(SF Sports) On an alien spaceship, the Ecuadorian football team plays against France for the World Cup. But the stakes may be a lot higher. (5,266 words; Time: 17m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Fun and Exciting
"Ecuador vs. the Bug-Eyed Monsters," by Jay Werkheiser [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 03-04|17, published on February 16, 2017 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The best part of the story is the interactions between Diego, León, and Alicia. Each makes a significant contribution to the contest. Alicia has the scientific knowledge about centrifugal and Coriolis forces. Diego discovers how to apply this in practice. León figures out the weaknesses in the way the aliens are playing. Their victory is a team effort, although Diego is the hero.
The story adds a good bit of tension by making us wonder if the stakes are life and death. Starting with the early hint that the aliens gave Earth no choice about playing, we’re ready to think the worst.
The mildly comic revelation that more games are coming is the perfect note to end on.
Con: The premise is a little hard to believe. First that aliens would demand we move the World Cup finals to space and second that we’d agree. It’s also a very silly way for the aliens to decide which countries would benefit from their technology.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|17)
Jay Werkheiser Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The story adds a good bit of tension by making us wonder if the stakes are life and death. Starting with the early hint that the aliens gave Earth no choice about playing, we’re ready to think the worst.
The mildly comic revelation that more games are coming is the perfect note to end on.
Con: The premise is a little hard to believe. First that aliens would demand we move the World Cup finals to space and second that we’d agree. It’s also a very silly way for the aliens to decide which countries would benefit from their technology.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|17)
Jay Werkheiser Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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