★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Post-Apocalypse) Cubro keeps operating the station at the top of the Needle, even though it’s been a while since she heard from anyone outside. (1,385 words; Time: 04m)
"When the Rain Comes," by Ron Collins [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 09-10|18, published on August 16, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The charm of this little story is the way we gradually figure out just what happened here. The whole world seems to have perished in some sort of ecological catastrophe that resulted in sulphurated rain killing things.
The horrible moment when she carries Lacey’s head to the sink to brush his teeth is unusually effective. (It gave me the creeps for hours.)
The title is an obvious allusion to “There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury (Colliers; May 6, 1950).
Con: The story leaves too much unanswered. What was the bit about the Kera model? It doesn’t seem like it could have been a person, so why did Lacey die as soon as it left?
It’s not realistic that Cubro brushes Lacey’s teeth for him. That’s hardly something he’d have taught it to do.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09-10|18)
Ron Collins Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
The horrible moment when she carries Lacey’s head to the sink to brush his teeth is unusually effective. (It gave me the creeps for hours.)
The title is an obvious allusion to “There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury (Colliers; May 6, 1950).
Con: The story leaves too much unanswered. What was the bit about the Kera model? It doesn’t seem like it could have been a person, so why did Lacey die as soon as it left?
It’s not realistic that Cubro brushes Lacey’s teeth for him. That’s hardly something he’d have taught it to do.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 09-10|18)
Ron Collins Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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