Auntie Hill
The Profundity of Silence (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 13th April 2002 (1)
Tags: Short Story
(15K)
This is a thoughtful piece, indeed showing, as the summary said,
that "the sudden loss of Blair's hearing illustrates a fundamental
difference between the partners." I could see Blair's epiphany,
it was so him. And Jim's reaction, that was him too, and sort of
reflected how he saw himself, too.
Sight Unseen (Sentinel/Invisible Man)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 11th March 2002 (1)
Tags: Novelette
(106K)
My first reaction when I saw this story up at the new arrivals
section of the Cascade Library was "Hooray, someone's written a
Sentinel/Invisible Man crossover at at last!" (This is a crossover
between the more recent TV version of The Invisible Man, the one with
Darrien the ex-thief working for the government.) And then I wondered if
I would be disappointed. The story was certainly a bit rough to start
with, I felt as if the characters (both the Sentinel and the Invisible
Man folks) were a bit exaggerated, almost caricatured in their
"typical" reactions. But I laughed out loud at the "Department of
Weights and Measures" bit, and it picked up after that. Unfortunately,
I feel the initial encounter between Jim and Darrien and Hobbes was clumsy;
I couldn't believe that they would really use the invisibility that way
-- isn't it supposed to be a secret? But, given that that was the way
it was made to happen, it went along okay after that, particularly as it
was dotted with some cool/fun lines.
It wasn't much unlike the warehouse that he once lived in, before Jim
allowed him to move in. The sheet metal walls made the same whistling sound
when the wind blew hard against the structure. The shape of the building,
although larger, was also similar to Blair's old place.
"At least before it got blown up," Blair thought glumly. "Might
still be living there if those stupid drug dealers hadn't been next door."
He smiled slyly as he thought, "That's what Cascade needs to do --- get
rid of all these warehouses. That alone should cut the crime rate
substantially." He scratched his face as he imagined his next great
thesis presentation: "Empty Spaces, Shattered Dreams: Unused Storage
Facilities in Ratio to American Inner City Crime."
I also liked the way that Darrien felt empathy for Jim, and how Darrien
and Hobbes rallied round to help fix up the mess they'd caused by their
presence. Mind you, if you're sick of Blair ending up in hospital...