T.K. Wade -- Author: 2026

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

The Story of an Hour [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It was published in 1894. It also went by the title "The Dream of an Hour," which I feel is a bit more appropriate, but that isn't what lasted.

So... I do this thing once a year where I get together with my friends right around Halloween. Each of us write appropriately themed stories and read them to each other. "The Story of an Hour" would have fit right into these tales.

The story is about a woman who has some heart trouble. Her friends and family discover that a train which her husband was on has crashed, and his name was mentioned in the list of "killed." They very carefully break the bad news to her, and she is overwrought with sadness.

But as the hour goes forth, she begins to think of her life before he has died and what it will be like without him. She begins to obsess over freedom and living for herself. It isn't that she didn't love her husband, but, in a short time, she embraces her new life and even loves it. This is actually pretty incredible, because I actually first thought she was going to commit suicide or something, but no. She absolutely embraces her destiny as a single woman.

After leaving her room a fully free woman, everyone is shocked to see her husband coming through the front door. He had never been on the train, and he did not even know that it had crashed. Here the woman screams and immediately dies of a heart attack. The doctors say it was heart disease, but the author slips in something additional. She died "of joy that kills."

Not bad. It's one of those Halloween type stories that end in a sort of punchline. I would have enjoyed hearing this one at our little gettogether, and I do, of course, recommend it.

This blog was written on July 9, 2026.

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Monday, July 27, 2026

The Necklace [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"The Necklace" is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant. It was published in 1884. I have never heard of this guy. He's apparently a prolific French author.

This is a story about a woman named Madame Mathilde who is not satisfied with her life. She actually has a decent life with a decent husband. They are not poor, but they are also not extremely wealthy either. She is constantly fretting over how wealthy all of her acquaintances and friends are.

Her husband, who honestly barely deserves her, goes through a lot of trouble to get them invited to a fancy party, but she can't imagine going to it without a new dress. Her husband gives her a lot of money that he had been saving so she could get a new dress, but then she is still unsatisfied because she doesn't have any jewels to go with it.

Sooooo... The husband advises her to go borrow something from one of her rich friends. She does this and immediately locks on to a diamond necklace. This necklace provides the woman one hell of a good night at that party, but when she leaves, the necklace is somehow lost and cannot be found.

In order to save face, the couple goes into crippling debt to replace it with one that looks similar, although they do not tell the friend that it is a different necklace. Meanwhile, their lives are horrible. They are living like peasants now, and Madame Mathilde is working hard and soon looks like an old woman.

Now, later on, she decides to just confess to her friend what happened. Her friend is shocked but then explains that the necklace she had lent her was actually a fake and barely worth anything at all. She just liked how it looks.

And that is the punchline.

And sometimes stories like these end up with a real kicker of an ending, and in this case it works. Madame Mathilde's covetous nature ultimately led to her downfall. It is also important to note that she found value in beauty where there was very little actual worth to it. It shows that perception is not reality. We can think what we want, but reality is what it is. She really should have just been content with the actually good life she had... as well as one of the best husbands ever.

I totally recommend this story. It is a good cautionary tale. It is sad to think that there have been a lot of people like Madame Mathilde in the world since the beginning of time. And yes, I know I keep saying that the husband is great, but I do think he should have put his foot down a bit more. His desire to please her serves to show that she did not really take his love as seriously as she should have. She really just wanted the diamonds.

This blog was written on July 8, 2026.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Bartleby, the Scrivener [Short Story Review]

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story written by Herman Melville. It was published in 1856.

This is the first story written by Melville that I have read in a very long time. The last one I read was called "Clarel," and I freaking hated it. It actually made me want to stop reading his stuff. I am pleased, however, that this one ended up being pretty good.

The story here is in first person, and the narrator is unnamed. That said, he is very important to the story, and I kind of realized about midway into the story that I really ought to be paying very close attention to everything he says and does. The titular character, that being Bartleby, is still very important, but not quite as much as the narrator.

The narrator is a scrivener, which means he duplicates legal documents by hand. He brings on other employees to help him with this, since a lot of documents have to be worked on with limited time. Bartleby was one of these scriveners, and he causes the main problems in this story that our narrator has to deal with.

Bartleby only wants to do his scrivening work and nothing else. If you ask him to do anything else, he will either be silent or reply with, "I prefer not to." This simple behavior gets taken to the extremes as the story progresses, and the narrator cannot figure out why.

At some point, Bartleby decides that he cannot do the scrivening anymore, but he refuses to vacate the building and is just sort of living there. If you ask him to leave, he just says that he prefers not to, and there is nothing you can do. Seriously... nothing.

Now, regardless of why Bartleby is acting this way, the real story lies in how the narrator deals with it. While reading this story, you will come to understand the entire functioning system of ego and pride in action. The good and bad within the narrator will be shown to the reader at the surface level as he tries to work out how to deal with Bartleby's strange behavior.

That is the story! Indeed, you will and should be wondering what is wrong with Bartleby, and the author does bother to explain it right at the very end. But the actual story is the psychological breakdown of the narrator, and it is fascinating.

This story is a really eye-opening breakdown about how the human mind operates when pushed against by uncomfortable situations. It is a story about psychology, but not really about anything supernatural. I admit that there is always the possibility of a supernatural conclusion in a story, but it isn't always necessary or wanted. No, this story keeps everything grounded in observable reality, and I think it is better for it. It makes everything feel like it could have happened the way it was presented.

I absolutely recommend this story. It is one of the man's best tales. Heck, I enjoyed it more than "Moby Dick," although that might be apples to oranges in this case. Still, I think if you are going to go through Melville's work, you should not skip over this one.

This blog was written on July 7, 2026.

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Monday, July 20, 2026

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery [Book Review]

"Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery" is a children's book written by James and Deborah Howe. It was published in 1978.

