★★★★☆ Fun setting, entertaining plot
(SF Adventure) Tavi fears he’ll lose his cabbie license when an alien tourist jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge from his cab. (4,031 words; Time: 13m)
"The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex," by Tobias S. Buckell [bio] (edited by Nisi Shawl), appeared in New Suns (RSR review), published on March 12, 2019 by Solaris.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.262 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: I really liked the setting, a future Earth that’s overwhelmed by the vast economic superiority of the alien civilization, much as many of the poorer third-world countries on Earth are today.
I also really liked the fact that all of Tavi’s actions make sense. Yeah, the government wants him to lie about what happened, but, faced with an actual alien asking for the truth, he’s a good man, so he tells it. And it’s even more gratifying that telling the truth is the right thing to do.
Finally, I loved it that the extra danger actually made Earth even more desirable—moderated by the fact that all this galactic investment is ruining the place.
Con: The story can’t quite seem to make up its mind whether to be serious or comical. As a result, there’s no emotional content.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Tobias S. Buckell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: I really liked the setting, a future Earth that’s overwhelmed by the vast economic superiority of the alien civilization, much as many of the poorer third-world countries on Earth are today.
I also really liked the fact that all of Tavi’s actions make sense. Yeah, the government wants him to lie about what happened, but, faced with an actual alien asking for the truth, he’s a good man, so he tells it. And it’s even more gratifying that telling the truth is the right thing to do.
Finally, I loved it that the extra danger actually made Earth even more desirable—moderated by the fact that all this galactic investment is ruining the place.
Con: The story can’t quite seem to make up its mind whether to be serious or comical. As a result, there’s no emotional content.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Tobias S. Buckell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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