★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Climate Change) A hard-boiled private investigator hunts for a missing rich girl in the flooded ruins of Manhattan. (3,849 words; Time: 12m)
"Tumblebush," by Darby Harn [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 276, published on July 15, 2018 by TTA Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: As with any good hard-boiled mystery, there’s danger and excitement and a surprising twist that you might have seen coming.
The descriptions of the squalor are vivid and gripping.
Con: The evil corporation with more money than the government isn’t believable. The biggest companies have annual profits under $100 billion/year but government spending is 70 times that much. If the government couldn’t afford to help refugees, it’s a cinch private companies couldn’t do it and yet turn a profit too.
The story doesn’t “ground” the protagonist soon enough. We’re just two chapters from the end before we find out that Tumblebush is male.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 276)
Darby Harn Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
The descriptions of the squalor are vivid and gripping.
Con: The evil corporation with more money than the government isn’t believable. The biggest companies have annual profits under $100 billion/year but government spending is 70 times that much. If the government couldn’t afford to help refugees, it’s a cinch private companies couldn’t do it and yet turn a profit too.
The story doesn’t “ground” the protagonist soon enough. We’re just two chapters from the end before we find out that Tumblebush is male.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 276)
Darby Harn Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
No comments (may contain spoilers):
Post a Comment (comment policy)