Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Dunnage for the Soul, by Robert Reed

Find this issue
(SF) When scientists find a way to test people and animals for what everyone assumes are souls, the narrator feels left out because he’s one of the people without one. (7,755 words; Time: 25m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

"Dunnage for the Soul," by (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in issue 01-02|17, published on by .

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

Pro: The concept is very cool. The touch that people could have up to three was clever, as was the anesthetic that caused them to go away.

Con: The narrator isn’t really trying to accomplish anything, so there’s no plot to the story. It’s also hard to believe there wouldn’t be angry groups demanding nondiscrimination, denying these “souls” were of any importance, etc.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|17)
Robert Reed Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB

2 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. I found this very meh and lost interest. The narrator wasn't actually doing anything.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Found it rather tough to believe that people would so easily conclude that this phenomenon was evidence of souls. And that people wouldn't stand up more for themselves or their supposedly soulless loved ones, including dogs! Thought the narrator's vengeance was weird and conversely don't buy that he wouldn't inflict it on the green-eyed woman.

    ReplyDelete