(Post Apocalypse) The four teens are the last people left in their town, and they hold a prom night every few days—while trying to ignore that crack in the sky. (10,861 words; Time: 36m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
Recommended By: RHorton+2"Intro to Prom," by Genevieve Valentine [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 133, published on October 1, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: What's outstanding about this story is the the atmosphere. It generates a deep feeling of dread that's almost palpable.
Also of note is the way we learn all about the setting and the backstory without infodumps. Everything is gradually worked in, and eventually it all makes sense.
Finally, the different ways the four kids cope with the end of their world does a good job of defining them as characters.
Con: There’s no actual plot here; we just go through what are presumably the last days before they’re all killed by the falling water.
It’s difficult to figure out what actually happened to the outside world. Surely the Evil Corporation didn’t manage to flood the whole world?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 133)
Genevieve Valentine Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Also of note is the way we learn all about the setting and the backstory without infodumps. Everything is gradually worked in, and eventually it all makes sense.
Finally, the different ways the four kids cope with the end of their world does a good job of defining them as characters.
Con: There’s no actual plot here; we just go through what are presumably the last days before they’re all killed by the falling water.
It’s difficult to figure out what actually happened to the outside world. Surely the Evil Corporation didn’t manage to flood the whole world?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 133)
Genevieve Valentine Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Gotta say that I'm impressed this story kept me engaged all the way through -- figuring what happened, how they got stuck, learning about each character and how they relate to each other. It's teen angst turned up to the max and so melancholy and nothing much happens. It sounds like a recipe guaranteed to make it drag, yet somehow it kept me interested.
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