For the longest time, people have been trying to get me to read "Bunnicula." I have sort of been rolling my eyes at the idea of a bunny vampire who sucks the juices out of vegetables, because that's what the story is about. There's no way to get around it. Honestly, it sounded really silly, and it kind of is. It also kind of works.

The story is told by the family dog Harold, which is secretly as smart as any human. He reads books and apparently write them too. He is friends with an equally smart cat named Chester. Together, they are investigating the possibility that the family's new pet rabbit is a vampire. This may actually be true, and the more you read it, the more you tend to believe it.

What is great about this book is that the authors really go out of their way to convince you about the bunny's supernatural condition... and also the fact that it might not be a particularly bad thing if all he is doing is sucking vegetables dry. It all leads up to a really interesting but still very silly mystery.

Harold and Chester are also very believable as a dog and a cat as well. Despite the fact that they are very intelligent, they still represent the well-known characteristics of their respective species. Chester's obsession with Bunnicula's alleged vampirism is hilarious, but it also leans very heavily into a dangerous territory. The real question the book offers is: "Is a vampire bunny really all that bad?" Harold seems to bring this up as a counterpoint.

Without spoiling anything else about this delightful story, I do want to say that this is a really good early age story for children. It does nothing to patronize them, and it tells a story that is very friendly while still having some shocking aspects to it. It would also be a good story for a parent to read a child. I liked it, and I do recommend it.

This blog was written on July 1, 2026.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Young Goodman Brown [Short Story Review]

"Young Goodman Brown" is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was first published in 1835.

For a story so old, this really does come across as a dreamlike surreal horror. It also sometimes feels like some sort of Christian allegory, especially when you take note of the titular character, a man named Goodman.

Goodman goes on a surreal journey through the woods as he learns that all the good upstanding men and women of his town seem to be secretly serving the devil. They are playing the part of good Christians in the open, but they are living in sin in reality. The interesting thing about this story is that Goodman is being seriously tempted to join in on this tradition.

As Goodman travels through the forest, he runs into a strange man who very likely is Satan or some sort of emissary for Satan. He also runs into people he has always known who are not acting the way they should. It is a surreal mess to be in, and the author does a good job introducing the reader to this strange landscape of imagery and people.

There is also a hag that shows up to bring everyone together. It's really quite surreal and horrific to see everyone you've known and love somehow involved with witches and demons as if it was entirely normal.

I don't want to say more than this. It is a good story that will give you a lot to think about, but it was really cool to see a story with such strange and magical imagery from that era. I do recommend it.

This blog was written on June 28, 2026.

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Monday, July 13, 2026

Son of Flubber [Book Review]

"Son of Flubber" is a book written by Robert Fuller. It was published in 1963 and is the novelization of the Disney movie of the same name from 1962. Honestly, it is kind of strange that the book came out a year later. That is not a common thing.

This book is the sequel to "The Absent-Minded Professor." It continues the story of the physics-breaking flubber, a substance that creates its own energy and completely defies entropy. Imagine making a bomb with this stuff! It would eventually consume the entire universe in flames! Well, that is actually almost an issue in the book, since Professor Brainard is actually trying to sell flubber to the US government. The very idea of this makes me super nervous, but the whole thing is a comedy and I should just relax.

The reason the professor is trying to sell flubber is to make money to save his financially struggling university before it falls into the hands of power-hungry insurance man Alonzo Hawk. Hawk is actually a Disney villain that has been used in multiple franchises, most notably in the Herbie movies. Come to think of it, I would not mind reading some of those books too (if they exist).

Instead of the whole bouncing rubber gag from the first story, the professor focuses turning the crazy material into both a gas and exploring its radioactive qualities. Seriously, the more I hear about this stuff, it scares me. He actually had already used it as a gas in the first book. It's how he made his Model T fly. That made sense. If you have an element that makes its own energy then you would not need much of it to lift things of any weight off of the ground. In the case of this story, he tries to use the gas to make a football player extremely light on his feet.

As far as radiation, he creates a freaking ray gun out of it. The idea was to energize clouds to force them to rain. It kind of worked, but it also broke anything made of glass all over the city. Very exciting and about as shocking as it can get.

On top of all this, there is this whole side-plot about this old girlfriend of Brainard that's trying to steal him from his wife. It gets more heated than you might think from an old story like this. It made me pretty uncomfortable.

One thing I do not like about the book (which was not a problem in the film) is that the author chose to use the first-person perspective of Biff Hawk, who was Alonzo Hawk's son. The problem is that he is not actually in all the scenes of the movie. This means the author has to constantly explain how Biff finds out about all the things that happens. This comes down to peeking into people's windows, following behind in a car chase, and even yanking a courtroom transcript. Of all the crazy things that happened in the book, I found Biff Hawk's ability to stay on top of the story to be the most unbelievable.

I do recommend this book, but I think perhaps the movie tells it a little better. I have always enjoyed the original flubber stories. They are a good way to just sort of let go of real science and have a little fun. Be happy, though, that flubber does not exist. It would have seriously broken the universe, and we would likely have all perished in some manner because of it.

This blog was written on June 26, 2026.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2026

The Road to Toontown [Book Review]

"The Road to Toontown" is a collection of short stories by Roger Rabbit creator Gary K. Wolf. It was published in 2012. This is the collection I have been reviewing over the last bunch of blogs. The reason I never mentioned the name until now was because it too heavily implied his toon stuff, and I wanted his works to stand on their own. After all, Gary is an accomplished science fiction writer on top of his Roger Rabbit stuff.

Since I have already reviewed Gary's short stories, I'm using this as an opportunity to talk about the author and his style. I hope you don't mind. If I have anything to say about the collection itself, I really just want to criticize him or his publisher for not including the original publication dates for his stories. I have read many other collections that bothered to do this. Knowing when a story is published can assist with understanding the subject matter. Other than that, the book was entirely readable.

