Four tales across time and distance. Always satirical and frequently dark, this collection considers the breadth of isolation and the depth of connection.
Reviewed by Deepak Menon
Before beginning Foresight and Other Stories by Brant von Goble, it is necessary to read the short preface – and that will make you decide what frame of mind you should be in if you want to read the book. I chose to remain in a comic-serious frame of mind after I read the words, “I appreciate my readers (all three of them), but pleasing them is not the reason I write …” in the preface. The first short story is They Don’t Call It Love Anymore and when the story reaches its end, any reader will be sitting with clenched teeth, feeling a nostalgic sense of loss, with maybe even a tear in the eye, as the story goes on to describe what has replaced love and what the survivors feel about it! Foresight follows – possibly one of the rare intensely focused dramas about artificial intelligence that are actually believable eye-openers to the reader. The chief protagonist of the story, Zhang, creates an intelligence that becomes actually sagacious in act and deed. Look up the meaning of the word 'sage' before starting the story. The safe secure world you think you live in may not be what you think it is.
The Loudest Voice in the World is a short wonderful story about the breakdown of communication and its impact on civilization in the future. The main protagonist in this story is afflicted with a technology-related disability. Destiny brings a woman into his life – miraculously he collects a motley army consisting of a brilliant young girl, three starving young lads given a chance at life by him, and he battles on and the world continues its erratic path. Marvel at how a crippled woman without a voice acquires the widest reach in the world. The last tale is about the common Ukrainian Bride Scam in which a kindhearted victim, Peter, is scammed, loses all, yet will always remain a victor even in the eyes of the scammer, Pyotr.
An excellent read. All the stories are unique in every aspect including distinct tones, with originality and variety in the settings of the stories. The cover invites a look inside. The pace is constant and each plot develops steadily into a distinctly explosive and memorable climax. Brant von Goble has written and compiled an excellent collection of his wonderful short stories and deserves to receive 5 stars for his skill and depth as a writer.
