★★★★☆ A moving tale of betrayal and survival
(Military SF) Nysha was a “singer” during the war, using her implants to help destroy the bot army. The war is over, she’s on the run, and she finds a small community willing to take her in. But can she trust them? (5,083 words; Time: 16m)
"And You Shall Sing to Me a Deeper Song," by Maria Haskins [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 280, published on March 1, 2019 by TTA Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.160 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: It’s got a great emotional impact. We really care about Nysha, and we’re sorry (and angry) at the raw deal she’s gotten. The story starts with her searching for the Priory where she was trained, and it ends with her still searching, but with a new purpose and new strength.
It seemed strange that Central Command tried to destroy all the singers—countries usually celebrate their war heroes—but it all made sense when we learned what Victor’s song could do.
The story does not offer easy answers. It’s possible that Clemency is right; that there’s no way for people to be safe unless all bot technology is tightly controlled.
Con: The song that can hack software and kill people is really magic, not SF. Other than that, it's not at all clear why the ability couldn’t be turned off after the war was over.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Maria Haskins Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: It’s got a great emotional impact. We really care about Nysha, and we’re sorry (and angry) at the raw deal she’s gotten. The story starts with her searching for the Priory where she was trained, and it ends with her still searching, but with a new purpose and new strength.
It seemed strange that Central Command tried to destroy all the singers—countries usually celebrate their war heroes—but it all made sense when we learned what Victor’s song could do.
The story does not offer easy answers. It’s possible that Clemency is right; that there’s no way for people to be safe unless all bot technology is tightly controlled.
Con: The song that can hack software and kill people is really magic, not SF. Other than that, it's not at all clear why the ability couldn’t be turned off after the war was over.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Maria Haskins Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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