Gary K. Wolf is a silly man, and he is better for it. When he has a goofy idea, you can bet he is going to sit down and construct that idea into a story we all can read and enjoy along with him. The original Roger Rabbit story called "Who Censored Roger Rabbit" was really rough around the edges, and honestly kind of a chore to read after seeing the movie. The whole concept of talking through talk bubbles just seems kind of annoying.

The good news is that the movie seemed to open his mind as to what toons could really do. He never quite got rid of the talk bubble thing but left it in as sort of a preferred cartoon accent. I don't mind this as much, and I am happy he enjoyed the movie enough to make a direct sequel to it.

As a science fiction writer, Gary has some genuine talent, especially in the dystopian fiction genre. His stories have decidedly wacky premises, but they work and that's what matters. The closest he came to something more serious was "The Unhardy Boys in Outer Space," and that was still silly in its own way. I think that one will always be my favorite.

All in all, Gary still gave us Roger Rabbit, and I think that, in and of itself, made the world a better place. I enjoyed this collection and totally recommend it. I look forward to reading more of his novels in the future.

This blog was written on June 17, 2026.

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Monday, July 6, 2026

The Warhol of the Worlds [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main plot and the ending of this story.]

"The Warhol of the Worlds" is a short story/script by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't know exactly when the original story was published, but I am willing to bet it was pretty close to the collection itself due to subject matter.)

This story is actually an intended radio script that parodies the original infamous "The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast that caused all of the panic. In this version, the aliens come down in a giant tin can and land directly in Toontown, instantly murdering almost every single famous toon rabbit ever conceived. That is to say they all turned into angels and floated up into the sky. They're probably okay.

The script stars "Dan Blather" as he reports on this completely silly alien invasion. There are a lot of silly cartoon noises used to portray quick movement and other silly stuff. There is nothing even remotely serious about it at all. Even the normal people seem to act like cartoon characters.

Roger Rabbit seems to be the only bunny that doesn't get killed. That makes sense since it's Gary's original character. Pretty cheeky to kill off all other bunnies but his own.

I will say, however, that there is a little bit of political jabs made in this one which was not really desired. It made me roll my eyes when I got to it. It also felt kind of shoved into it. It really reflects some of the polarized politics we had around the time the collection was published, which honestly did not go away to this very day.

I did like that the actual Martian invading happened to be none other than Marvin the Martian, although the story sort of ends with it all being a joke... or a dream... or something. I'm not quite sure. Sort of hit me like the ending of "The Mysterious Stranger." There was no real point to any of it but to just make you laugh. And to be fair... it did.

"The Warhol of the Worlds" is a short read, and it is funny or silly enough to recommend. Just keep in mind that it's probably my least favorite of his Toontown stories. It would have gotten a few more points with me if he had stayed out of politics.

This blog was written on June 17, 2026.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Kiss Me Goodbye [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the hell out of this story.]

"Kiss Me Goodbye" is s short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I do not know the original publication date for this one.)

This story is set in Los Angeles in 1937. The main character is a cop/detective named Eddie. Now, I know what you must be thinking. A cop named Eddie, and it was written by Gary K. Wolf? Is his last name Valiant?! Well... no. In fact, his name isn't given at all. It could possibly be an earlier version of him. "Who Frames Roger Rabbit?" was set in 1947, after all. Either way, this information is not given.

Eddie is heading to the justice of the peace to get married to his girl, but when he confronts her he accuses her of stealing a priceless jewel in a mission they were both involved in. Spoiler: she actually did do this, rendering the whole marriage a non-event. Even more shocking is when she pulls a gun on him, and he is forced to defend himself, killing her on the spot. The scene is sad, dark, and brutal.

Now, what I find very interesting about this story is that it feels like the final chapter of a a lengthy noir book... but this is all there is. You do not get anything but the final play. This means everything that comes before it has to be hastily slipped into the narrative and dialog in this one chapter alone. It also has to be done as eloquently as possible, or else the reader might get a little suspicious!

Gary K. Wolf actually does accomplish this... but it still left me scratching my head. Why only write the final scene of a non-existent book? I don't have the answer to why he did it, but I don't think any harm was done. It was a neat idea, and I like that he bothered to try. Sometimes writing can be an experiment. Hell, I got a friend who is trying to write a musical as a narrative book. He's recording the music to be heard elsewhere. That's good, and this short story is cool in its own way. It proves that it might actually be possible to have an entire story... while only writing the final chapter. That's insane.

I really liked "Kiss Me Goodbye" for the experiment that it was, and I do recommend it. I encourage all writers to try a little experimenting once in a while. You might stumble onto a side of yourself you didn't know existed... and from there you may find your options in storytelling have broadened a bit.

This blog was written on June 15, 2026.

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Monday, June 29, 2026

Which Witch is Which? [Short Story Review]

"Which Witch is Which?" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I do not actually know when the original was published, but I can safely say it is somewhere around 1998 to the early 2000s based on subject matter.)

This story reads like an interview article written by Jessica Rabbit. She is interviewing the stars of the hit TV show "Charmed," which I have never watched at all. I barely even remember it. Anyway, Jessica goes on a little adventure with actresses Shannen Maria Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Jayne Milano.

Calling this an interview is a little inappropriate. It never really adopts a transcript style like in "Here's Lookin' at You, Babs!". It just loosely talks about what it is like to hang around the three actresses as they go to various events.

The charm of the story is how much wit and bite Jessica's writing has. For one, she already has issues with them since she believes she was beaten out of one of those roles to begin with. Even so, she still has the strength to be their temporary girl pal.

Jessica was a little bit understated in the movie compared to this story. She was clearly a bad girl (drawn that way apparently), but her screentime was a bit limited. This story features her front and center and is entirely full of her opinions from beginning to end. There are people who might be interested in this, even without not caring about "Charmed" at all. What I am saying is that I think this world needs more Jessica Rabbit. She's awesome.

