★★★☆☆ Average
(SF Adventure) An Earthman has explored the galaxy alone for thirty years, trading Earth’s culture for the money to keep going. Then he bumps into another human doing the same thing (4,828 words; Time: 16m)
"Midway," by Tony Ballantyne [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 104, published on January 1, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.060 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The story of a man who stops half way through his life and wonders if he’s doing the right thing is at least as old at Dante, but it’s always relevant.
It was amusing to learn that his conversation with the young alien was really just a mirror; that he was effectively conversing with himself.
Con: I found the whole idea of galactic trade in cultures (but only for the first person to show up with an electronic copy) a little hard to believe.
His description of the 60-year-old lady makes her sound like she’s 80. (Full disclosure: I just turned 60, and it’s not that bad!)
Other Reviews: Search Web
Tony Ballantyne Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The story of a man who stops half way through his life and wonders if he’s doing the right thing is at least as old at Dante, but it’s always relevant.
It was amusing to learn that his conversation with the young alien was really just a mirror; that he was effectively conversing with himself.
Con: I found the whole idea of galactic trade in cultures (but only for the first person to show up with an electronic copy) a little hard to believe.
His description of the 60-year-old lady makes her sound like she’s 80. (Full disclosure: I just turned 60, and it’s not that bad!)
Other Reviews: Search Web
Tony Ballantyne Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
I know! I thought, "Liver-spotted? She's not old enough for that!" And, of course, her attitude was more youthful and optimistic than Mr. Mid-life Crisis.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she got too much sun in her youth. :-)
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