Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Anastasia Towe

Anastasia is majoring in Biology and Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. She hopes to minor in Literature and Neuroscience, and her goal is to become a writer and a veterinarian.

“Dead North” reveals that the author is an attentive student. The story has a systematic plot; the scenes are skilfully dramatized, and the characters are carefully sketched out.

The central theme is that of loss and redemption. However, readers will have mixed reactions to the premise. Some readers will embrace the “moaners” wholeheartedly as a dramatic element. Others will tolerate them but wonder where they come from. Still others have had it up to here with zombies and just can’t take ’em anymore.

To answer this issue’s Challenge question, the article “Space Aliens as Metaphor” — and zombies can be classified loosely as “space aliens” — says that hostile aliens represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: war, famine, disease and death. In “Dead North,” the zombies represent disease.

Anastasia Towe’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Anastasia. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!