Story Review: First Friendship by A.N. Myers from Alien Days Anthology
Spoiler Free Summary: First Friendship by A.N. Myers is the tenth story in the Alien Days Anthology. Robert has been given an impossible window cleaning job by the Shoma, an alien race that now essentially runs earth since they arrived. Then Robert meets a man who explains the secret behind the Shoma. That information inspires Robert to do what he can to send a message to the alines who’ve made his life so horrible. What will the consequences of his message really do?
Character: I admit, I couldn’t remember Robert’s name, but he (as a character) is easily the most memorable character in the entire anthology. He’s sympathetic; he takes action to do something. His arc is memorable. I rooted for this character. I understood him.
Exposition: While there was some tucked away in the dialogue, this story moves swiftly and doesn’t bog the reader down with more than they need.
Worldbuilding: While taking place on earth, Myers does a nice job of helping us understand the history of this alternative reality. This history becomes a sort of plot device that creates some symbolism for readers who like that sort of thing. I don’t normally need symbolism, but I don’t mind it either. I appreciate it most when it fits the plot and doesn’t beat a reader over the head, and this story does it that way.
Dialogue: This was also probably the best in the whole anthology. For starters, there were more characters in this story. But it flowed naturally and gave us insight into the characters. It wasn’t just about what they said, but how they said it.
Description: Typically for me, this had about what I liked but perhaps not as much as a harder scifi reader would want. The best example is the Shoma. Their height and stature are plot elements, but I couldn’t say another thing about them. That said, I got a mental image for how I think they look, and I always like the movie theatre in my head more than any other anyway.
Overall: I can say this is probably the best story in the anthology (and one of only about half I liked very much). This story had a character I was able to connect with who took action. I cared about what he was trying to do, and I cared about what his actions might do. This story does sort of move fast (down on his luck main character gets an offer he can’t refuse), but I didn’t mind that so much. I appreciated the attention to character and tone along with the history of this alternate earth and how it related to how the story ends. This story ranks first among my top three (the other two I’ve already discussed in earlier reviews).
Thanks for reading
Matt
