Friday, October 28, 2016

The Farmboy, by Albert E. Cowdrey

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(SF) The crew exploring planet Omega-Alpha are dismayed to see their spaceship take off, leaving them marooned. (8,585 words; Time: 28m)

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement
Recommended By: SFRevu:4

"The Farmboy," by (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in issue 11-12|16, published on by .

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

The primary problem with this story is the unnatural dialogue and the clumsy narration, which afflicts almost every page. Even the climactic scene where Chuck confronts the three conspirators is narrated "off-stage," not shown.

The second problem is the endless stream of impossible-to-believe plot elements. For example, why would they choose a stupid person to be chief engineer? Why wouldn't Earth be intensely interested in all planets its crews could reach? Why would a drug addict be allowed to be captain? And it just goes on.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 11-12|16)
Albert E. Cowdrey Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB

1 comment (may contain spoilers):

  1. This was just some unpleasant people doing unpleasant things with minimal motivation sketched in - very meh IMO.

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