★★★☆☆ Average
(Portal Fantasy) Thirty-two years after the Halloween night when two ten-year-olds crossed a bridge and entered another world, they still struggle with PTSD. (1,544 words; Time: 05m)
"Gephyrophobia," by Rykie Belles [bio] (edited by Vanessa Rose Phin), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 06/10/19, published on June 10, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.343 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The story is all about Sam’s decision. He and Becky had a very terrible adventure when they were ten (although we have no idea how much subjective time they spent in the other place), and they’ve suffered the effects of it ever since. Now they have a chance to return, maybe, and try again.
Con: Well, his decision is between staying here, living the life he’s got, and dealing with his problems or else running away, returning to what seems to have been a horrible place, and hoping some sort of vengeance will magically make it all better. Is it really a good thing that he decides to go?
There hasn’t been a total lunar eclipse on Halloween in centuries, and there won’t be one in this century either. (Five-Millenium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses, NASA)
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Rykie Belles Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The story is all about Sam’s decision. He and Becky had a very terrible adventure when they were ten (although we have no idea how much subjective time they spent in the other place), and they’ve suffered the effects of it ever since. Now they have a chance to return, maybe, and try again.
Con: Well, his decision is between staying here, living the life he’s got, and dealing with his problems or else running away, returning to what seems to have been a horrible place, and hoping some sort of vengeance will magically make it all better. Is it really a good thing that he decides to go?
There hasn’t been a total lunar eclipse on Halloween in centuries, and there won’t be one in this century either. (Five-Millenium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses, NASA)
Other Reviews: Search Web
Rykie Belles Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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