Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Ghosts of a Neon God, by T.R. Napper

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(Dystopia) Jack and Col are petty thieves in a near-future Melbourne, Australia, when their lives are changed by an upper-class Chinese woman who begs them for help. Even though all they do is steal her shoes. (7,633 words; Time: 25m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

"Ghosts of a Neon God," by (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in issue 272, published on by .

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

Pro: The best part of this story is the chase at the end, where Jack evades and then kills Yao Li—partly through luck, but not entirely. From the start, we knew Jack wanted to leave Melbourne, so his departure at the end is something of a victory, albeit a painful one.

Con: We never learn the big things behind the story. What secret could the Chinese woman have had that could have “saved” Australia? Were the police after Col and Jack for real, or just because someone from China paid them off?

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 272)
T.R. Napper Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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