Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Martin Lochman

Martin is a native of the Czech Republic and works as a university librarian in Malta. He says he feels it’s a little unpatriotic to prefer to write in English but, surely, his readers can congratulate him on achieving native proficiency in English, which is quite a feat, even for native speakers! And Martin has enjoyed considerable literary success: he has published short fiction extensively.

“What Used To Be Mom” will surely intrigue readers with its premise and engage them in its story of two brothers’ reconciliation. The premise is that a strange pandemic has emerged: people turn into large beans apparently at random. And it has happened to Lubo’s and Radim’s mother. While debating what to do with her in her new transformation, they come to terms with their past and each other in a dramatic and persuasive scene.

The two brothers then see their mother’s bean-form undergo another mysterious transformation, as do all others throughout the world. Is the speculation plausible that the beans are a new stage in evolution?

Readers will have one little problem in narrative logic. The transformations happen at random, not at death. Prospective airline passengers are liable to think, “What if the pilots turn into beans while our plane is in mid-air?” One would expect not complacency from the travelers but, perhaps, a certain amount of panic.

Martin Lochman’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Martin. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!