Challenge 969

What’s in a Name?

1. In David A. Riley’s Lucilla, part 3:

   1. Some of the main characters are distinguished by physical appearance. What other means of identification are also used?
   2. Does the narrative use full or partial omniscience? That is, does the reader know things that Miranda does not or does the reader perceive only what Miranda does?

2. In Alcuin Fromm’s In the High Pass: At first glance, which family members promise to be Doustian’s allies? His enemies? What clues do their portrayals provide?

3. In John D. Gorman’s If Absence Took a Spiral Shape:

   1. None of the characters has a name. How is each identified? Do any have a fixed means of reference?
   2. When do common nouns substitute for the personal pronoun “he” or “she” in order to avoid a double meaning?
   3. When does “she” shift meaning from “he’s” deceased wife to the “former classmate”?
   4. In what literary genre are proper names normally avoided? How are the characters identified? Does the story resemble that genre in any way?

4. In Arón Reinhold’s The Day the Missiles Flew:

   1. Since you are being consulted as a reader, would you advise the author to avoid or emphasize the names of real political parties?
   2. What might be the significance of missiles’ being launched with no apparent targets?

5. Gary Clifton’s Ariana’s War: What two facts about Ariana and Ogart make the story’s conclusion possible? Where was Ogart during the battle?

6. In Charles C. Cole’s An Unlikely Heir:

   1. Why does the etymological meaning of the Witch’s given name make it a necessary dramatic function that King Dunstan needs to ask her what it is?
   2. Dunstan’s and Agatha’s relationship changes in form, but does it really change in nature?

7. In B. K. Mox’s Self-Sacrifical Souls:

   1. Who might be the driver? The wistful souls?
   2. How can the souls be wistful and self-sacrificial and yet be poisonous and saunter in apparent arrogance all at the same time?
   3. Under what circumstances might souls be doomed by their self-sacrifice? Are they overly generous to the ungrateful? Do they die in an unworthy cause?

Responses welcome!

Copyright © October 10, 2022 by Bewildering Stories
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