(Superhero) Before he destroys the world, Dr. Entropy and his android army need to attend to a few last-minute details. (3,794 words; Time: 12m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Fool," by Keith Frady [bio] (edited by Tricia Reeks and Kyle Anderson), appeared in Behind the Mask, published on May 16, 2017 by Meerkat Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Dr. Entropy’s insanity comes through very clearly, but so does his love for his android creations. Ironically, he ends up saving the world, not destroying it, even though “Uberman” never shows up to stop him. The image on the painting expresses the best sort of victory--victory over oneself.
One can read this as showing that Dr. Entropy and Uberman are really the same person. Isaac certainly thinks something along those lines when he says “You are not my creator.” So does G.O.G.H. Mark VI, who painted a portrait of a hero, not a villain. And, of course, in the theater full of dead androids, “He wept for Dr. Entropy,” as though to tell us that the villain is gone.
Con: The way Dr. Entropy tries but fails to push the button feels very contrived, and there’s really no explanation for it. There’s not much to convince us he’d really have the kind of change of heart we see in him. It just happens.
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Keith Frady Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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One can read this as showing that Dr. Entropy and Uberman are really the same person. Isaac certainly thinks something along those lines when he says “You are not my creator.” So does G.O.G.H. Mark VI, who painted a portrait of a hero, not a villain. And, of course, in the theater full of dead androids, “He wept for Dr. Entropy,” as though to tell us that the villain is gone.
Con: The way Dr. Entropy tries but fails to push the button feels very contrived, and there’s really no explanation for it. There’s not much to convince us he’d really have the kind of change of heart we see in him. It just happens.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Keith Frady Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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