Tuesday, June 27, 2017

I Am Not I, by G.V. Anderson

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(Dystopia) The narrator is a normal human in a world of hostile genetically modified people, and she’s desperate enough to do anything for money to replace the failing body modifications that let her “pass.” (10,018 words; Time: 33m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5

"I Am Not I," by (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in issue 07-08|17, published on by .

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

Pro: The setting is great. Details of Madame Qlym’s shop and her business, the unsettling description of the Bee Man, and the narrator’s own history work together to form a clear, if slightly disgusting, picture of this world.

The narrator wants to assure her own safety, and she more or less accomplishes that by the end, even if her original plan didn’t work out.

It was touching that her mother helped her out, despite everything.

Con: It’s impossible to like any of these characters. The narrator has minor qualms about killing the human girl, but that doesn’t stop her from selling the body. She has no hesitation to tell lies, to cheat, and even to kill. She doesn’t really deserve a happy ending.

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G.V. Anderson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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3 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. I really liked this one. I did feel for the narrator's situation, and I found the possibility that the honey man was human intriguing. I thought Madame Qlym was fun to hate. As you said, great setting! I hope we see more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The author website linked is incorrect. Here's the correct one:

    https://gvandersonblog.wordpress.com/

    (maybe she moved from tumblr to wordpress?)

    ReplyDelete