A single mom learns that the 50s-style radio show her lonely young son loves listening to is coming from a radio station that no longer exists. (3,444 words; Time: 11m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Recommended By: SFRevu:4"Searching for Commander Parsec," by Peter Wood [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 09|15, published on July 20, 2015 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Hard to decide what to make of this one. It's a light, smooth read--fun and forgettable.
It has the tone of a comedy, but it's never funny. Commander Parsec is real after all, silly though he seems, and so is the legion of evil.
Biggest fault is that it doesn't really end. Mom and son board the spaceship and go--where? It feels like it's all setup and no payoff. Arguably, though, it's about them hating their lives, so ending when they enter a new life has a certain logic to it.
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It has the tone of a comedy, but it's never funny. Commander Parsec is real after all, silly though he seems, and so is the legion of evil.
Biggest fault is that it doesn't really end. Mom and son board the spaceship and go--where? It feels like it's all setup and no payoff. Arguably, though, it's about them hating their lives, so ending when they enter a new life has a certain logic to it.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites
Peter, we saw your comment thanking us for reading your story, but I accidentally deleted it, and apparently there's no undelete. Please don't take it personally.
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