★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Military SF) Dwet has come to New Warsaw to evaluate a special kind of sniper—an augmented human with neural connections to a special kind of rifle. (3,463 words; Time: 11m)
"The Sniper and I," by Rich Larson [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 299, published on March 5, 2020.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.159 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: A decent Military SF piece, with plenty of shooting and a few surprises. The sniper’s abilities are incredible, but ultimately the cost imposed on the human mind (and maybe the AI) is too great.
Con: There’s no tension; somehow I was always sure neither Dwet not the sniper was ever in danger. Perhaps it’s partly because we learn nothing about Dwet as a person so his/her loss wouldn’t mean so much to the reader.
It seems odd that they sent this unit into the field without better testing. And it’s odd that this was (apparently) the only one built.
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Rich Larson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: A decent Military SF piece, with plenty of shooting and a few surprises. The sniper’s abilities are incredible, but ultimately the cost imposed on the human mind (and maybe the AI) is too great.
Con: There’s no tension; somehow I was always sure neither Dwet not the sniper was ever in danger. Perhaps it’s partly because we learn nothing about Dwet as a person so his/her loss wouldn’t mean so much to the reader.
It seems odd that they sent this unit into the field without better testing. And it’s odd that this was (apparently) the only one built.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Rich Larson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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