★★★☆☆
(Android SF) Manoli is just an android copy of the real Manoli, but for thirty years he’s been doing a good job running a resort on a Greek island. Each season it gets harder, though. (5,753 words; Time: 19m)
"Those We Serve," by Eugenia Triantafyllou [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 287, published on May 15, 2020 by TTA Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.300 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The strongest impression I got from this story was how much Manoli loved life, such as it was for him. He loved his life, he cared about the other androids, and he cared about special visitors like Amelia.
From the start, it’s clear that things are falling apart. I found myself wondering whether the human beings in the underwater city were still there—or if there were any humans left in the world at all. The appearance of the real Manoli, after all those years, answered those questions, and it was sad to learn how it was all going to end.
I liked the fact that Amelia actually knew what Manoli was all along. She knows that he can come on the boat as long as he thinks she needs his help, and she manages to give him one special treat before he goes.
Con: The island seems so nice it beggars the imagination that the real human beings abandoned it to robots. Amelia described the underwater cities as unpleasant, so why did anyone ever agree to do this?
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Eugenia Triantafyllou Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The strongest impression I got from this story was how much Manoli loved life, such as it was for him. He loved his life, he cared about the other androids, and he cared about special visitors like Amelia.
From the start, it’s clear that things are falling apart. I found myself wondering whether the human beings in the underwater city were still there—or if there were any humans left in the world at all. The appearance of the real Manoli, after all those years, answered those questions, and it was sad to learn how it was all going to end.
I liked the fact that Amelia actually knew what Manoli was all along. She knows that he can come on the boat as long as he thinks she needs his help, and she manages to give him one special treat before he goes.
Con: The island seems so nice it beggars the imagination that the real human beings abandoned it to robots. Amelia described the underwater cities as unpleasant, so why did anyone ever agree to do this?
Other Reviews: Search Web
Eugenia Triantafyllou Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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