Saturday, November 21, 2015

Unmother, by Lex Wilson,

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January/February 2015; ~5,000 words
Rating: 2, Not recommended  Recommended By:   SFRevu:4

A unit of an intelligent alien parasite in a human brain finds evidence that the host's immune system is on to them.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: It's quite a story that can make us root for a parasite. The unit doesn't seem to realize that it has become the new mother--or, if not the mother, it has at least become the leader.

Con: Since this is a hive organism, it's hard to believe a single unit could have so much intelligence. It's hard to believe the hive could survive the death of the queen. It's also hard to believe that destroying a single rogue unit (the "brother") plus a few neurons would make such a huge difference to the human host.

The science seems to be very wrong. The brain doesn't swim in a sea of glucose. Sodium and potassium don't form membranes, and they have nothing to do with proteins. Larvae is the plural of larva--it is not the singular.


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