Challenge 332

Back to the Basic

Kenneth E. Herritt’s “A Higher Purpose”:
1. How does the story contrast with Jeff Baker’s “Darwin’s God” and Diana Pollin’s “Extreme Makeover” in issue 331?
2. What other science fiction authors have portrayed robots as child surrogates?
3. Why is it important that the robot maintains throughout the story that it is not human?
In John W. Steele’s “Beyond the Island,” Brian Mudd philosophizes about the nature of reality. What errors in logic does he make?
In Sally K. Lehman’s “Anachronism,” does the dictionary definition illustrate the story or does the story illustrate the definition? Does the epigraph tell the readers anything they don’t already know? Does the story gain or lose from it?
In Catfish Russ’s “Fighting Chance,” the reader knows before the characters do who must be burglarizing the food. Is it okay to telegraph the ending or do the characters seem to be just a little slow on the uptake? How does this story fit with the author’s “Helen”?
Robert S. Tyler’s “Skin Deep” mentions Johnny Depp and John Cusack. Readers unfamiliar with these figures of popular culture will have to ignore the references as cryptic. How could they be explained in the story without resorting to footnotes?