Friday, September 22, 2017

Conversations with an Armory, by Garth Nix

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(Military SF) The Armory AI has been out of service for a long time, so when a group of wounded soldiers try to wake it up to assist in a battle plan, it takes a while to figure out what’s going on. Or whether to trust them. (2,893 words; Time: 09m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended

"Conversations with an Armory," by (edited by Jonathan Strahan), appeared in (RSR review), published on by .

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

Pro: The armory eventually gives everyone supplies and joins the fight itself. The old, wounded soldiers don’t want to die miserably on a hospital world; they want to go out in a blaze of glory—and so does the AI.

We never learn how their mission went because it doesn’t matter. Being mobilized again—merely being useful again—is all they needed.

Bits of humor take the edge off any bitterness. The conclusion is deeply moving.

Con: It’s not a sophisticated story, and the Armory is the only character who’s developed at all.

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2 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. Yup, I thought this was fun and clever.

    Oh, a stupid machine. Go find a human.
    ...
    Ah. You are a human.

    :)

    ReplyDelete