★★★☆☆ Average
(Space Opera) Eva and Didecus lived together happily in exile on an obscure planet, but they were important people once, and the universe has a way of coming looking for important people—even when they thought they were retired. (16,497 words; Time: 54m)
"The Sun from Both Sides," by R.S.A. Garcia [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 152, published on May 1, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.295 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The universe depicted in this story is quite rich. The core story is quite interesting.
Con: Somehow it doesn’t quite work for me. The dialogue is a bit leaden, but I think the real problem is that the central problem and the solution seem too contrived to me. How did the Valencia know that Didecus was the only one who could fix the Greatwood? Why did no one else try the mind meld?
Adding to that, Eva and her “sister” are way too powerful. Sister is essentially Mary Sue made Steel. That eliminated almost all tension from the story; I was 100% sure Sister would rescue Didecus no matter what.
I also thought it was painfully corny that the Great Game on Valencia was based on people dressing up as chess pieces.
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R.S.A. Garcia Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The universe depicted in this story is quite rich. The core story is quite interesting.
Con: Somehow it doesn’t quite work for me. The dialogue is a bit leaden, but I think the real problem is that the central problem and the solution seem too contrived to me. How did the Valencia know that Didecus was the only one who could fix the Greatwood? Why did no one else try the mind meld?
Adding to that, Eva and her “sister” are way too powerful. Sister is essentially Mary Sue made Steel. That eliminated almost all tension from the story; I was 100% sure Sister would rescue Didecus no matter what.
I also thought it was painfully corny that the Great Game on Valencia was based on people dressing up as chess pieces.
Other Reviews: Search Web
R.S.A. Garcia Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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