★★☆☆☆
(Fairy Tale) In which three stories based on the Emperor’s New Clothes explore modern politics. (3,544 words; Time: 11m)
"Three Variations on a Theme of Imperial Attire," by E. Lily Yu [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: 2019.270 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: Obviously this plays with the Hans Christian Anderson story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
Con: The first variation doesn’t even work because it omits the detail that unfit people couldn’t see the clothes. As presented in this version, the Emperor would have immediately said, “Hey, there’s nothing here!”
The second is best described by the story itself: “Heavy-handed, on the nose. . . it’s hardly even a story.”
The third is just dull. The political message is really obvious, and there’s nothing else here.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
E. Lily Yu Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: Obviously this plays with the Hans Christian Anderson story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
Con: The first variation doesn’t even work because it omits the detail that unfit people couldn’t see the clothes. As presented in this version, the Emperor would have immediately said, “Hey, there’s nothing here!”
The second is best described by the story itself: “Heavy-handed, on the nose. . . it’s hardly even a story.”
The third is just dull. The political message is really obvious, and there’s nothing else here.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
E. Lily Yu Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Now online at Lightspeed 139 (Dec 2021): https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/three-variations-on-a-theme-of-imperial-attire/
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