Leading Edge #55

The May, 2008, issue of Leading Edge opens with “Chess” by Terry Black. Narrated in the first person point of view by an unnamed miner to a silent miner on his first day on the job as their railcar descends to the mineshaft, the narrator tells about Chess Branson, yet another miner, who saw his own corpse being carried out of the mine four years ago. Chess Branson has also beaten everyone at chess because he can see what his opponents’ moves will be before they make them. The narrator, Chess, and Hound Farrel are going down into Bone Hollow to do retreat mining, caving in the mine on purpose—a dangerous procedure, as the roof could collapse. Hound is dejected because his wife has left him, and after a difficult shift and just before they’re ready to ascend, he steps under the unstable beams. Chess tries to save Hound, even though he knows he killed his wife. Hound confesses, and then attacks Chess with a pickaxe. The beams collapse as they are fighting, and Hound dies. Chess is severely injured, but after a long convalescence, he recovers. The other miners taunt him that he was wrong; according to his vision, he should have died. When Chess informs the other miners that he wasn’t wrong and he will die in a cave in, they start calling him “jinx” and refuse to work with him.

Although the tone Black uses fits the “unnamed narrator,” his diction does not convey the mood which we find in similar stories such as those of Edgar Allen Poe. There was no logical reason not to name the narrator, unless it is a device to draw readers’ attention away from the trick ending. The Brenda Starr-esque monologues throughout made this a less than interesting read. However, this was nicely illustrated by David Leonard.

Floris Kleijne offers a riveting story with “Diamond Sharks.” Set in a future in which planets of alien stars are colonized, Brian McDonald is undergoing transgenic surgery to enable him to live in a water environment, a price he’s willing to pay to be with Varma. In an alternating timeframe of the past, Brian tells Varma about the war and his injury. He recovered but was unable to father children, and Joko, a woman he loved then, left him.

Seven months later, Varna announces that she has passed the physical tests and is going to Oceana. Brian knows that Varna has been dreaming about settling on Oceana since she was a little girl, but all he can think is that she’s leaving him. He decides to follow her, but once there, their relationship changes. Oceana is a high-gravity water world where Toba, Inc., hires diamond sharks, genetically adapted humans that collect diamond barnacles from the hides of the gargantuan manta whales. The world and the danger of diamond sharking are described in great detail, and the characters are portrayed with a sensitivity that makes them sympathetic. When Brian’s hand is accidentally sucked in by a barnacle, Varma saves him before the manta whale dives to such depth that not even diamond sharks can endure. This story of self-discovery is presented in a beautiful setting, nicely complemented by the illustrations of Michael Madder.

Joe Gallagher in “The Perfect Toast” explores technology’s impact on society. Set in a world where people use “t-mails” which connect them to company webs that assist them in multitasking, and households are run by AIs, the AI toaster David has ordered for his son’s birthday makes a burnt and jellied toast instead of a medium buttered one. David, who doesn’t trust intelligent household machines, can’t figure out what is wrong with the toaster. With the help of his colleagues, Mark and Russell, David is finally able to connect with Crossman, the AI that runs his toaster. “The Perfect Toast” reads long, and some cutting would have made it stronger.

“Red Ribbons” by Audrey Hollis is set in a hospital ward. Told from the viewpoint of the Marked Man, engineered genetically by the Genetic Disorder Agency of the government for the purpose of sensing GD—genetic disorders in newborn babies. GD causes psychoses, and the babies, when grown, become murderers and rapists. The Marked Man enters the ward where Amish mothers wait to hear his verdict. Behind a sealed door, the Marked Man touches each baby’s hand and looks into their genetic code. If he detects GD, he ties a red ribbon on the crib. While he marks the babies with “life-changing defects,” his thoughts reveal that pollution is responsible for the genetic disorder, and that each year, more Marked Men are created. He has a perfect success rate, but Marked Men don’t last long, and although he has passed his last checkup, he is already showing signs of defect. Infant number 25 is already a grade five sociopath, with a DNA the Marked Man has never read before.

Lines like “The Genetically Disordered were much worse than wildcats” fail to explain a psychosis caused by mutation. And inclusion of the Amish parents is like “Squid on the Mantelpiece”—mentioned but fails to contribute to the story.

“Tangle” by Kiersten Brazier is a well-written retelling of “Rapunzel” with rounded characters. It subtly explores issues of growing up, parental sheltering, and the way misconceptions are born. Brazier’s use of “local sheriff” and then later a castle in the woods was a bit jarring, but I found “Tangle” enjoyable, and Sandi Johnson’s illustrations nicely complement it.