s apparent to all he’s punching above his weight class, but then, so is everybody else. Harry has a few tricks up his sleeve, but will they suffice? How are they going to defeat her? Can they kill a Titan?

Usually, I can blaze through one of these books in a couple of days. They’re fun and silly without being trivial. Harry often gets his rear end handed to him. Good thing wizards recover quickly. He has friends, not sidekicks.

This book, however, was a bit of a slog for me. It is mortal battle starting from Harry tripping of the tentacles on the Water Beetle nearly to the closing pages, almost without a break. If Harry isn’t participating, he is narrating what he sees. He never uses the phrase, but it occurred to me at nearly every new chapter: “What fresh hell is this?”

The book also includes a short story, “Christmas Eve,” which takes place after the battles of the book. On the long night before the big day, the mechanically-challenged Dresden assembles a bicycle for his daughter, Maggie. A couple of visitors stop by, including Kris Kringle, who is not Santa Claus. It’s cute and sentimental, in complete contrast to the battle narrative.

Having said that, will I read the next book? Oh, stars and stones, yes. Harry and his world are just too much fun.

Title: Battle Ground
Series: Dresden Files
Author: Jim Butcher
Approx. 500 pages
Genres: Mystery, Fantasy Fiction, Urban fantasy, Contemporary fantasy
First published: September 29, 2020

Review of “The Addams Family” (2019)

from YouTube

Saturday pizza and bad movie night turned up this gem. We’re saving Svengoolie for tomorrow night, fortified with a little red wine. Or vodka.

Plot:

Ghoulish, macabre Gomez and Morticia Addams (Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron ) get run out of town by locals with torches on their wedding night. Gomez promises to find a home for his beloved “where no one in their right mind will be caught dead in.” Their Bentley-looking car (driven by Thing, a hand with no body attached) strikes a talk, untalkative man (Conrad Vernon). His shirt notes that he’s from an asylum for the criminally insane. Whaddya know. The Addamses have a new butler. What’s even better, they have a new home—the abandoned asylum at the top of the hill, shrouded in mists that arise from a surrounding swamp!

Thirteen years later, Gomez and Morticia have been blessed with two children, Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard) and Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz). The day of Pugsley’s mazurka is fast approaching when he must prove his ability to handle a scimitar in a series of bizarre and intricate dance moves (presumably to mazurka music) before gathered family members. Pugsley is more interested in explosives, both bombs and rockets, which rides around the grounds.

Wednesday ties her braids in nooses and wonders what the world looks like before the mist. One day, she hears something odd from the other side of the gate: a bicycle bell. She bangs on the gate. The girl on the bike takes off.

Assimilation, the perfect town designed by reality home makeover star Margaux Needler (Allison Janney), has just gone up before the hill where the Addams live. In her promotional work, Needler has a group of children in the park sing, “”What’s so great about being yourself when you can be like everyone else? It’s easy to be happy if you have no choice.”

To improve the area, Needler wants the swamp drained. The townspeople get their first good look at the house on the hill. Needler insists on giving the Addams a makeover, whether they want one or not.

In the meantime, she neglects her daughter, Parker.

Thoughts:

There are some cute moments in the animated movie. To shock her parents, Wednesday comes home in a pink dress. She also comes home with a red balloon at one point. (“There are usually murderous clowns attached to these,” Morticia ponders)

Wednesday digs a pit then promises to help Pugsley with his mazurka. It’s not hard to predict what happens next. Even their mother scolds her and tells her to dig her brother up.

The message is acceptance of the individual, regardless of how odd that is. That’s nice.

The movie has some cute jokes, but it is definitely one for the kiddies.

