Challenge 847

Brisky Risks

In Natan Dubovitsky’s Near Zero, Chapter 10:
1. What period in recent Russian history does Igor Fedorovich describe as a “lackey war”?
2. Why is Yegor eager to kill Fedor Ivanovich?
3. Are Fedor Ivanovich and Igor Fedorovich related?
4. In what way does the “business model” of the Brotherhood of the Black Book anticipate the Internet?
In Bill Kowaleski’s Exile or Isolation:
1. In terms of internal chronology, does chapter 6 appear to take place before or after chapter 5?
2. Does Paul Welton’s request for more information come as a surprise to McDermott, or has McDermott set a trap for Welton?
In Patrick Creek’s Master Fairchild’s Garden, does the story overstep BwS’ “dream stories” guideline?
In Paul Revis’s Pro Foto 1.8.2, what previous command does Ted “undo”?
In Gary Clifton’s Clean Sweep, would Bruce and Sandra Wilcox escape if they were not caught burying Elmo?
In Wendy Holborow’s Snakemark, what is “ecdysis”? What are “daps”?
In Ásgrímur Hartmannsson’s The Zombie Space Ninja Adventure, what genre or genres of popular literature might the story parody?