★★★☆☆ Average
(Near-Future SF) Technology has made Alan healthy and active for an 84-year-old, but it’s also made him unemployable. After his wife leaves him, he and some other seniors decide to start a biker gang. (22,068 words; Time: 1h:13m)
"The Last Biker Gang," by Wil McCarthy [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 05-06|18, published on April 19, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The story does a fantastic job of describing a future world where technology has eliminated enough jobs to cause pain but not so many as to cause collapse. Possibly the most realistic vision of the future I’ve seen in SF over the past few years.
Con: It’s the tale of how a self-described “jerk” sets off on a course of self-destruction and finally succeeds in killing himself at the end.
Trouble is, I found it hard to believe. I never really saw what he got out of it. Why he wanted to keep doing it so much. In particular, why does he tolerate Kamarov? He's not a naive teenager; it's hard to sympathize with an 84-year-old man who doesn't see Kamarov for what he really is.
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Wil McCarthy Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: It’s the tale of how a self-described “jerk” sets off on a course of self-destruction and finally succeeds in killing himself at the end.
Trouble is, I found it hard to believe. I never really saw what he got out of it. Why he wanted to keep doing it so much. In particular, why does he tolerate Kamarov? He's not a naive teenager; it's hard to sympathize with an 84-year-old man who doesn't see Kamarov for what he really is.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 05-06|18)
Wil McCarthy Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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