The Readers’ Guide to this issue says that Steve Bomkamp’s poem, “The City Far Away” contains an unusual sound effect. Okay, now that you know what it is, tell us: what do you think the effect of the sound effect is? Tragic? Scary? Portentously symbolic? Funny? A combination of those? Steve has his own ideas, but we want to know what you think.
The refrain contains the line “this road is the path that leads to the chaos night.” Are “road” and “path” redundant? Maybe, maybe not. If not, why not? If so, how would you write that line?
Thomas L. J. Smith’s “White Kangaroo” can be read in more than one way. In this story, two artists are so serious about their art that they engage in a figurative duel, and it has very high stakes indeed.
How does the author communicate the seriousness of this contest at the beginning of the story? What did you think might happen until the duel was arranged? Why?
The artistic medium may seem very incongruous. How do we know that much more is at stake here than balloon sculpture?
Or you may have other ideas. We want to hear them as well as your reactions to these and all the stories. Share them with us; we’ll post them in issue 72 or later.
Copyright © 2003 by Bewildering Stories
