Author Topic: EP204: The Fifth Zhi  (Read 21796 times)

Jago Constantine

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Reply #25 on: December 12, 2009, 11:48:03 AM
We're listening to this story today as part of Science Fiction Saturday, a weekly science fiction discussion group in Second Life.

The meeting is Saturday 12 December at 2.00pm Pacific Standard Time (Second Life Time) at the Bookstacks venue

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Awen/136/125/25 if you're attending!



Unblinking

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Reply #26 on: April 27, 2010, 01:53:37 PM
I'm on the fence on this one.

When it started with a clone army, I groaned.  I've seen a bunch of stories with big groups of clones as the protagonist and they rarely appeal to me.  I'm not sure why, it just seems like the characters, despite differentiating characteristics, are just too similar.

It bothered me that they decided to wage warfare on this thing because of nightmares.  And then continued on that path even when there's hints of sentience:  "Well, we decided to attack it, so we're attacking it" is about as ironclad as the parental justification "Because I said so".  That wasn't really a flaw in the story though, just something that bothered me with its plausibility.

But I do like a couple things in particular:
1.  Meeting with aliens where method of communication is not obvious, and may even be impossible.
2.  The exchange between #5 and Dad "You thought you mattered."  Ouch!



justenjoying

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Reply #27 on: January 21, 2012, 04:14:16 AM
This story was really about, what we are if we were no longer the top of the food chain. How would we react. I also loved
the implication that the robot is way more human than we wanted to believe, and that is convenient at the time, but that is the
only reason he was able to save us, because how he didn't conform, how he was himself and lonely. It is a wonderful rabbit
whole I had a blast exploring. This by no means has a happy ending, but in that it acctually is a succesful ending. Triumphant
even. This is a great bundle that leaves you with so much to chew on.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2012, 11:52:37 AM by justenjoying »