Challenge 135

Overarching Themes
and Choosing Choosing

Do you think Jörn Grote’s “Meme Race Unbound” is in some way an allegory of current events? On the other hand, Jörn’s stories generally deal with artificial — or at least non-human — intelligence. How does “Meme Race Unbound” fit into that cycle? Does it seem to reach a conclusion of some sort? (See Jörn’s bibliography for a complete list.)

What details in Danielle L. Parker’s “Galen the Deathless” make the story more science fiction than fantasy? Or do you think it’s more fantasy than science fiction? Or a mixture of both?

Is there a common theme in “Galen the Deathless” and Eric S. Brown’s “Unnatural Endings,” in issue 114? What might it be?

Procedural Challenge: Assume an extreme-case scenario for the Story Contest in the second half of February: we receive as many entries as in the first half, for a total of 40 or more. That’s an awful lot. How would you prefer to vote on them? Here are some options currently being discussed:

1. Place preference: Rank three stories for first, second and third place, respectively. Authors may not vote for their own entry (actually they may, but that particular vote won’t count). That’s the current plan.
2. Modified place preference: Distribute six votes any way you like (6 for one story, 1 for six stories, or any other combination totaling six votes). Authors may not vote for their own entry (same as option 1).
3. Unranked preference: Choose as many as six stories as your favorites. Single votes only, no ranking votes. Authors may vote for their own entry provided they vote for the maximum of six entries in all (otherwise their vote for their own entry won’t count).
4. Double-round elimination: The stories are divided into three separate groups with as equal a number of titles as possible. Multiple submissions from the same authors are spread as evenly as possible across the three groups. Choose as many as three favorite titles from each group (none, one, two or three). Single votes only, no ranking votes. Authors may vote for their own entry provided they vote for the maximum of nine entries in all. A run-off vote is held among the finalists between March 15 and 22.
5. Split the contest (a variation on the two-round option): The Bewildering Stories crew separates all entries into two independent contests on the same theme. Voting in Contest 1 proceeds by place preference, as currently planned, from March 1 to 15. Voting in Contest 2 proceeds likewise between March 16 and 31. No run-off vote; two sets of winners are announced.
6. Your preference or suggestion? We’re open to ideas.

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