★★★☆☆
(Alternate-History Horror; The Mongolian Wizard) Ritter crosses the arctic waste in search of a monster with a great powers but no hope. (6,332 words; Time: 21m)
Unlike the other stories in the series, this one stands alone. If you'd like to start at the beginning, Tor.com maintains a current list of all The Mongolian Wizard Stories
"The New Prometheus," by Michael Swanwick [bio] (edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden), published on June 19, 2019 by Tor.com.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.379 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: For the most part, this story is an homage to Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein; or, The New Prometheus.” Beyond the title, there are lots of allusions to entertain people who read Shelly’s novel. Both stories are told with a framing story set in the arctic. Both monsters read “The Sorrows of Young Werther” as part of their efforts to become human. Both feel alienated from humanity.
Unlike Shelly’s monster, this creature isn’t grotesque, and he has telepathy and other powers, whereas Shelly’s monster had only brute strength. Shelly’s monster leaves a trail of bodies, but this one mostly does good wherever he goes.
There are lots and lots of other allusions, which I’ll leave to others to mention in the comments, if they feel like it.
Con: There’s not much to it besides this. We don’t really learn anything new about Ritter or Sir Toby or anything else in the overarching story.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Michael Swanwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: For the most part, this story is an homage to Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein; or, The New Prometheus.” Beyond the title, there are lots of allusions to entertain people who read Shelly’s novel. Both stories are told with a framing story set in the arctic. Both monsters read “The Sorrows of Young Werther” as part of their efforts to become human. Both feel alienated from humanity.
Unlike Shelly’s monster, this creature isn’t grotesque, and he has telepathy and other powers, whereas Shelly’s monster had only brute strength. Shelly’s monster leaves a trail of bodies, but this one mostly does good wherever he goes.
There are lots and lots of other allusions, which I’ll leave to others to mention in the comments, if they feel like it.
Con: There’s not much to it besides this. We don’t really learn anything new about Ritter or Sir Toby or anything else in the overarching story.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Michael Swanwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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