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September 19, 2010
Elegy for a Young Elk by Hannu Rajaniemi
This weeks Short Story Club story is Elegy for a Young Elk by Hannu Rajaniemi who is apparently (according to Niall) this year's It Kid. Although to be honest I haven't heard of him, but then I'm a bit out of touch at the moment.
It's in many ways the old story of humans left behind after the singularity, living rough in the woods. With talking bears. And nanobots. And a firewalled city. And a quantum plague. So, plenty of ideas in there and some nice writing. The story even has an emotional edge, dealing with a family in this new world: old man left behind, wife transcended, son enveloped by the plague.
The only irritation was the plot thread about the loss of words and the struggle to write a poem, which felt a bit tired. How many stories have been written about not being able to write?
All in all, quite nice. I didn't feel stunned by the story, it didn't feel revolutionary, but it was okay.
The discussion on Torque Control is here.