Challenge 797
Plan Backwards
In Mike Sharlow’s The Rock Fight, who provokes whom?
In Howard Vogl’s Chopping Mannequins, does Carl confess to the murder? Should the narrator accept another beer? How might the police twig to Carl’s deception?
In Gary Beck’s When Machines Learn, can a machine “reach a decision” that is not predetermined by its design? What is a decision anyway?
In Boris Kokotov’s No Plans, can one plan not to make any plans? Does even “planning to make plans” make any sense? Does the workman not actually have a “plan”?
In Robin Helweg-Larsen’s Wishful Thinking, is “simulation” itself “wishful thinking”?
In Alberto Chimal’s A Young Man’s Fortune:
- What should the young man do after leaving the fortune-teller’s office? Why is he angry rather than grateful?
- What atttude does the story seem to satirize?
- Is the future a kind of quantum joke? Does it exist only as long as it isn’t observed?
In M. L. Humphrey’s Interview with the Dungeon Master:
- What stories, plots or characters does “Dungeon Master” parody or satirize?
- Does Morley ever interview the Dungeon Master? Who is the Dungeon Master?
- Does the story overstep our “Dream Stories” guideline?
See also the Critics’ Corner: Drawing Conclusions.
What is a Bewildering Stories Challenge?
