In 2335, a lonely old woman tries to get her robot to help her commit suicide. (7,405 words; Time: 24m)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement
Recommended By: SFRevu:4"Mrs. Griffin Prepares to Commit Suicide Tonight," by A Que [bio] (translated by John Chu, edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 104, published on May 1, 2015.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Theoretically, there is a framing story (Mrs. Griffin's attempt to find a suitable way to kill herself) plus smaller stories that the robot compels her to tell. In fact, the smaller stories are almost pure narration without action. This is not the fault of the translation; the original must have been like that too. Perhaps the notion of "show don't tell" hasn't reached China yet.
The translator can be faulted for failing to stick to one English tense. It's disconcerting when a paragraph is half present and half past tense.
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The translator can be faulted for failing to stick to one English tense. It's disconcerting when a paragraph is half present and half past tense.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 104)
A Que Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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