Monday, January 15, 2018

The Eyes of the Flood, by Susan Jane Bigelow

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(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 (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in issue 92, published on .

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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4 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. 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.

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    Replies
    1. I 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."

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    2. Oh, absolutely -- I don't know about "housewife", but certainly female -- forgot that bit.

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    3. I'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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