The whole thing is entirely fake and silly, and I am not even sure the real actresses even knew this thing was being written. I think Gary, once again, had an insane idea and just wanted to see it happen. If you have seen the show "Charmed" or not, I still recommend this story, especially if you like Jessica Rabbit.

This blog was written on June 12, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Inspector Timber and the Three Pigs [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main beats of the story.]

"Inspector Timber and the Three Pigs" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I do not actually know the original publication date of this particular story.)

This was a silly one. If the title doesn't give it away, this is a retelling of "The Three Little Pigs." It has its own weird lore to it. For one, the pigs don't seem to know each other this time around, and they are building very specific things such as a museums, a cathedral, and a fast food chain. The wolf is actually a building inspector who really enjoys his job, especially when he gets to condemn a building for whatever violations he can find.

The story seems to take place in a post-human world, where animals have taken over civilization. It is referred to as a "Fairy Tale" world regardless. But this story does not really progress in the same way as the original. The wolf does not consume the pigs, but instead he tries to get a piece of the action in exchange for letting the pigs continue with their endeavors. Quite a strange way of devouring someone, I guess.

This story is probably intended as satire. I do recommend it. It feels like Gary had a silly idea and just bothered to put it down on paper in his spare time. I liked it.

This blog was written on June 10, 2026.

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Monday, June 22, 2026

Who We Need Here is Mister Tom Edison [Short Story Review]

"Who We Need Here is Mister Ton Edison" is a short science fiction/western story by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (Although I do not know when the original story was published, I feel like it must have been somewhere around the early 2000s because of its content.)

This story is kind of a rare breed. Scifi westerns are a bit uncommon, but I have run into a few here and there. The idea here is that a time-traveler from the distant future has come to the old west to trade high tech items to the people in exchange for their absolutely regular everyday items. Although this seems like a disproportional trade, the man intends to take it back to the future and sell them as mint condition antiques. It would actually be a very profitable thing to do.

The problem here is that, in doing this, he is absolutely ruining the past. It's a butterfly effect problem. People are straight-up not being born because of his actions, making him something like a mass murderer.

The main character is a man named Gristle who is not buying into the high-tech stuff and is continuing to live his life the way he was raised. He is confronted by another time-traveler, a beautiful woman, who explains to him that the first time-traveler is ruining the time-line and that he needs to stand up to him. Gristle, being a man who had killed a number of people before, chooses to make the confrontation, seeing him for the mass-murderer that he is. I won't spoil anymore than that though.

A brief explanation of the story's title is needed, I suppose. Gristle once had a good friend named Tom Edison, who really is the famous inventor. In this weird timeline, Edison died in an accident. Part of the story here deals with that, but I won't go into why, as I think this story is worth reading.

I do recommend this story. Although the premise is absurd, the author takes more care than you might think. It draws you in and ultimately comes out surprisingly satisfactory with its conclusion. I enjoyed this one a lot.

This blog was written on June 8, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Unhardy Boys in Outer Space [Short Story Review]

[I spoil some of the main points of the story.]

"The Unhardy Boys of Outer Space" is a lengthy short story written by Gary K. Wolf and Archbishop John J. Myers. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released, but it references things from the late 90's and early 2000s.)

The story follows two men living in a futuristic space station. Michael is a science fiction writer and his best friend is Father Jack who is a priest. They are both extreme fans of science fiction. Father Jack assists Michael with with ideas as well as writing and editing. The fun of the story stems from the fact that science fiction is being written from outer space. You can imagine how well those books might sell.

This story is a heart-warming tale of two friends that share something in common. A good portion of the story is slice-of-life, where they are simply dealing with their life working on a space station. They continually make scifi and movie references to each other. I recognized most of them, but I feel like a lot of people today might not catch them. This story is a product of its time.

The point of all of those references is just seeing these two dorks get along with each other. It's nice and surprisingly relaxing to read. I say this with a little bit of irritation. I tend to really dislike references made in stories, but I am not sure this one would have worked otherwise. Like I said: it is a product of its time. This story may not be relevant in another decade.

Even though the bulk of the story just deals with these two nerds enjoying each other's company, it does actually get serious towards the third act. One of the younger employees at the station likes to bully them, and his life ends up being in danger when he gets separated from the station in the vacuum of space. These two guys put all their hatred aside to go rescue him, and this turns out to be one of the most intense scenes I have ever read in literature. This was mainly because these two knew near to nothing about space walks. It was a good read, and I enjoyed its conclusion.

Despite the fact that the story has unfortunately dated itself by using so many scifi references, I still recommend this story for its very friendly and relaxing nature. Although it does have some exciting space adventure mixed into it, the core of it is a story about two inseparable friends.

I would also like to say that this story reminds me of stuff my friend Donald White has written. I kept thinking of him while I read this. He used to write stories that tossed constant references into it in a similar way that this story did. I bet he would probably enjoy this one too.

This blog was written on June 4, 2026.

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Monday, June 15, 2026

Backrooms [Movie Review]

"Backrooms" is a movie that was released in 2026. A week ago, in fact. It is the continuation of a freaky horror series that has been running on YouTube for many years. It was directed by the series' creator Kane Parsons.

When I heard he was making a movie for "Backrooms," I suddenly had a good feeling about it. I was a little sad to not have any new content on YouTube for a while, but I felt like it would all pay off eventually.

It did.

"Backrooms" is absolute peak horror as well as an all-around great motion picture experience. It does the very concept of film making some serious well-needed justice in an era that is just full of boiler plate crap.

Now, I don't want to spoil this movie. It's still out! I want to stick only to the bare summary rather than just spoiling everything about it. I may do that later, but this is not the time for that.

"Backrooms" is about a struggling furniture salesman named Clark who stumbles into a section of wall inside the basement of his store that he can simply walk through. On the other side, he finds a strange and surreal place that almost looks normal but really isn't at all. This area is the creepy place we all know as the Backrooms.

