★★★☆☆ Average
(SFF) A veteran from the Afghan war wrestles with PTSD and contemplates suicide when a visitor offers him a cure if he’ll follow him to a cemetery to do a bit of work for him. (3,763 words; Time: 12m)
"Survivors," by Sheila Finch [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 09-10|18, published on August 16, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The cure seems to work; Jake is free of his burden at last. And, in some strange way, the man from the future atoned for something too.
Con: For most of the story, it seems like it’s going to be a ghost story of some kind, so it’s jarring when it turns into a time-travel tale instead.
It’s not clear why working in the cemetery fixed Jake’s problem nor what good it did Burke.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09-10|18)
Sheila Finch Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: For most of the story, it seems like it’s going to be a ghost story of some kind, so it’s jarring when it turns into a time-travel tale instead.
It’s not clear why working in the cemetery fixed Jake’s problem nor what good it did Burke.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09-10|18)
Sheila Finch Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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