(Post-Apocalypse) In a remote scientific outpost , Andrew and his wife survived the plague that killed most of the world. Now they have to decide whether to join other survivors. (4,125 words; Time: 13m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Crown of Thorns," by Octavia Cade [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 126, published on March 1, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The setup is a good one. A group of scientists on a platform with plenty of solar power and plenty of fish to eat want to decide how to help other survivors put the world back together.
Con: Andrew’s obsession over his daughter’s death seems contrived. It’s as though he simply wants to be miserable. His obsession with killing the starfish is probably a metaphor for something, but it’s not clear what.
He has skills that a shattered world desperately needs; his decision to stay behind is selfish and self-destructive. It's hard to respect him for it.
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Con: Andrew’s obsession over his daughter’s death seems contrived. It’s as though he simply wants to be miserable. His obsession with killing the starfish is probably a metaphor for something, but it’s not clear what.
He has skills that a shattered world desperately needs; his decision to stay behind is selfish and self-destructive. It's hard to respect him for it.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 126)
Octavia Cade Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
He's transferred his guilt and helplessness about his daughter and the world into a determination to save the tiny little corner of it he has left. (Killing the starfish saves the coral reef). I didn't find him splitting with his wife over it particularly well portrayed though.
ReplyDeleteVery depressing. Certainly not what his daughter would have wanted.
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