That's really all I feel comfortable telling you of the plot. I do want to say that the lead actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor [How the heck do you pronounce that name?!], did some of the best acting for the part of Clark I have seen in a long time. In fact, the entire cast did a fantastic job. I could just about believe these were all real people trying to deal with a place that should be impossible. I don't really have any complaints about this film. It has ended up becoming my favorite horror film of all time.

Naturally, I want to recommend this film, but a question still lingers in my mind: Who is this film for? Well, horror fans naturally. I also might ask if you happen to be a fan of Silent Hill. You may actually like this for similar reasons. "Backrooms" does something similar to Silent Hill, only the lights stay on. Nothing gets disgusting or grungy... they just get very strange and confusing. You have to see it to understand.

Either way, I recommend the film, and I definitely want more in coming years! Once some time goes by, I'll do a bigger breakdown about the finer points of the film, fully spoiling it. I just would rather people go see it right now.

This blog was written on June 3, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

The Moviegoer [Book Review]

"The Moviegoer" is a novel by Walker Percy. It was published in 1960.

I read this on a whim. I was looking through the classics section of the bookstore and just stumbled onto this. I do this sometimes. I had never heard of it or anything. I just picked it up and decided I'd read it, and so I did.

The story followed Binx Bolling, a well-to-do man who is a part of an upper-class family living in New Orleans. He loves going to the movies, but much of the book is him being extremely introspective while also being observant about how reality differs from how the movies present it. This is apparently how the author is as well. It was mentioned in the "About the Author" section. So Binx seems to be some sort of representation of the author in a fictional situation.

The book reads something like a mid-life crisis in progress... handled in a fairly mature manner. Binx is trying to figure out what is real and what is worth doing with the remainder of his life. This often involves trying to spark up sexual relationships with whatever secretary is working for him at the time. There is also a woman being taken care of by the family named Kate that has some major psychological problems. Binx is very attracted to her for different reasons. (Her problems have more to do with her fiancé being killed in an accident. The shock messed her up.)

The author will take you through nearly every aspect of his life in more detail than you probably want to deal with. I have to admit that much of it just about put me to sleep. He was really trying to paint a picture, but I was generally more interested in where the story was going. I can't really fault him for doing this. I think I just prefer things differently in my books.

I was somewhat interested in how a guy like this views religion, since much of his family were religious. He was mostly indifferent to it. It was just something he was uninterested in it, and I have to say that it might have fixed a number of problems for him a bit quicker. Either way, there did not seem to be much hate for it in this book, which is good. The author behaved himself.

I think my main beef with the book is that it barely had anything to do with going to the movies. I mean... it's there. It's very clear he likes the movies, but I kept forgetting it because of the wide gulfs between the redundancies. He would mention a movie or a celebrity, and I would suddenly think, "Oh, right! He likes movies! He's a moviegoer!"

Don't get me wrong. It is the main theme of the book. He just barely brought it up.

I won't be spoiling this one. You get the basic idea. Binx is a man who is trying to figure reality out. That's all. That's the book. It really was not for me. Does that sort of thing interest you? If so, I recommend it. If not, read something else. It just is what it is, and to be fair, it was written well enough for what it is.

This blog was written on May 26, 2026.

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Monday, June 8, 2026

Stay Tooned, Folks! [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"Stay Tooned, Folks!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Holy crap! What even was this?!

It took me a little time to figure out what was even going on. Sometimes Gary's stories can just drop you right into a situation, and it's all hands on deck! You have to figure out where you are real fast and then deal with whatever consequences he has forced upon you. It took me several sessions of reading this before I realized the fascinating horror, if you can call it a horror, that was this story.

Indeed, it may not be a horror. It may just be weird.

The story takes place in the same universe as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?". As far as I can tell, there is a very serious human actor named Tadbitty who has a show that is floundering. The director of the show begins inviting toons into the studio in order to change the show's format into more of a goofy comedy affair. The problem is that Tadbitty doesn't really fit into the theme of the new show and is set to be fired/canceled... or... something.

Actually, I had to double take when I got to this part. It appeared, and I am not joking here, that Tadbitty was expected to commit suicide if he ever got canceled. I don't know if this was arranged as a part of his contract or something, but the director literally hands him a gun and tells him to do the deed over a trashcan so as not make a mess. What the actual hell?!

Tadbitty is thankfully offered an alternative to killing himself. He is told that he can be a part of the new show's format if he goes to a place called "Toon You," which converts humans into toons... at least partially. In order to save his own life/career, Tadbitty agrees to do this.

The plan works... but at what cost? Tadbitty's dry and dull personality suddenly shifts into something more psychotic. He is more like a clown now, and even had a very large red nose. He revels in cartoon violence and even enjoys hurting other toons for his own amusement. Roger Rabbit even encourages his behavior, calling it all fun!

Imagine going through a process that turns you into a mad toon to the point where your entire personality changes. I am not sure if this story is intended as a horror, but it sure sometimes felt like one. I was really shocked by it, but I suppose it was no less disturbing than some of the scenes found in the movie. Remember Judge Doom? Yeah? You know what I'm talking about!

Yeah, I actually do recommend this story, but I feel like it's going to strike different people in different ways. For me, it sent shivers down my spine. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like for Tadbitty. And I still cannot believe the forced suicidal implications. What even was that?

This blog was written on May 21, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Here's Lookin' at You, Babs! [Short Story Review]

"Here's Lookin' at You, Babs!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This was a treat. Plain and simple, this whole story is Barbera Walters interviewing Roger Rabbit. It is done how most celebrity interviews are conducted, starting off with a complete introduction of the arrival and meeting. This is then followed by a transcript of the actual interview. The whole thing is witty as hell. Even the parts before Roger shows up is comically written.

