Refugee; or, a nine-item representative inventory of a better world, by Iona Sharma

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Refugee; or, a nine-item representative inventory of a better world, by Iona Sharma

★★★☆☆ Average

(Dystopia) An old woman takes in a young poet fleeing persecution. (1,248 words; Time: 04m)

"Refugee; or, a nine-item representative inventory of a better world," by Iona Sharma [bio] (edited by Jane Crowley and Kate Dollarhyde), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 01/08/18, published on January 8, 2018.

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

Pro: The writing makes for a comfortable, pleasant read.

Con: I can’t decide if this was a time-travel story, a future dystopia, or what.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01/08/18)
Iona Sharma Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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6 comments (may contain spoilers):

LauraSeptember 21, 2018 at 1:08 PM
My impression was definitely time travel and future utopia. People from before whatever brought about the long-time peace make brief restorative visits and then return to the fight. The boy is the poet whose work was recited at the funeral of the woman's wife.
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LauraSeptember 22, 2018 at 12:18 PM
This story has the "Prefect Dreyfus" label instead of Alastair Reynold's Open and Shut.
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