EP040: Even Vadsø Thaws
Published by SFEley on 9 Feb 2006 at 5:20 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Podcasts, Rated PG.
By Bruce Holland Rogers.
Read by Stephen Eley.
Musical guest: Red Hunter.
The only person who might understand is Sponheim, the Corrections Sociologist. He just arrived. It’s his job to understand me thoroughly and to write a report that his successors will use to decide if it’s safe to revive me. His report will help them decide if I am no longer a threat to society because society has changed enough to deal with me, or has learned to treat behaviors like mine.
“I am already remorseful!” I tell him at our first interview. “I won’t do it again!” We are sitting at a table by the water. A light mist falls. “I shouldn’t have done it, shouldn’t even have thought about it. Once, I was one of the people fighting to preserve the last wild polar bears! I wanted to protect the earth!” I get myself worked up. I am close to tears.
Rated PG. Contains themes of ecoterrorism and global disaster. If you can explain that to your kids, it’s family-safe.
Referenced sites:
Short-Short Stories by Bruce Holland Rogers
SciFi Dimensions
Evo on 10 Feb 2006 at 1:53 pm: 1
Do you happen to have the contact information for this group. I wanna sign up.
Even more seriously, very good story. Bruce is always good for a thought provoking and unusual tale, and this one did not disappoint.
You’ll probably get flack for the political nature of the story as much as the first comment, but don’t let that bother you. Thoughts and ideas are more dangerous when hidden rather than placed in public view.
Scott Janssens on 10 Feb 2006 at 2:53 pm: 2
While the story is political, I didn’t find it very polarizing. The ideas of the prisoner are tempered by the fact that he’s exposed as an inhuman prick with his disregard for human life. The tale is ironic not just because his idea may lead to his death, but also in that his ideas of saving the environment actually destroy it. He’s far worse than the lumberjacks he endangered.
Bruce is writing on both sides of the fence here and pulls it off brilliantly.
David Drucker on 30 Mar 2006 at 7:11 pm: 3
A superb story. Manages in a short time to create a character who we are ambivalent about, yet we can shake our heads sadly about his predicament. The ideas here are remarkably well thought out, and seem awfully close to reality.
Simon on 18 Apr 2006 at 10:57 am: 4
Hmm.. I have to admit I found this rather lame. I could smell the ending from the beginning and you could see the strings for the characterisation.
I respect it, and I did like the style. But it was predictable. Sorry.
BrandtPileggi on 2 May 2007 at 10:03 am: 5
Damn, that song is GREAT! I enjoyed the story. Although I may have had a sense of it’s direction it was still entertaining to be lead through it
scatterbrain on 13 Jun 2008 at 7:36 pm: 6
Arrogance of the saviours.