If you are a fan of Roger Rabbit in any capacity, then this is a great little gem. It really reminds you what made that character so endearing. He is entirely a toon and is fully knowledgeable about what being a toon is all about. Being he is one of the sillier ones, he does a good job at giving his opinion in his own goofy way. I totally recommend this one.

The story is brief, so I want to keep the review brief as well. I will, however, leave you with my two favorite parts of the whole interview:

Barbera Walters: How old are you?

Roger Rabbit: That's one of two questions you never ask a Toon.

Barbera Walters: What's the other one?

Roger Rabbit: What's the other one.

-----

Barbera Walters: How do you feel about sex in the cinema?

Roger Rabbit: Personally, I prefer popcorn.

This blog was written on May 13, 2026.

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Monday, June 1, 2026

A River Runs Through Toontown [Short Story Review]

"A River Runs Through Toontown" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Fun fact! Gary K. Wolf is the sole creator of the characters Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit. He wrote the book that the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" was (extremely loosely) based on. As it turns out, the guy also did a lot of weird scifi stories as well, which is why I looked into his stuff. I was wondering when the concept of Toontown was going to show up in his short stories.

The problem with this story, however, is that it is not super great. It barely has any plot at all. It is about a four-minute read. It sounds like it is taking place on a movie set inside of Toontown, populated by a flurry of famous and ancient men. I'm not quite sure why these men are in the story, but they are. None of them are toons.

Roger and Jessica float down a nearby river and just randomly show up. When they talk, they do it silently through talk bubbles, which is how it was handled in the first book. You had to read everything that toons said. Past this, there is not a whole lot to say about this story. It is over almost as quick as it starts.

Still, this is the very first Roger Rabbit short story, and it is sooooo short that it makes recommending it rather easy. There is not much of a commitment issue here. Just read it and form your own opinion. And besides, how can you go wrong with anything involving Jessica Rabbit?

This blog was written on May 11, 2026.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal [Short Story Review]

"Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal" is a lengthy short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This story is very silly! It involves a con artist who has sex with robots and a women who runs a fake cult who are both taken advantage of by a corrupt drug-runner in outer space. They are basically picked up and pitted against each other... until they realize what is happening. They team up and attempt to get revenge on the drug-runner.

It gets way more complicated than that. In fact, I often had a little trouble trying to keep track of exactly what was happening. This story has a whole lot of things all happening in one fairly brief story. You got some espionage, some breakneck gun battles, and some extremely close calls. All the while, the characters--all the characters--never lose their calm demeanors.

There is even a walking, talking robotic kitchenette that acts as a double spy in the story. By that point, my head was spinning. A kitchenette?! The robotic personification of a place where you cook food?!

Obviously, a lot of this is tongue-in-cheek. It's a comedy. I mean... the male lead likes to hump robots for crying out loud. Not even humanoid ones. Yes, it's that bad.

I actually enjoyed reading this story! I recommend it too. It's just a silly fun read that will kill a couple of hours. Sometimes scifi doesn't have to be serious all of the time.

This blog was written on May 9, 2026.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Bridge Builder [Short Story Review]

"The Bridge Builder" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

What the heck is this story?! It feels like a complete departure from his other ones!

Anyways, the whole story is written from the first person perspective. The main character loves building bridges. That's obvious. He talks with a very unusual accent, and there is a lot in this story that is hard to understand because of it.

The main thrust of the story seems to be that he maybe likes building bridges too much. He seems to be doing it to the point where... like... parts of his body start falling off of him. And he doesn't care. He just keeps building them... and more parts fall off of him. What is even happening?

This one had me scratching my head. I have a feeling that there might be some sort of darker message happening here. It might be taking place in some radioactive wasteland... or... he might just really like building bridges too much! It was a really confusing read. Like I said, his dialect gave ma all sorts of problems.

I don't think I am going to recommend this one. It doesn't seem up to par with his other works, but that's just my opinion. You can easily do better.

This blog was written on April 20, 2026.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Slammer [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of the story.]

"Slammer" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

A guy wakes up and he's in the place he doesn't recognize. It looks like a bad part of town, but what it really is is a city-sized prison. Basically, when you commit a crime, you just get tossed into a part of the city with all the other criminals. It still sort of functions, but committing crimes here are not really punished very harshly since everyone there is basically there for a similar reason.

The main problem in this story is that the main character doesn't belong there. He was mistakenly sent there and has to learn how to live in a place like that until he can find a police officer and explain the mistake. The only issue is that he seems to be having more success there than he did in the the more legal part of the city.

The concept of a city-sized prison has been done to death, but that's only because it's a fascinating idea. The most notable example was in the Batman series with Arkham City, which was that very idea. Just toss everyone in that one spot and let them rot. A neat idea, but it was also a breeding ground for the cities most ruthless individuals.

In real life, there's Australia. The whole damn continent was a prison. It still ended up being a proper country, though. Still funny if you think about it.

Another funny example happens sometimes in video games. Sometimes when cheaters are found in a multiplayer match, the mods will force them to play in servers that are filled with other cheaters. It basically levels the playing field for them since everyone is cheating now.

I did enjoy this story, and I do recommend it. It's cool to see how this idea has popped up here and there in all of its forms. Sometimes it's fiction and sometimes it's real. Crazy stuff.

This blog was written on April 20, 2026.

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Monday, May 18, 2026

Therapy [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the ending of the story.]

"Therapy" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This one was funny and short. The story itself is about a married couple that is having a vicious quarrel, while a robotic therapist attempts to help them with their problems. It's absurd, but I can tell that the author is predicting that something like this might happen. In a way, it already has.

There are AI therapy apps available today. Some of them even talk. The problem here is that there really is no way for this to work outside of a real human being who can personally relate to another human being. Robots should not be put in charge of such a thing.

The crazy part is that the elevator robot does a better job by just locking them in there until they make up. Hilarious and shockingly relevant. I recommend the story.

