★★★★☆ Topical, Engaging, Thought-Provoking
(Near-Future SF) Teenage Marisol wants a Razzibot so she can stream her life online in ways that always make her look good. (2,648 words; Time: 08m)
"Razzibot," by Rich Larson [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 03-04|18, published on February 15, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The Razzibot makes Marisol look good, but sometimes that makes her parents look really bad. It’s to her credit that this upsets her. It’s sadly believable that when she realizes just how popular it made her, she decides she wants it back.
The depiction of her as a self-absorbed teen and of how her parents try to manipulate her feels very real, sadly. The scene at the end where she extorts a new Razzibot from her father tells us that she’s learned from them.
The notion of a device that finds the best angles for your photos and automatically does fixup to make you look better than in real life isn’t all that far-fetched.
Con: It’s very hard to believe that the device would refuse a command to shut down. Customers really, really don’t like that. One also wonders whether the family drama in the story was really dramatic enough to draw so many viewers.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Rich Larson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The depiction of her as a self-absorbed teen and of how her parents try to manipulate her feels very real, sadly. The scene at the end where she extorts a new Razzibot from her father tells us that she’s learned from them.
The notion of a device that finds the best angles for your photos and automatically does fixup to make you look better than in real life isn’t all that far-fetched.
Con: It’s very hard to believe that the device would refuse a command to shut down. Customers really, really don’t like that. One also wonders whether the family drama in the story was really dramatic enough to draw so many viewers.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Rich Larson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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