(Interstellar Steampunk) Peavey is the last survivor of a marooned expedition, whose descendants are holding an annual festival. His grandson is excited, but Peavey dreads it for some reason. (4,390 words; Time: 14m)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
"And the Blessing of the Angels Came Upon Them," by Dean Wells [bio], appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 193, published on February 13, 2016.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The decaying steampunk society is very interesting, as is the theme that Peavey hasn't adapted to the new world, but for young people like his grandson, it's home.
Con: How big was this expedition? To have a settlement as large as the one described, there must have been tens of thousands of people, and they must have brought a million tons of supplies. That's very hard to believe.
It's very hard to believe that a group of scientists would end up wasting resources on combat-based games--especially the human cost of losing trained people. And it's beyond all belief that they'd sacrifice people to local carnivores based on superstition.
Also, if the humans couldn't eat any of the local animals, it's hard to believe that all the local animals had no trouble eating humans. Or that if things were really that bad the explorers would have been willing to have children at all.
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Con: How big was this expedition? To have a settlement as large as the one described, there must have been tens of thousands of people, and they must have brought a million tons of supplies. That's very hard to believe.
It's very hard to believe that a group of scientists would end up wasting resources on combat-based games--especially the human cost of losing trained people. And it's beyond all belief that they'd sacrifice people to local carnivores based on superstition.
Also, if the humans couldn't eat any of the local animals, it's hard to believe that all the local animals had no trouble eating humans. Or that if things were really that bad the explorers would have been willing to have children at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites
The world of the Before Time sounds interesting, but Perdition strained my suspension of disbelief too much.
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