Challenge 643

Sign What?

1. In Mike Acker’s “Digital Future”: Who is “he”? What seems to be the moral of the poem?

2. In Gregg Dotoli’s “New York Spell”: Does New York City have any particular charms that might cast a “spell”?

3. In Bewildering Stories’ discussion “What Shall We Say?”: Might Chris say anything else to Mary?

4. In Bob Welbaum’s “Distant Replay”:

   1. Why does John not want to play the Vicksburg game? Why does he not have similar feelings about the other battle games he plays with his friend?
   2. Does the boys’ game affect real events in the past in some magical way? Or are the boys’ game and the military action parallel stories?

5. In David Wright’s “Specified Perils”:

   1. Why does Lyra, the insurance agent, show up as late as he does?
   2. What elements of humor or even farce can be found in the depiction of President Yolanda Mirabelle?
   3. What does the Universal Assurors Group want in exchange for protecting Earth from natural catastrophes? Is Yolanda Mirabelle in any position to offer, let alone supply the consideration?

6. In Denis Bushlatov’s “Safe Haven”:

   1. Why does Avdeyev seem to be the one chosen to go to Safe Haven? Why isn’t Scarabich sent?
   2. Does Avdeyev think, at any point, about abandoning his errand to the Safe Haven hotel? Why does he persist?
   3. What implications might one find in Avdeyev’s critique of language, at the beginning of the story?
   4. What elements in the story might suggest social and political criticism?

Responses welcome!

Copyright © November 9, 2015 by Bewildering Stories
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