★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
(Military Fantasy) In a near-future India, an assassin targets a rebel leader who claims to be a living god. (4,331 words; Time: 14m)
"The Goddess Has Many Faces," by Ashok K. Banker [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 93, published on February 1, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: It’s a neat twist that the goddess manages to take over Pillai’s body, and he sees it coming but is unable to stop it.
Con: Too many things break suspension of disbelief. For example, the assassin is supposed to just sneak in, kill Maa, and sneak out, but when things go wrong, he slows down, takes his time, consults the Internet, etc. And he just happens to have authorization to use nuclear weapons. And if Pillai's manager knew about the body jumping, why didn't she warn him before he went in?
There’s some confusion about the time frame. The story mentions World War II as having been “almost three-quarters of a century earlier,” which would place the story no later than 2020, and yet it also says that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal had reunited “ten years ago.”
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 93)
Ashok K. Banker Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Con: Too many things break suspension of disbelief. For example, the assassin is supposed to just sneak in, kill Maa, and sneak out, but when things go wrong, he slows down, takes his time, consults the Internet, etc. And he just happens to have authorization to use nuclear weapons. And if Pillai's manager knew about the body jumping, why didn't she warn him before he went in?
There’s some confusion about the time frame. The story mentions World War II as having been “almost three-quarters of a century earlier,” which would place the story no later than 2020, and yet it also says that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal had reunited “ten years ago.”
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 93)
Ashok K. Banker Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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