★★☆☆☆
(SF Drama) Peta’s rich and powerful, but her biological clock runs out in two months, and she really wants to have a child before it’s too late. (7,059 words; Time: 23m)
"Imaginary Children," by Janet Stilson [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 07-08|20, published on June 18, 2020 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.349 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The situation shows how shallow Peta’s motivations are for having a child. It shows what a shallow, disagreeable person she is. Someone who doesn’t deserve her success.
Rico isn’t any better. He’s lied to her for decades, letting her think he was her friend, only to plan to go to the competitor.
Con: It breaks suspension of disbelief too much. Women’s biological clocks stop because of the eggs, not the uterus. Women in their 60s give birth to their daughter’s kids sometimes. And the idea of a hard stop that the doctor knows to the day is also impossible to believe.
The matchmaking app is so poor it’s hard to believe anything thought it was a good idea even for a second. Having images of ghost children randomly appear during the day?
Finally, for all of her obsession over this—to the point of risking her life and career—Peta abruptly decides to just blow it off.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Janet Stilson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: The situation shows how shallow Peta’s motivations are for having a child. It shows what a shallow, disagreeable person she is. Someone who doesn’t deserve her success.
Rico isn’t any better. He’s lied to her for decades, letting her think he was her friend, only to plan to go to the competitor.
Con: It breaks suspension of disbelief too much. Women’s biological clocks stop because of the eggs, not the uterus. Women in their 60s give birth to their daughter’s kids sometimes. And the idea of a hard stop that the doctor knows to the day is also impossible to believe.
The matchmaking app is so poor it’s hard to believe anything thought it was a good idea even for a second. Having images of ghost children randomly appear during the day?
Finally, for all of her obsession over this—to the point of risking her life and career—Peta abruptly decides to just blow it off.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Janet Stilson Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
As a pitch to Harlequin Teen for a new science fiction sub-genre, this was spot on. Not my cup of tea, though.
ReplyDelete