Challenge 779

Digging Out

1. In Jeff Dosser’s I Dream of Tomorrow, judging by the logic of Captain Meeks’ plan, what is the likely outcome of his sending himself a message backwards in time: does he reawaken in a time loop or will his plan succeed?

2. In Tom Crowley’s When Working Memory Retires, at what point does alcohol appear in the story? With whom? Is it incidental or does its frequency seem to increase?

3. In Danko Antolovic’s Labyrinth, will Daedalus’ and Ariadne’s solution to the puzzle of the Labyrinth work for any maze? Where will the corridors of the Labyrinth eventually lead?

4. In Gregg Dotoli’s Ode to Asbury: Bruce’s Song:

   1. Who or what might the narrator be in the poem?
   2. Who might Bruce be?

5. In Robin Helweg-Larsen’s Walking, Then Running:

   1. The migration timeline is that of modern man. How long has genus homo been wandering the earth?
   2. Does expansion into space imply a difference in kind or merely more of the same?

6. In John Urbanek’s Gutierrez’ Garden:

   1. What is the dramatic function of Mr. Fleas’ fate? Accidents and coincidences happen all the time in real life. Why do they not happen in literature?
   2. Is any character in the story with a speaking role not a “villain” in some way?
   3. What appropriate poetic justice would you suggest for Gutierrez?

Responses welcome!

Copyright © October 1, 2018 by Bewildering Stories
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