Friday, September 8, 2017

Ugo, by Giovanni De Feo

Read this issue
(SFF) Ugo can “remember” things from the future, which he shares with Cynthia—including the fact that she’ll be his wife someday. (7,210 words; Time: 24m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

"Ugo," by (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in issue 88, published on .

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

Pro: Cynthia is a well-developed character, and we share her desire not to be dominated by Ugo’s visions. The story is interesting all the way to the end.

Con: The conclusion powerfully suggests that this was entirely mainstream and that the apparent fantasy element was just a hallucination. That's barely better than ending with "and then I woke up and it was all a dream."

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 88)
Giovanni De Feo Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.

3 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. It's not that he was actually a hallucination. But that he decided he would change the future and he came undone. He didn't do it to save the middle school classmate who was hit by the truck, but he did it for her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but, as a rule, I don't like stories that leave the reader with the option of interpreting it as strictly mainstream.

      Delete
    2. I refuse to give in to the mundane explanation! :) Even so, there's a little too much bitter in the bittersweet here.

      Delete