This blog was written on April 15, 2026.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Dissolve [Short Story Review]

"Dissolve" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This one is a confusing mess. It starts off being an interview about television on a talk show, but then it changes into a myriad of other scenes. Some of them make it seem like it takes place in an apocalyptic future, but in the same studio. It, however, never seems to remain consistent.

The story actually feels like someone constantly changing the channels on a television set. There is even one sequence that describes a cartoon. In this specific example, it is a walrus trying to steal honey from a beehive. Why not a bear? Actually it does not matter. Really, I don't care.

Commercials are also included in this mishmash. Every now and then, we seem to visit the scene happening in the apocalyptic future, but I can never be sure if it's real or if it's just another show. In the end, the story may have explained itself... but I just couldn't figure it out. It left me scratching my head.

I don't think I can recommend this one. Some things are just a bit too subtle to be considered accessible by most people. Someone flipping through TV channel, whether there is a point to it or not, is not my idea of a good story.

This blog was written on April 13, 2026.

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Monday, May 11, 2026

Contrast [An essay]

I have spoken at length to my friends and also occasionally on this blog about contrast. It is, I believe, a vastly important aspect of art that exists prominently in all forms of media. Many people consider contrast to be only an aspect of the visual medium, but that is simply not true. Contrast applies to all things, and if it exists, you will notice it.

The point of contrast is to help you notice what is there. A good example of both sides of the argument comes in the form of a video game called "The Unfinished Swan." At the very beginning of the game, you are dropped into a 3D environment where absolutely every object is painted white. Not just white, but pure white, the same shade of white. This causes you to be essentially blind. Everything is there, but there is no contrast at all, making everything invisible.

You soon find out that you can throw out paint balls that add color to the various walls and stairways, finally allowing you to see what's there. These paint balls are adding contrast to the white that's everywhere. The point of contrast has always been to make things more visible.

In the opposite court, soldiers use something called camouflage, which causes them to blend into their environments better. These articles of clothing are designed to remove contrast from themselves. The removal of contrast makes things less visible, which is entirely the point. If they were standing in the jungle wearing a bright orange shirt, they would have a great deal of contrast. They would also be promptly shot.

In the medium of the motion picture, contrast has it's place. Some of the more extreme examples are "Dick Tracy (1990)" and "Speed Racer (2008)," both of which used contrasting color schemes to make everything pop out of the screen onto your eyeballs.

But it isn't all about color. Sometimes it is about contrast in characters or personalities. The "buddy cop" genre often paired two people up that were very different from each other. In fact, that was a staple of the genre! The contrast in their characters made them both all the more visible. If they blended into each other, you might have trouble remembering one from the other.

In classic comedy, you had Laurel and Hardy. One was fat; one was skinny. One was simple minded and childlike; one was pompous and easily aggravated. It was very hard to get the two mixed up.

Contrast in film does not require two characters. In the case of "Mr. Bean," the character contrasted with the world around him. He was so strange that he seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, and that made him all the more amusing when he did goofy things.

Contrast can also be found in the written word. This is accomplished nearly in the selfsame way as it is done in film. You merely need to create contrast of character types or situations in the same manner. If done correctly, those characters will be more memorable to people who have read about them. If you, however, mistakenly write every character to be roughly the same, people may struggle to remember one character from another. Character variety creates contrast. Contrast creates visibility. If everything feels the same, people will struggle to care about the details.

In conclusion, look around you right now. What things inside your house seem to blend in, and what things feel like they are standing out. Take note of it. Think about movies and books you have read where you specifically remember the difference in things. Become aware of the contrast around you, and perhaps you can use it to your advantage. And most importantly remember this: if you can see something, that means that there is at least a little contrast happening. Without it, we'd all be blind.

This blog was written on April 9, 2026.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2026

A Letter to a Royal Academy [Essay Review]

Now, for something completely stupid.

"A Letter to a Royal Academy," otherwise popularly known as "Fart Proudly" is a letter/essay written by Benjamin Franklin while he was acting as our ambassador to France. It was written around 1781 and handed off to some of his friends. It was not officially published until 1920. (Forgive me if some of these details are incorrect. I had some trouble finding the specifics.)

This is the most useless book (pamphlet?) in my collection. I hate looking at it, and the only reason I am reviewing it is because of the fact that I recently review a book under the same title... that being "Fart Proudly."

You see, they took Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and a few choice writings and slapped them together without including this letter into it... and then they had the audacity to call it "Fart Proudly." It made no sense since this essay could have easily fit right into it. This led me to have to acquire a small booklet that has a cover so horrible and stupid that I won't be showing it to you. You get an image of Franklin instead. Just deal with it.

The essay is still somewhat interesting, as it is a pun-filled document about why farting is important and also on how we may make farting more pleasant for the people around us. It's interesting because this unholy abomination was written by one of our founding fathers.

The whole thing is obviously written in jest. He even tries to write it as eloquently as possible, putting on more airs than he usually does. He even wrote some of it in different languages too, which is not something he is known for. The whole point of doing it this way was to create contrast. He was eloquently writing about farting. Get it?

Don't get me wrong; it's very clever. I am surprised at how genuinely funny it is, especially when you consider who wrote it. I just don't prefer this sort of humor. I have friends who like this; I just don't. But I fully appreciate it for it's historical significance.

I should say, however, that some of his solutions for making farts smell better sound... for lack of a better term... kind of dangerous... or deadly. Although he does push for being vegetarian in the letter, because that's what he was, he has suggested putting additives of which sound extremely toxic in your food. Ever considered putting a little turpentine in your food? Well, Benjamin Franklin thinks it might be a good idea.

Either way, I don't have any reason not to recommend this. I just don't want to read it again. It's really stupid, and, outside of an episode of Ren and Stimpy, I just don't get into fart humor. Heck, I barely get into it with Ren and Stimpy. I'd rather just let this essay pass.

...

You heard what I said!

