★★★☆☆ Average
(Horror) Her friends told Maya to help herself to anything around the house while she’s housesitting, so she decides to take action to get rid of the cockroaches she’s sure are spying on her. (6,357 words; Time: 21m)
"Quietly Gigantic," by K.C. Mead-Brewer [bio] (edited by Jane Crowley and Kate Dollarhyde), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 06/11/18, published on June 11, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Maya's descriptions of the people she knows, the things she remembers, and just the things she sees around her are highly entertaining. E.g. she describes the pomegranate tree:
Con: It's too easy to read this as just Maya's descent into madness, with no supernatural element whatsoever. Very far into the story, there seems to be nothing going on at all.
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K.C. Mead-Brewer Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The buds are an angry, pinched-looking red, like so many fat baby lips puckered against something distasteful.It's gradually clear that something is wrong with Maya, but it also becomes clear that something is wrong in the outside world as well. When she turns into a giant cockroach at the end, all the pieces seem to come together.
Con: It's too easy to read this as just Maya's descent into madness, with no supernatural element whatsoever. Very far into the story, there seems to be nothing going on at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 06/11/18)
K.C. Mead-Brewer Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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