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1994 - Year in SF&F: Reviews



THE WONDER TIMELINE: SF&F RETROSPECTIVE
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M. Shayne Bell
"Mrs. Lincoln's China"
© IASFM, July 1994
--short story : 1995 Hugo
--short story : 1995 Locus
--short story : 1995 Asimov's Readers Poll

--/ cool apocalyptic sf story
--/ idea award
--/ emotion award


I can't believe this story has not been reprinted yet. The world comes to an end in a chaotic uprising, and the White House gets raided by an unruly mob, much like the Winter Palace was raided by "liberated workers" and bolsheviks during the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. The uniqueness of the story lies in juxtaposition of such wild cruelty and chaos with delicacy and gentle culture of collectible china, belonging to American Presidents of the Past. This is truly a heart-breaking approach, not dissimilar to Ray Bradbury's indisputable classic "The Smile". Highly Recommended - instills a long time dislike of revolutionary crowds and extreme revolutionary causes, as it surely should.

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"SF&F Reading Experience" is part of "Dark Roasted Blend / Thrilling Wonder" family of sites. We try to highlight the most entertaining and rewarding science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on memorable reader experience, not necessarily general acceptance by the critics. Have fun, and delve into our extensive ratings and reviews!

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