
(Horror) Your life has been on hold ever since you stopped at a diner 65 years ago, and you never stop wondering what might have been. (1,680 words; Time: 05m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Black Hole Heart," by K.A. Teryna [bio] (translated by Alex Shvartsman, edited by Jason Sizemore), appeared in Apex Magazine issue 97, published on June 6, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: It’s 2010. You were born in 1910, went to war in 1942, served three years, and came home to find nothing. You drove to Kansas, stopped, settled down, and lived the rest of your life there, but always had regrets. Then, at age 100, you get a vision of what would have happened had you gone to California. You really did make the right choice, and now you can die content.
Con: This story barely has any speculative element at all, and all of that comes in a very unnatural speech from the waitress at the end. There’s no action, no character development, and the focus character, “you,” is purely a bystander.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 97)
K.A. Teryna Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: This story barely has any speculative element at all, and all of that comes in a very unnatural speech from the waitress at the end. There’s no action, no character development, and the focus character, “you,” is purely a bystander.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 97)
K.A. Teryna Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Didn't expect a story translated from Russian to be so American.
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