★★★☆☆ Average
(Slipstream) The narrator makes a deal with the Devil—or one of his snakes, at least. She thinks she’s clever, but one deal leads to another. (3,423 words; Time: 11m)
"Ten Deals with the Indigo Snake," by Mel Kassel [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 101, published on October 1, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2018.546 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: One expects no good to come from deals with the devil, but the fun is finding out just how the deals go wrong. Such as offering your hair only to learn that the deal was to offer it for all time, not just once.
It’s very cute that she ends up in the equivalent of an AA group.
Deals with the devil have an obvious parallel in real life, where we often choose things the end up hurting us rather than helping us. Alcohol and drugs are the most obvious ones, so it’s especially appropriate that she ends up in a support group.
Con: It’s a cool concept, but it fizzles out. Deal #9 is merely an exchange of stories, for example.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 101)
Mel Kassel Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: One expects no good to come from deals with the devil, but the fun is finding out just how the deals go wrong. Such as offering your hair only to learn that the deal was to offer it for all time, not just once.
It’s very cute that she ends up in the equivalent of an AA group.
Deals with the devil have an obvious parallel in real life, where we often choose things the end up hurting us rather than helping us. Alcohol and drugs are the most obvious ones, so it’s especially appropriate that she ends up in a support group.
Con: It’s a cool concept, but it fizzles out. Deal #9 is merely an exchange of stories, for example.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 101)
Mel Kassel Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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