Challenge 1063

Strangerous Dangers

In Gary Inbinder’s The House in Austin: Each of the meetings that Max Niemand has in this chapter — whether they’re arranged, accidental or improvised — ends with at least one implied question. What are those questions, and what surprises do you think this chapter will lead to?
In Garret Stirland’s The Crucible of Logic:
1. What kind of setting does the story have? Early contemporary? Pseudo-medieval? Ancient?
2. Who or what are the “Domes”?
3. What appear to be the limitations of the Crucible? Why isn’t it being used to brainwash the entire Vossari society at once?
4. What is the 21st-century equivalent of the Crucible?
In Charles C. Cole’s Barney and the Robot: Does Barney tell Dom the full truth about his intended length of stay on Earth? Why might he not do so? What might be Barney’s ultimate intentions?
In Huina Zheng’s Consequences of Kindness:
1. How might Ming’s early life have made him inclined to trust the honesty of citizens who appear to need help and disinclined to suspect a possible shakedown or other crime?
2. How might Ming’s girlfriend be more persuasive in dissuading him from intervening personally in the apparent bicycle accident?
3. What would a police patrolman do if he happened to witness the apparent bicycle accident?
4. What details might be altered to make the story a local cautionary tale for urban residents in other countries around the world?