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"Chosen" by Crimson Dragon (mysterious sex) 10, 10, 10
"Chosen" by Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com). --- Usually it's bad when the reader can't figure out what is really happening in a story. But sometimes it's good, because the author is being deliberately mysterious or ambiguous; and the ambiguity is still enjoyable, even when the reader reaches the end of the story and still isn't really sure what happened. This is one of the good ones. You'll read back over it not muttering, "What the hell is he talking about?" but rather, "Hey! That's neat!" The story begins with a primitive sexual ritual - coming of age among the Sioux Indians or Medieval Belgians or some other group. Then suddenly we find ourselves in modern times with some young people on a camping trip, and the young woman is confused about her relationship with the man she hopes to bed that for the first time that night; and we begin to wonder what the first story has to do with the second. And then it all comes together in the end - but not quite the way we expected. This wasn't my favorite story, but that's because I think most reincarnation stories are simplistic and a bit silly. The fact that I liked this story at all means that the author has done a pretty good job of making his case. For a different viewpoint, see Mat Twassel's review of this same story later in this issue of CR. Ratings for "Chosen" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 |