Hi, Christopher Roy Denton I'm really glad I read this. It is my pleasure to both read and comment on your work on behalf of "The Rockin' Reviewers" .
These are just one person's opinions; always remember only you know what is best for your story. I've read and commented on your work as I would try to read my own. If I didn't respond to it quite the way you hope, perhaps you will find something useful in the feedback or forget about it - it's all up to you. It's your story.
Here's what I best about "A Message From The Gods" -
Ah, how can I not like being in the story? And you gave me a doctorate too -- nice! But the part I really like the most is the reference to humans sending out messages into space, because I recently wrote a scifi story about that exact same thing for the Around The World contest! It's uncanny how much our minds overlap...
1) Plot:
Three scientists argue about the significance of an archaeological find while waiting for a 'robot' to analyze and confirm their hypotheses.
One thing I didn't quite understand was why Hal had to be there onsite to translate the message, when it had been recorded and studied for the past twenty-five months already. Why could Hal or any other AI simply do it from wherever they were? I would have expected that Hal needed to be onsite to gather important samples, or to operate it etc. but only after translating the message.
Anyway when the name 'Bob' first came up, I started anticipating one of your inimical humorous twists. This was further reinforced when 'cuckoo' turned up next. So while the ending is so completely you, I was still hoping you would blow my mind with some awesome revelation, or something hilarious. Maybe a different punchline? But it's your joke, and I'm terrible with those, so don't take anything any comments I make on humor too seriously.
)2) Characterization:
All the characters are distinct in their personalities, which are expressed through how they interact with one another, as well as through their assumptions about what their archaeological findings mean. You have the 'true scientist', Dr Webster, who reserves judgement until verified by evidence; and the other two who are colored by their personal bias. This makes for a very entertaining three-way war of words, colored by their very British curse words. Now I can't help but keep trying to picture myself saying 'Gobbledygook!'
3) Voice/Style:
No problems with the narrative perspective. However the following part made me pause.
“Poppycock,” muttered Mugabe. “The message is far too short for such waffling. It's more likely a sublime yet concise statement of faith, such as the Islamic Shahada or the Christian Nicene Creed.
“Well,” she said in the most congenial tone she could muster, “it is undeniable the Beta-Babylonians were far more technologically advanced than humans, so it is reasonable to assume that their level of consciousness was similarly elevated.
“Perhaps the message is a simple philosophical mantra, similar to Anne Bronte's poem Home.
“Though all around this mansion high invites the foot to roam, and though its halls are fair within—oh, give me back my home.”
Even though Dr Webster is the only female and therefore it should be easy to guess that 'she' refers to her, since the last name mentioned is Mugabe, I couldn't help but wonder if he was continuing with these lines or whether this was Dr Webster's response. Perhaps slotting in her name here instead of 'she' would help?
Also I'm unfamiliar with dialogue conventions regarding paragraph breaks within a single person's dialogue. In this case, you had a paragraph breaks without closed inverted commas in the preceding lines, and started each new paragraph with open inverted commas. Is this how it's usually done?
Finally there are several references to notable religious and artistic works. While I am quite familiar with them, I worry that the average reader may not be. They are in line with the points of view of the characters, since they would make such references with the knowledge (or assumption) that those they're speaking to understand them. However, some readers may be befuddled.
This is especially so for the android, who physically resembled Michelangelo's David, which Janet found particularly aesthetically pleasing.
As a visual description, it probably won't work unless the reader is familiar with this particular statue (since I used this image for my Folklore entry, it comes to mind quite easily enough). Perhaps you could be more specific and mention which part Janet found the most pleasing? It would help conjure some features to mind.
4) Setting:
Hmm, without the picture for reference, I actually found it quite hard to picture the scene. There's mention of columns and an orange sky, and then suddenly a brick hut pops up. I would prefer a little bit more scene-setting to give a clearer picture of the characters are looking at and standing in the middle of. Were they standing next to the brick hut all along?
5) Grammar & Diction:
Perfect, as always!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I can't believe I just read a story about scientists arguing and behaving rather like children. It was very well-told, but I would personally prefer a different punchline.
Thanks for a great read!
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |