★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Historical SF) Stalin calls an imprisoned assassin back to duty for a special mission which involves her slipping through a tiny opening. (11,568 words; Time: 38m)
"Dislocation Space," by Garth Nix [bio] (edited by Jonathan Strahan), published on December 11, 2019 by Tor.com.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.691 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: In late 1940s Russia, Aleksandra has to navigate the strange artifact the Tunguska meteorite left behind. The bulk of the story tells us how she got there and what she had to do to get enough information to navigate the weird “transdimensional” pathway—supposedly a pathway to another world.
The surprise at the end, of course, is that it didn’t take her to a different planet; it took her to a different reality, one where the communists never took over and by 1949, Russia is a peaceful republic.
There’s plenty of tension and excitement in each of Aleksandra’s excursions, and especially in the final sequence, when we wonder whether she’ll get out in time or not.
Con: The story has very low stakes: one woman escapes from Stalin’s tyranny. The bad guys are completely bad (which might be accurate for the period, actually), so there’s no moral issue when she shoots them all. It’s a fun story, but very light-weight.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Garth Nix Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: In late 1940s Russia, Aleksandra has to navigate the strange artifact the Tunguska meteorite left behind. The bulk of the story tells us how she got there and what she had to do to get enough information to navigate the weird “transdimensional” pathway—supposedly a pathway to another world.
The surprise at the end, of course, is that it didn’t take her to a different planet; it took her to a different reality, one where the communists never took over and by 1949, Russia is a peaceful republic.
There’s plenty of tension and excitement in each of Aleksandra’s excursions, and especially in the final sequence, when we wonder whether she’ll get out in time or not.
Con: The story has very low stakes: one woman escapes from Stalin’s tyranny. The bad guys are completely bad (which might be accurate for the period, actually), so there’s no moral issue when she shoots them all. It’s a fun story, but very light-weight.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Garth Nix Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
No comments (may contain spoilers):
Post a Comment (comment policy)