This blog was written on April 9, 2026.

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Monday, May 4, 2026

Odder [Book Review]

"Odder" is a book by Katherine Applegate. It was published in 2022. I stumbled over this one at a bookstore. You may remember I read a previous book by her called "Crenshaw."

"Odder" was a wild ride, and I don't think I'll ever find another one like it. It is a story about a female otter raised in an aquarium and then released back into the wild... only to be bitten by a shark. The story tells of her relationship to other otters as well as with the humans taking care of her.

This is the type of story that I often call "unfairly manipulated by the author," insomuch as the author is giving a real feral otter human feelings that we can understand that would not otherwise exist in real life. This is not a complaint. I actually like coming across stories like this. It's good for the imagination, and frankly we do it all the time with our pets.

What is crazy about this book is that it is entirely written in free verse poetry. There is not a consistent structure to the poetry and nothing ever rhymes. I have seen stories written this way, but they are often filled with chiefly poetic jargon and is a pain to read. "Odder" amazingly reads as if it was written in prose, and I have no idea how she did it. Bravo.

Honestly, the way she constructed her verse is so good that I would have been happy to read another one just like this for the experience alone. It had me scratching my head. How can free verse poetry read so fluidly?! Katherine is obviously very talented.

Of course, I do recommend this book, but I do want to warn you about something. Most people love and adore otters, but this book does not ever pull its punches. It deals with extremely hard topics, some of which turned my stomach a bit. It never does it just to be mean; it's just trying to be honest about what happens in the wild and even some bad things that happen in aquariums. All said, however, I loved the experience and would enjoy seeing more like it.

This blog was written on April 8, 2026.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2026

In Memory of Lindy Lovely [Short Story Review]

"In Memory of Lindy Lovely" is a short science fiction story by Gary K. Wolf. It was published in a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This story is about a future where memories can be bought and sold. You can go into a mall and have a new memory implanted in your head of you going on a cruise or some other sort of adventure. You will remember it as if it actually happened, which most might see as actually experiencing it for real. It is sort of a "Total Recall" type thing.

The problem here is that memories of horrible acts are also available on the black market. From there, you can experience the act of murder or even dying yourself if you wanted to. The main thrust of the story deals with this black market memory racket.

This was a pretty good story, and I have seen many other franchises that fiddles with the idea of memory implants and extractions. Other than the aforementioned movie/story, there is also the video game "Remember Me," which I quite enjoyed. It was made by the studio that created "Life is Strange" before they sold their souls. It also dealt with the dystopian concept of memory manipulations.

I do actually think this technology will happen someday, and it is really scary. I have personally done similar things with hypnosis, and it is possible for a hypnotist to implant memories into your brain with your consent. Imagine if we began using technology and AI to do the same. It would be very addicting, and the world would soon face a very real case of mass amnesia.

It's not all bad though. The story also shows the good side of things. It shows how the police force uses the technology to remove the memories of rape from an abused child. I liked that the author did this, showing that new technology can be used for both good and evil.

Either way, I do recommend this story. It was a solid look at what may be possible down the line. Definitely give this one a read.

This blog was written on April 8, 2026.

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Monday, April 27, 2026

Pop [Short Story Review]

[I spoil some aspects of this story but not all of it.]

"Pop" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012.

I've mentioned before that the problem with classic scifi stories is that they often have a nasty political bent to them. If you ever want to get into classic scifi then you need to prepare yourself to contend with that, otherwise just skip it over.

"Pop" is a story that has that political bent. It takes place in a world where aliens have taken over Earth, and the human race has had to live on other planets and in spaceships while they try and figure out how to take Earth back.

The story centers around a military hero nicknamed "Pop" who is presented as the manliest old guy to ever serve. He is also extremely gung ho in all cases. When they first met this new slug race, Pop made the decision to just start shooting. The slugs retaliated by taking over their planet.

In the story, Pop's son had been trying his best to convince everybody that they should just talk and compromise with this race rather than just trying to kill them, but he is seen as weak and is ultimately just used as an example of what not to do. Also they do really bad things to this poor guy too.

This whole story is a mess. Everything is extremely exaggerated, and it feels like this was done to make some sort of point. I don't really recommend this one. I will say, however, that there was a lot of lost potential here, because the whole setup for the story was really interesting. I prefer scifi stories that don't lean too far into a message, and this one really failed at that. Give your readers some credit, guys!

This blog was written on April 3, 2026.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Love Story [Short Story Review]

[I spoil this entire story.]

"Love Story" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012.

"Love Story" takes place in a dystopian world that has become so overcrowded that it has basically reached its limit. Everything has to be automated, and bureaucracy has actually become a necessity just to keep track of everyone.

The focus on this story is, as he title suggests, all about love. It has to do with marriage, love, and child bearing, but these things are entirely different in a world where taking two steps means you'll bump into someone. There are forms to fill out and requests needed to be made in order to even have a child.

Also it's a bit backwards here. Baby-making comes first, and then you get married. I'll explain why in a second. This baby, once approved, actually happens inside a pregnant robot named Wombette. They still pull the genetic material from the parents, though. Also the baby has to be perfect or else it does not make it to completion. This all has to do with the fact that they are living in an over-crowded world and nobody has the resources to deal with children with problems.

The story goes over all these issues, and the children are going to be born and indoctrinated into the world as it presently is. Now, they are allowed to get married, and they do. They are married by a priest, given some crackers to eat, and those crackers happen to be poisoned. They die right there at the ceremony. Why? So that their two new children can fill their slots.

This is an example of a very well made dystopian story. I have read others like this, and they always leave you with weird feelings, and they might even make you giggle a little... like in a crazy way. Although it does deal with topics that make me very uncomfortable, I still recommend it for what it is. Dystopian fiction is intended to make people feel uncomfortable, and, if it fails to do that, it fails in general.

This blog was written on March 31, 2026.

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