★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
(SF Thriller) A powerful HR director is willing to do anything to keep a critical software architect from quitting. (5,018 words; Time: 16m)
"The Gorgon," by Jay O'Connell [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 01-02|19, published on December 15, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.028 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The ruthless narrator is determined to figure out why Murphy wants to quit, and he’s willing to drug him, have sex with him—whatever it takes.
Ironically, when he does find the answer, it gets him what he wants, but at a very high cost.
Con: The protagonist is a “Typhoid Mary Sue.” He’s a bad guy who’s ridiculously good at everything he does. He’s so powerful he got the whole legal staff fired over a bad NDA. He can make a dentist install a tracking device in his child’s teeth. He routinely drugs employees and no one ever notices.
I also didn’t much care for the idea of a future AI that not only rules the world, it can reach back into the past and change reality.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Jay O'Connell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The ruthless narrator is determined to figure out why Murphy wants to quit, and he’s willing to drug him, have sex with him—whatever it takes.
Ironically, when he does find the answer, it gets him what he wants, but at a very high cost.
Con: The protagonist is a “Typhoid Mary Sue.” He’s a bad guy who’s ridiculously good at everything he does. He’s so powerful he got the whole legal staff fired over a bad NDA. He can make a dentist install a tracking device in his child’s teeth. He routinely drugs employees and no one ever notices.
I also didn’t much care for the idea of a future AI that not only rules the world, it can reach back into the past and change reality.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Jay O'Connell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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