Posted inNot Dead Yet: Print Reviews

Eve by Aurelio O’Brien

I don't read science fiction novels as often as I used to, but some book premises are so wacky that you just gotta see whether the author can pull them off. Such is the case with Eve by Aurelio O'Brien, a bizarre story about an outdated robot and his owner, lost amid a Huxlean culture in the distant future. In the 31st century, death is an anachronism, and bio-engineered "creature comforts" dominate the world, functioning solely to keep humans (a.k.a. "Randoms" since they weren't technologically programmed or engineered) in an eternal state of bliss. Machines are an anachronism -- mankind…
November 8, 2004Posted inNot Dead Yet: Print Reviews
Posted inBlather

Chew On This. Please.

There's no such thing as bad breath. If there was, we'd say that some folks had "good breath," too, or maybe we'd have some sort of rating system in between, from superior or exquisite breath to satisfactory or competent breath. Nevertheless, we seem to have no lack of synonyms for the "bad" in bad breath -- words like "atrocious," "repellant," "skunky," and "hellaciously fetid" come to mind. But when it comes to breath, we ought to recognize that "bad" is really just a cultural value judgement. I'm certain that, in some colorful country somewhere, the odor of a goat's ass…
November 8, 2004Posted inBlather
Posted inInstigation

Twisted Prompts for Sicko Writers

+ Write a twisted news story in the style of Weekly World News. + Borrowing an idea from The Omen, write about a photographer whose portraits predict the manner of the subject's death. + Write a monster's monologue under the influence of truth serum. *** Instigation is a WEEKLY department in Hellnotes newsletter! If you publish something instigated by this department, let me know at arnzen@gorelets.com and I'll mention it here!
November 5, 2004Posted inInstigation