★★★☆☆
On a distant planet, every few years, two soldiers awake and try to kill each other. The locals think they're gods, and no one seems to remember what the war was about. (3,300 words; Time: 11m)
Recommended By: πLTilton+2 (Q&A)
"Samsara and Ice," by Andy Dudak [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 01-02|15, published on November 3, 2014 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2015.008 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: We start with Omni feeling crushed with boredom. We end with them both having made the contest more interesting, and that's a victory, of sorts. We learn just enough about the locals to feel sorry for what is happening to them. The notion of soliders who get reinstantiated after death is an interesting one.
Con: Omni isn't much of a protagonist. He's such a slave to his conditioning that we're really rooting for him to overcome it, but he never does. Bataar is the real hero of the story--the one who changes things. It's a little hard to believe in military hardware meant to last for a thousand years.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|15)
Andy Dudak Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: We start with Omni feeling crushed with boredom. We end with them both having made the contest more interesting, and that's a victory, of sorts. We learn just enough about the locals to feel sorry for what is happening to them. The notion of soliders who get reinstantiated after death is an interesting one.
Con: Omni isn't much of a protagonist. He's such a slave to his conditioning that we're really rooting for him to overcome it, but he never does. Bataar is the real hero of the story--the one who changes things. It's a little hard to believe in military hardware meant to last for a thousand years.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|15)
Andy Dudak Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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