(Dystopia) Fon works in the Ministry of Merit, coming up with ways devout citizens of Bankim can “make merit” for the next life. She’s good, but her boss keeps taking the credit for her hard work, and she wants a little something in this life. (6,351 words; Time: 21m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"The Greenest Gecko," by Ploy Pirapokin [bio] (edited by Ann VanderMeer), published on February 1, 2017 by Tor.com.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Fon just wants to get ahead. She’s young and naïve, and she doesn’t see how she’s being used. We’re pretty sure that this isn’t going to end well, so there’s a lot of tension leading up to the last scene.
Con: What’s the ending all about? She was going to jump but decided to choke on geckoes instead? Or her captors did it to her?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 02/01/17)
Ploy Pirapokin Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB
Con: What’s the ending all about? She was going to jump but decided to choke on geckoes instead? Or her captors did it to her?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 02/01/17)
Ploy Pirapokin Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB
As a satire of modern Thai politics, it works better.
ReplyDeleteSo how did you parse the ending?
DeleteMy hot take on it - and I have no idea if this is what the author actually had in mind - was that the fifty geckos represented the popular demonstrations that have paved the way for a couple of the recent coups. Basically small figures being used by the deep state much as the main character was, and ultimately being used to choke off any higher aspirations. But I could be completely wrong about that.
ReplyDeleteThe ending could be interpreted as a desperate attempt to have better luck in her next life.
ReplyDeleteDidn't like how she's annoyed about her co-workers gossiping that she got her job by sleeping with the boss, yet then she thinks about seducing the Marshal to get attention for her cannon.
I was also distracted by the grammar errors and some awkward phrasing.