The Oregon Trail Diary of Willa Porter by Andy Marino
My rating: 3/5 cats
this is a short story that puts forth an important question: yes, the oregon trail was horrible, but was it horrible enough??
and this version is much worse. it’s a destiny you wouldn’t wanna manifest.
it is impressive for managing to develop such a wide arc in such a short story, and in a story that is comprised solely of diary entries. not only do we get a story arc that escalates quickly into ineffable terror, but we also get a broad character arc, as our young diarist is changed by what she and her fellow travelers endure.
it’s a very surreal tale, without a firm explanation for the events, but no less enjoyable for its ambiguity. some of the imagery reminded me of julianna baggott’s “pure” series, in an unexpectedly chilling development.
free tor shorts are continuing to rock my world.
and off-topic, but necessary, when i was looking for that oregon trail image, i found this:
NOOOOOOOO!
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/11/th…
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