Challenge 854

Hot Balloons

In Gary Clifton’s Forever Allison, at what point can the reader reasonably assume that the narrator is female?
In Marjorie Sadin’s Pas de deux, can the narrator be asleep and yet, at the same time, aware of all the dance moves she describes?
In Natan Dubovitsky’s Near Zero, Chapter 17:
1. What is Gennady’s crime? What is his sentence?
2. The name “Buchenvalka” and the function of that “sauna” replicate what other crime?
3. Ktitor is a crime boss and a racketeer. What is his specialty?
In Bill Kowaleski’s A Rally and a Meeting:
1. Can you think of an easier way for Jason Wise to find out who the handsome young man is who accompanies Maria Shoenbrun at Aliens Out rallies?
2. What does Wise’s investigation reveal about the character of Miles Martin?
In Edna C. Horning’s MoJo the Mighty:
1. Does MoJo have paranormal perception?
2. Why does MoJo run away? Why does he come back?
3. Do MoJo and Mason share the same philosophy? What philosophical error does Mason make?
In James Rumpel’s The Alienation of Clark Monohan:
1. Do the balloons have any dramatic function?
2. In what ways do the space aliens differ from human beings?
3. Will Clark be much more than a prisoner on his own world?