Red Lizard Brigade, by Sam J. Miller

[Uncanny]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Alternate History SF Adventure) In a 1950s Russia that developed “gate” technology, a young soldier rides his dinosaur in pursuit of his lover who seems to be trying to defect. (3,222 words; Time: 10m)

"Red Lizard Brigade," by Sam J. Miller [bio] (edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas), appeared in Uncanny Magazine issue 23, published on July 1, 2018.

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

Pro: Although it’s never explicitly stated, the narrator is a gay man, and when he sacrifices his lover, he knows (or should know) he may never find someone again, given the restrictions in his society. (Not that 1950s America would have been welcoming either.) He makes the sacrifice because he’s a true believer in the Soviet cause, and he’ll suffer for it the rest of his life.

Con: It feels a little contrived. How could Osip be sure sure that the narrator would be the one sent after him? It would make at least as much sense for the general to keep the narrator under guard and send someone else.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 23)
Sam J. Miller Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.