Looking for Landau, by Steven J. Dines

[Interzone]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Horror) The narrator tracks Landau across the modern American Southwest leaving a trail of dead bodies and screaming ghosts in his wake. (11,785 words; Time: 39m)

"Looking for Landau," by Steven J. Dines [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 275, published on May 15, 2018 by TTA Press.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: Rust just wants to die. He’s lived too long, lost two lovers, and simply wants an end. But he’s immortal, so he pursues the angel of death seeking an answer. But instead of learning a way to exit the world, he acquires a baby boy to care for. A third person to love—lightening striking a third time.

An emotional plus is that it’s gratifying when he rescues the baby.

Con: The answer seems too trite. Presumably, this child will grow up, age, and die. Long before that, Rusty will abandon him when it’s clear that the child is aging and he is not.

Even though Rusty is always victorious, the fight scenes are rather painful—not painfully written, but there’s a lot of pain-inducing scenes. I suppose it proves the story made me care about the character, but a little goes a long way.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 275)
Steven J. Dines Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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