God-shaped Box: A Brief Review

[Swamp]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: God-shaped Box by D.K. Thompson.

It was a quick, interesting read.  Though the premise seems blasphemous at first, by the end, you wonder if it is a commentary on how we perceive and "use" God.  It may be a whimsical thought experiment; or it may be deep religious conjecture.  One thing is for sure, DKT is great at taking biblical concepts into a new, different direction--whether it is taking the detailed description of the Mosaic tabernacle literally, as in this peice, or combining vampires and the Lord's communion, as he did in his Pseudopod story Last Respects.

You may also want to read his story Saint Darwin's Spirituals in issue #4 of Murky Depths (with very cool cover art), or listen to it on Variant Frequencies.  Though a bit too adult for my tastes, it is certainly full of interesting concepts.

[jodymonster]

I read God-shaped box a while ago and liked it quite a bit.  The first line of the story is just great, made me laugh and want to read all of it, and I won't spoil it here for anyone who hasn't seen it.  I also liked how many big, cool concepts are crammed into this short piece.

[DKT]

Hey, you guys really made my day. 

I don't want to deter other people coming in here and responding, but I did want to say thanks, and I'm really glad you both appreciated the story.  I did write it because I wanted to take a different angle at "Christian SF," which is generally fiction that preaches and doesn't ask questions. 

Anyway, thanks so much for the kind feedback.

[Thaurismunths]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

[Russell Nash]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

[Thaurismunths]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

[Russell Nash]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

Common feeling for you, huh?  Just feel like the constant outsider?  You don't happen to own any firearms do you?

[DKT]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

Thaur, it's okay if you've never read my sig before.  Really it is.    Glad you liked the story, though!

[Thaurismunths]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

Common feeling for you, huh?  Just feel like the constant outsider?  You don't happen to own any firearms do you?

Firearms? I don't like them. They're too loud, and I'm a quiet person.
Just ask my neighbors and they'll all tell you that I'm a nice young man who keeps mostly to himself.

[Russell Nash]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

Common feeling for you, huh?  Just feel like the constant outsider?  You don't happen to own any firearms do you?

Firearms? I don't like them. They're too loud, and I'm a quiet person.
Just ask my neighbors and they'll all tell you that I'm a nice young man who keeps mostly to himself.

Axe or machete?

[Bdoomed]

just read it, i find it funny that everything they did was presented as being simple and obvious and logical. 

all in all, it was a good read.  I dont like christian literature, and this story kept me reading through the whole thing

[stePH]

I liked this story a lot.  It would make a good flash piece for Podcastle or Escape Pod (it would be the first good flash on Podcastle, IMO).

[Swamp]

I dont like christian literature, and this story kept me reading through the whole thing

I realize that my review, doesn't accent the novelty of the story and might turn some people away if they are turned off by "religious" stories.  Maybe a tagline like this would have been more provacative:

"Have you ever wanted to use the scientific method to find out what makes God tick?  All you need to do is build a God-shaped box."

[stePH]

You may also want to read [DKT's] story Saint Darwin's Spirituals in issue #4 of Murky Depths (with very cool cover art), or listen to it on Variant Frequencies. 

Somehow I missed this one on my first pass through VF.  I must have unintentionally started playing it on my iPod one day before switching to a different podcast, meaning to get back to it later, and then it got dumped at the next sync-up (I have itunes automatically remove all played podcasts).

I thought the story was okay -- not great, not bad -- but Dani Cutler's "English" accent makes Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves sound like a master thespian.  I'd already heard her pretend to be British on one of her own podcasts and it was just awful; I hope to never hear her make the attempt again.

[Thaurismunths]

Yesterday, I read a story written by one of our own: by D.K. Thompson.

D.K.Thompson = DKT?
How did i not catch this sooner.
I loved Saint Darwin's Spirituals! Awesome, awesome story.

Look at DKT's sig.

I've read it more than a few times and figured it was just another inside joke I wasn't part of.

Common feeling for you, huh?  Just feel like the constant outsider?  You don't happen to own any firearms do you?

Firearms? I don't like them. They're too loud, and I'm a quiet person.
Just ask my neighbors and they'll all tell you that I'm a nice young man who keeps mostly to himself.

Axe or machete?

That's disgusting. You are a warped individual... *cough* hammer.

[Thaurismunths]

Oh, right, DKT wrote a story.
God Shaped Box = Cool
A neat bit of short fiction, not exactly my taste, but not bad by any means. Obviously it's a religious story with a moral, which isn't often something that interests me, but I really enjoyed the SF of it and the originality of the plot.

[Swamp]

Here's another review of the story by The Fix:

D.K. Thompson’s “God-Shaped Box” in Hub #51 kicks off with one hell of a first-paragraph hook:

“I didn’t kill God; we should clear that up right away. I just captured him and put him in a little box.”

But most competent writers can craft a killer opening. The question is whether they can deliver the goods. Happily, the rest of “God-Shaped Box” is every bit as polished as the opening. Thompson’s story of a couple taking extreme measures to resurrect their son strikes an excellent balance between whimsy and poignancy. The story seems allegorical, too, but not in a heavy-handed or preachy way. The ending is far more thought-provoking than didactic.

[Sandikal]

I read and enjoyed the story too.  I didn't find it blasphemous at all. 

[birdless]

I didn't find it blasphemous, either. I thought it was beautifully written.