Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The First Day of Someone Else's Life, by John Schoffstall

Find this issue
(SF Thriller) Your name is Mook Donnel. You’re an important person. You negotiate with governments for your corporation. But you don’t think that’s who you really are at all, and the lady in your head won't stop talking to you. (6,954 words; Time: 23m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

"The First Day of Someone Else's Life," by (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in issue 05-06|17, published on by .

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

Pro: There’s a good bit of thrills, chills, and excitement, and it’s satisfying (if horrible) to finally learn the truth.

Con: Neither Mook nor Lisa is a terribly sympathetic character. Early on, Mook seems pretty stupid to trust her. It’s hard to see why he doesn’t seek professional help at once.

The ending is a bit confusing. Why does she call him "Mook?"

It’s not clear who the narrator is in the final section. It’s been Lisa up to that point, but it’s clearly not her because she's in the scene.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 05-06|17)
John Schoffstall Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.

1 comment (may contain spoilers):

  1. The world-building is a bit overwhelming at first. It makes this seem like a fragment of something longer. I assume Lisa calls him Mook because he said she looked like a mermaid. And he thought he was Mook when he dreamed of her as a mermaid. The final narrator seems to be Will/Mook in second person. It is confusing coming after most of the story is from Lisa in first person addressing Mook as "you."

    ReplyDelete