★★★☆☆ Average
(SF Humor; Kango and Sharon) To avoid having their spaceship repossessed, Kango and Sharon go on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a cult and steal DNA from their children. (7,378 words; Time: 24m)
Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)
"Cake Baby (A Kango and Sharon Adventure)," by Charlie Jane Anders [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 90, published on November 1, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2017.742 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: There actually is a plot: raise the funds to keep from losing their ship. The surreal humor is the main point of the story, though, and it has plenty of that. The bit where Kango actually wins the debate is pretty funny, albeit predictable.
Favorite line: "Like, how pathetic must you be, if you actually want to waste your time arguing with ignorant people?"
Con: It’s too silly, and it goes on for too long.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 90)
Charlie Jane Anders Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: There actually is a plot: raise the funds to keep from losing their ship. The surreal humor is the main point of the story, though, and it has plenty of that. The bit where Kango actually wins the debate is pretty funny, albeit predictable.
Favorite line: "Like, how pathetic must you be, if you actually want to waste your time arguing with ignorant people?"
Con: It’s too silly, and it goes on for too long.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 90)
Charlie Jane Anders Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
I thought this was a decent 3-star story. I enjoyed it. It has the advantage of showing how these 2 first meet each other.
ReplyDeleteThe other Kango and Sharon story was a lot better - "A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime".
The author has another story published this year (2018), and it is free online here. It is pretty good too. https://slate.com/technology/2018/01/the-minnesota-diet-a-new-short-story-by-charlie-jane-anders.html
And another here in Wired -
https://www.wired.com/story/future-of-work-farm-charlie-jane-anders/
I didn't even notice this was in the same universe as "Temporary Embarrassment." I'll update the Series table. Thanks!
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