The future is now! Denizens of near future Los Angeles now have automations and robots helping with all aspects of public life. So, when Dr. Deidra Cranston steps into to her fully automated Hum Around ride, mind heavy with questions of the future, she doesn’t think twice about seeing where she was actually going. Needless to say, this ride would be life-changing.
That’s all I’m going to give you as a plot synopsis.
Once again, Mr. Hyatt has executed a delightful piece of short fiction with deft aplomb. While this probably doesn’t fall into his Terrafide series, it seems like it could shoehorn in quite nicely. What we have here is some near-future semi-dystopia (aren’t we there yet already?), a little science fiction, and a touch of horror. All wrapped up neatly in eighteen pages that never pauses.
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m a big fan of short fiction. Sometimes you just need a complete thought that you can start and finish while your oil is getting changed.
Short fiction can be tricky, though. An author needs to keep the reader engaged in a sprint, that also has to be fully formed. The way Mr. Hyatt intertwines potential perilous mystery in with a mix of mundane and spicy domestic matters really pulls it all together. Anyone of us could be Dr. Cranston.