Thursday, January 12, 2017

Nine-Tenths of the Law, by Molly Tanzer

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(SF) Donna’s cold and distant husband has an industrial accident the day she planned to leave him, so she stays to nurse him back to health. After that, he’s different—in ways she likes. (6,220 words; Time: 20m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Sexy and tense, with a few good twists

"Nine-Tenths of the Law," by (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in issue 80, published on .

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

Pro: Donna wants a better husband. Glreerak wants practice using a human body. They both get what they want, up until they’re discovered.

It’s pretty funny that Jared is such a poor companion that an alien makes for a better lover. We can certainly understand why he’s so upset at the end. The joke in the title is pretty good too.

At the end, Donna realizes just how threatening Glreerak's people are to us, and yet she still wants to wave goodbye to him. It's horrifying, and yet we understand why she feels that way.

Con: The plot is very simple. Also, it’s a little surprising Jared wasn’t supposed to be on the lookout for blackouts.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 80)
Molly Tanzer Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB

3 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. This took an unexpected turn from what I expected at the start.
    I rather felt it ended just as things were getting interesting, but it did so in a tantalising way.

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  2. Funny that it's essentially just a story of a woman getting caught having an affair, but with the very SF twist that her lover is using her husband's body to do it.

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    Replies
    1. And her lover isn't even human. Kind of kinky . . .

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