Title: The Addams Family (2019)

Directed by
Greg Tiernan
Conrad Vernon

Writing Credits
Matt Lieberman…(screenplay by)
Matt Lieberman…(story by) and
Erica Rivinoja…(story by) and
Conrad Vernon…(story by)
Charles Addams…(based on characters created by)
Pamela Pettler…(screenplay)

Cast overview, first billed:
Oscar Isaac…Gomez Addams (voice)
Charlize Theron…Morticia Addams (voice)
Chloë Grace Moretz…Wednesday Addams (voice)
Finn Wolfhard…Pugsley Addams (voice)
Nick Kroll…Uncle Fester (voice)
Snoop Dogg…It (voice)
Bette Midler…Grandma (voice)
Allison Janney…Margaux Needler (voice)

Released: October 11, 2019
Length: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Review of “The Serpents of Kthyb Seven” by Maura Yzmore

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Plot:

The security bot acknowledges the traveler: “Welcome, Master Xyay.” After scanning him for weapons, he asks about the traveler’s satchel.

“It’s exactly what Rzay sent me out to get,” he answers.

The robot offers no challenge and does not inspect the satchel.

It’s obvious by his copper skin tone the traveler is a hybrid. Native Dhahabi have gold-colored skin, four arms, and shape-shifting abilities. Hybrids, like the traveler, have different skin tones, may have two or four arms, and some shape-shifting abilities.

Hybrids are still uncommon. Children stop to look at him when he enters the biggest tent in the settlement.

“Good to see you back,” says Rzay.

“Good to see you, Uncle.”

Thoughts:

While the ending is not a surprise, I liked this little story. It engages the reader right from the start. Who is the traveler? Readers are presented with a mystery and, although they know little about the traveler, they can sympathize with him when he asks Rzay to hold up his end of the bargain.

The civilization has been colonized by humans, and the native Dhahabi population is marginalized. A crime syndicate peddles an addictive drug that affects only humans—maybe hybrids to varying degrees.

This is unusual and entertaining.

Bio:

According to her blurb, author Maura Yzmore is a scientist and writer based in the American Midwest. Her flash fiction can be found in The Arcanist, Kanstellation, Bending Genres, and elsewhere. Website: https://maurayzmore.com/ Twitter: @MauraYzmore

The story can be read here.

Title: “The Serpents of Kthyb Seven”
Author: Maura Yzmore
First published: October 30, 2020, Theme of Absence

Review of “Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook: A Novel” by Celia Rees

I recently joined a book club as a means of getting out of the house in the time of plague and exposing myself to books I wouldn’t ordinarily read. The one below is the first example.

Plot:

Following the end of WWII, Edith Graham decides to use her experience as a school teacher and become an education officer with the Control Commission, which administers the British area of occupation of Germany. She views herself as having sat out during the war, taking care of her mother. This is her way of contributing.
In her thirties and unmarried, unassuming Edith hardly seems to be spy material.

Or perhaps she’s perfect spy material, as no one will look at her twice. At least that’s what her cousin Leo (an erstwhile lover… ICK) thinks when he enlists her to help track down another former lover, now a notorious Nazi and SS member, Kurt von Stavenow. A friend, Dori, also wants to locate von Stavenow to determine what role he might have played in the disappearances of four young British women (also spies) during the war. She and Dori devise a code they can send through recipes. Since swapping recipes was a common enough practice, they figure it can fly under the radar, so to speak. They understand their mail will be read.

Dori wants to bring von Stavenow to justice, which is not quite what Leo and those he works for want. Von Stavenow has expert knowledge in medicine and genetics that could prove useful in the post-war era.

Before she even sets foot on the continent, Edith is serving competing interests.

Thoughts:

One of the things I found delightful about this book was the use of recipes to transmit coded messages. These were hidden not from the Nazis but from other intelligence agents, supposedly on the same “side.” Leo and his group want to serve the Allies in a post-war anti-Communist world. The action takes place before the Soviets explode their first atomic weapon. Post-war Germany is in shambles but not yet divided into East and West Germany.

There is a profusion of characters. One of the members of the book club suggested a list of characters would be helpful in keeping them straight. A particular reason they’re hard to keep apart is that they’re all spies!

Because the infrastructure and public transportation are not functioning reliably, Edith has a driver to take her on her rounds of the different schools (the Control Commission must have thought highly of their Education Officers). The driver seems to have an intelligence background. How far does she trust him?

