
(SF) Old Mr. Coanda fans Jimmy's love for outer space by showing him how to build and launch real rockets. (7,404 words; Time: 24m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Powerful and moving, but the speculative element is just tacked on.
Recommended By: SFRevu:5 Readers"Dreams Of The Rocket Men," by C. Stuart Hardwick [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 09|16, published on July 16, 2016 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: This is a beautiful story of how a boy learned his passion in life and became a man. It's also the story of how a man found a worthy student and passed his passion on. Jimmy and Mr. Coanda are the only real characters in the story--everyone else is just a shadow--and that's fine because it's only about the two of them.
Con: Everything after "I fed Mr. Callahan pizza and drove him home to his family" detracts from the story. At that point, the torch has been passed, and the story is over. The last several pages of narration are a drag. Without them, though, this wouldn't be an SF story at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09|16)
C. Stuart Hardwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Con: Everything after "I fed Mr. Callahan pizza and drove him home to his family" detracts from the story. At that point, the torch has been passed, and the story is over. The last several pages of narration are a drag. Without them, though, this wouldn't be an SF story at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09|16)
C. Stuart Hardwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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