(Post-Apocalypse) After a long time, the river floods again, and the water is clean, not contaminated, so you take the opportunity to row your canoe south and scout things out. (1,806 words; Time: 06m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"The Eyes of the Flood," by Susan Jane Bigelow [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 92, published on January 1, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: There’s something stirring about the ending, even if I don’t really understand it.
It’s cool the way we gradually realize that centuries have passed and the protagonist has not been human in a while.
Con: Long jaw, bald head, and scaly ears? Is it a space alien? Why did it think it used to be a housewife? The location definitely seems to be Connecticut.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 92)
Susan Jane Bigelow Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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It’s cool the way we gradually realize that centuries have passed and the protagonist has not been human in a while.
Con: Long jaw, bald head, and scaly ears? Is it a space alien? Why did it think it used to be a housewife? The location definitely seems to be Connecticut.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 92)
Susan Jane Bigelow Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
The implication I got was that they both changed into this post human form and that's what allowed them to survive whatever happened where others did not. I don't think we ever learn the gender of the protagonist.
ReplyDeleteI inferred it from this passage: "Once, your life ran with the phases of the moon, but the moon is rarely visible these days, and you stopped bleeding long ago."
DeleteOh, absolutely -- I don't know about "housewife", but certainly female -- forgot that bit.
DeleteI've taken to highlighting whatever passage in a story clued me in as to the gender of the protagonist just so I can quickly answer the question in the future. But I can still make mistakes (e.g. attributing the info to the wrong character) so by all means please keep pointing it out if you think I've got a character's gender wrong!
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