★★★☆☆ Average
(SF Exploration) The aliens invited one human to their library 32.5 light-years away, and Hazel hopes to find lost research that might still save the Earth from final ecological collapse. If she can get in, that is. (5,325 words; Time: 17m)
"Give the Family My Love," by A.T. Greenblatt [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 149, published on February 1, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.087 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: We only hear Hazel’s monologues with her brother, Saul, but through them we gradually pick up why she’s at the library, how bad the situation on Earth is, and how she feels about it all. It’s remarkable that someone so pessimistic is attempting something so daring, but that contradiction helps make her a 3-dimensional person.
Con: The whole thing feels a bit too contrived. The whole bit about her having to walk a kilometer through a hostile environment seems tacked on; it has zero influence on the rest of the story, which is good because it makes zero sense. Likewise, it’s a bit pat that the only hope for society is some lost research by one researcher.
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Pro: We only hear Hazel’s monologues with her brother, Saul, but through them we gradually pick up why she’s at the library, how bad the situation on Earth is, and how she feels about it all. It’s remarkable that someone so pessimistic is attempting something so daring, but that contradiction helps make her a 3-dimensional person.
Con: The whole thing feels a bit too contrived. The whole bit about her having to walk a kilometer through a hostile environment seems tacked on; it has zero influence on the rest of the story, which is good because it makes zero sense. Likewise, it’s a bit pat that the only hope for society is some lost research by one researcher.
Other Reviews: Search Web
A.T. Greenblatt Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
I really liked this one. 4-stars from me. Very poignant and touching.
ReplyDeleteIt may be that Hazel had to walk a kilometer to the library because the librarians did not want the landing pad too close to them in case of accidents, so not contrived for me. They live there and you do not want all that knowledge getting blown up and lost.
Hazel is also there for the rest of her life. She will be sending stuff home to help Earth to the end of her days. The tree research was important to her brother so she was especially interested in that.