One of the things that annoys me about the book—other than everyone and his brother being spies—is that Edith seems awfully talkative for her profession. On one occasion, she sees the direct results of her yakking. She is duly horrified and repentant—to the point of contemplating going back to England—but not to the point of giving up yakking.

The character of Kurt von Stavenow seems inspired by the life of Josef Mengele, the so-called Angel of Death of Auschwitz. The match is imperfect, of course. To the best of my knowledge, the Allies were never interested in Mengele’s “expertise.”

Each chapter opens with a recipe that reflects the people or events in the chapter. They’re not necessarily to be made. For example, chapter 13 features “Refugee Potato pancakes,” which consist of potato peelings, a handful of flour, and salt and pepper. The woman who gave Edith the “recipe” is a Jewish refugee, complete with a concentration camp number tattooed on her arm. Edith goes to bat for her in one of several do-gooding episodes.

Despite a few annoyances, this book is engaging because the reader cares about Edith. Edith is, at times, naïve, but she is sincere and honest. The thought of her former lover—whom she at first believes to be basically good—becoming a Nazi is an affront to her personally and to all decency. She can’t let it slide. This makes her real and sympathetic to the reader.

Bio:

Author Celia Rees (b. 1949) writes mostly YA, speculative fiction, and historical fiction for younger audiences. Her titles include Witch Child (shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize), Sorceress (shortlisted for the Whitbread—now Costa—Children’s Book Award), Pirates! (shortlisted for W. H. Smith Award), Sovay, and Glass Town Wars.

Title: Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook: A Novel
Author: Celia Rees
First published: May 14, 2020
Genre: historical fiction, spy fiction
Approx. 500 pages

Review of “Glitch” by Wendy Nikel

Plot:

The narrator’s roommate/old bandmate threatened to kick him (or her? It’s never specified) out of the flat if he didn’t start pulling his weight and become a responsible adult. He got a job at the teleporter terminal to spend his days sending “some businessperson or travel-blogger or snowbird” off in a puff of dust to some destination or other. The work is mindless, without benefits, and pays poorly.

About three weeks after he starts the job, one businessman fails to disappear after the narrator has pressed the “teleport” button.

Thoughts:

This is a clever little story with a surprising (but not unheard of) twist in the idea of teleportation. The narrator’s final decisions arise not only of a desire to expose the terror of corporate greed and exploitation of the people with a little money but out of exhaustion with customer service jobs.

The “glitch” is built into the system.

For all its darkness and slacker humor, I liked this story.

Bio:

According to her blurb, author Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she’s left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published by Analog, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature, and elsewhere. Her time travel novella series, beginning with The Continuum, is available from World Weaver Press. For more info, visit wendynikel.com/

The story can be read here.

Title: “Glitch”
Author: Wendy Nikel
First published: October 26, 2020, Daily Science Fiction

Review of “Mighty Joe Young” (1949)

From YouTube

Alas! The tummy has been complaining, so I had to forgo the jalapenos on the pizza for this week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie night. But there was still Svengoolie.

Plot:

Seven-year-old Jill Young (Lora Lee Michel), living with her widowed father in “darkest” Africa, trades her toys, some jewelry, and her daddy’s flashlight for a baby gorilla. She promises to always take care of him, despite her father’s misgivings about what little Joe will grow up to be.

Twelve years later, a New York nightclub owner Max O’Hara (Robert Armstrong), is touring darkest Africa searching for stories of derring-do—even if he has to manufacture them—for an Africa-themed nightclub he’s opening. With him is Oklahoma cowboy Gregg (Ben Johnson). They’ve captured a lion.

The appearance of an enormous gorilla causes the crew to scatter. The gorilla ignores the humans and harasses the lion, getting bit for his effort. While O’Hara and Gregg watch (from a safe distance), the gorilla flies into a rage and breaks the lion’s cage, sending the beast flying away.

Now O’Hara has a new idea for an attraction and sends men on terrified horses out after the gorilla. Yeah, they’re going to… lasso him. When all else fails, there’s a rifle. A young lady (Terry Moore) steps in at the last minute and prevents them from harming the gorilla. And furthermore, they’re on her land—they’ve got no business camping there without her permission!

