★★★☆☆ Average
(Fantasy Apocalypse) Karen doesn’t know why the government sealed off the Adamstown historical recreation, but something terrible seems to have happened to the outside world. (7,300 words; Time: 24m)
"Work, and Ye Shall Eat," by Walker McKnight [bio] (edited by Jason Sizemore), appeared in Apex Magazine issue 105, published on February 6, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The setting is interesting, and the challenge facing the people trapped in Adamstown is fascinating.
The faery creatures seem to want to put the humans to work supporting them in idleness. At the end, Karen seems to have decided that, as a manager, she’s no different.
Con: The conclusion leaves too much unanswered. We have no idea what happened, no idea why they were told not to leave Adamstown, no idea who the faery people are, and no feeling for whether there will be any consequences from everyone leaving.
For some reason, Karen is hard to like.
A minor quibble is that it seemed there should have been easier ways to get past the electric fence.
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Walker McKnight Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The faery creatures seem to want to put the humans to work supporting them in idleness. At the end, Karen seems to have decided that, as a manager, she’s no different.
Con: The conclusion leaves too much unanswered. We have no idea what happened, no idea why they were told not to leave Adamstown, no idea who the faery people are, and no feeling for whether there will be any consequences from everyone leaving.
For some reason, Karen is hard to like.
A minor quibble is that it seemed there should have been easier ways to get past the electric fence.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 105)
Walker McKnight Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
An interesting situation, but without any real explanation of what happened, it seems too contrived. When they dug under the fence, I thought, "Really? Someone tried over and Karen thwarted the plan to go through, but no one tried under until they were 'invited'?"
ReplyDeleteSort of like how in Star Trek no one ever figured out that there was a third dimension that ships could move in.
Delete