Russian Roulette

Tags: Danish Me Review Science fiction

Review of "Russisk roulette" (“Russian Roulette�), by Maria Kjær Madsen, read in Ingenmandsland (No man's country).

Outline: Kimberley takes another walk in her virtual rain forest, while she's waiting to trade it for something more exciting.

Is it SF? One aspect of virtuality we haven't seen before, and another kind of society: yes.

Themes: Should you do what you love, or what you're good at? And, if the answer implies boredom, isn't it okay to look for the ultimate excitement/thrill? The two themes are connected. Students can both get bored studying and look for excitement elsewhere, in some virtual reality / internet / something environment. -- The characters have English names: Kimberley, Jim, Melanie, Casper.

Is it good? I want people to be able to live the best possible lives that they can, seen from within; so I'm shocked when somebody says otherwise. I would feel bad if I could only study what others said was best for me. So the short story shocks me in the best possible way. At the same time, I have small annoyances: why is only one half of the theme (the ultimate excitement) still with us on the last page? And why do the characters have English names, when there's no other reference to where the short story is taking place, and the characters could be from all over the world and speak random languages? But mostly: satisfying, and a good short story from an author, I will pay more attention to in the future.

Created: 4 November, 2011 - Last changed: 4 November, 2011 - Comments (0)