Everyone watches in awe as the gorilla picks her up over the cliff face, and the two walk away, hand in hand.

O’Hara sends Gregg to set up a meeting with Miss Young, now all grown up. Her father passed away about six months earlier, so she’s running the farm by herself—well, with the help of field hands and servants.

After some prodding and a lot of promises, Miss Young agrees to take Joe to New York to put him on exhibit in O’Hara’s night club, where he is billed as “Mr. Joseph Young of Africa.”

Really—what could go wrong? Didn’t these people see the end of King Kong?

Thoughts:

Mr. Joseph Young is billed as “himself.” This is a bit of a stretch. A real baby gorilla is used early in the film, though none of the actors actually handles the animal. The adult gorilla is a stop-action figure, capable of thumping on and throwing full-grown lions with near impunity.

There are real lions in the movie as well, some of them kept behind thick glass behind the bar in O’Hara’s New York nightclub. (Not tempting the gods at all, are you?)

The scenes in the nightclub are indeed lavish, if not altogether convincing. Jill Young appears, sits at a grand piano, and plays “Beautiful Dreamer,” much to the patrons’ disappointment. Before rotten fruit starts flying, they notice the platform she and the piano are perched on begin to rise and spin slowly. Beneath her is an enormous gorilla, lifting the platform into the air over his head. The crowd goes wild. Joe is a hit alongside Jill, the Jungle Queen.

The nightclub scenes are fantastic, in the sense of fantastical. After the disaster that no one could have predicted happens, the authorities decide to put Joe down by shooting him. What ensues is an escape and chase—including a rescue of children at a burning orphanage— worthy of any Disney movie.

This is definitely a play for the kiddies. It had me rolling my eyes, though. While there are entertaining aspects to this movie—the stop-motion animation and the doomed lasso-the-gorilla fight—overall, this is treacle.

Title: Mighty Joe Young (1949)

Directed by
Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writing Credits
Ruth Rose…(screenplay)
Merian C. Cooper…(from an original story by)

Cast (in credits order) awaiting verification
Terry Moore…Jill Young
Ben Johnson…Gregg
Robert Armstrong…Max O’Hara
Mr. Joseph Young…Self
Frank McHugh…Windy

Released: August 29, 1949
Length: 1 hour, 24 minutes

Review of “Death in Vivid Blue” by Lawrence Buentello

Image by OpenClipart-Vector from Pixabay

Plot:

Liam Terrell sees the beauty of the euthanasia agent when it first enters the sparse room. The agent is a robot and, though not designed to look human, displays an artistic form and grace. It walks on two legs. Its hands are crafted to handle delicate and fine manipulations. The whole body is finished in cobalt blue, which sets off the red of the sensors that serve as eyes.

“I’m so sorry we have to meet under these circumstances,” the agent tells Terrell in a voice that makes him wonder if there isn’t a human under the cobalt blue finish. “But I am here to fulfill your wishes. I assure you that you’ll feel no pain. You’ll simply fall asleep and not sense anything thereafter. That is what you wish, isn’t it?”

Medications no longer block the pain his cancer inflicts on him. He is ready for his life and his suffering to end.

However, he has a couple of questions.

He begins by asking the robot, “What do you think of human life?”

Thoughts:

Though assisted suicide is central to the story, the story neither advocates nor condemns it. The reader is merely offered a world where—given the right circumstances, authorizations, and correctly filled out paperwork—it is an option.

More at issue are the differences between a human and a life-like robot. Is programmed material real? What about aspects of life like caring and compassion? Can robots learn such human traits?

The reader can’t expect a happy Hallmark ending, given the topic. Just the same, the ending makes sense and is satisfying.

Bio:

According to his blurb, author Lawrence Buentello has published over 100 short stories in various genres and is a Pushcart Prize and Edgar Award nominee. His fiction has appeared in Murky Depths, Cover of Darkness, Bete Noire, and several other publications. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.

The story can be read here.

Title: “Death in Vivid Blue”
Author: Lawrence Buentello
First published: October 23, 2020, Theme of Absence