March to Other Worlds Day 26: Optional Retirement Plan by Chris Porteau

Day 26 Optional Retirement Plan by Chris Porteau

 

Optional Retirement Plan by Chris Porteau walks us into a different kind of world—the world of mental illness. Oh, it’s also a great sf adventure involving travel in the solar system, but that’s not what I found most intriguing about it. No, this is a novel about a hitman whose boss thinks he’s slipping into Alzheimer’s and wants to “permanently retire” him before he can spill any more of the company’s secrets. To make matters even worse, the hitman, Stacks Fischer, isn’t sure if he’s really sick. So while bounty hunters and corporate assassins are coming after him, he’s trying to figure out if he’s actually losing the ability to think the way he always has.

 

 

 

Stacks Fischer is a fascinating protagonist. He should not be likable, but he truly is. He should not be sympathetic, but you can’t help but feel for him as he struggles to find out what’s wrong with his mind. He has a code of honor and a sense of—well not justice, but something remarkably close to it that makes him easy to cheer for. It helps that narrator R.C. Bray has the perfect voice for Fischer, bringing his pain to life as he struggles to keep living for just a few more days.

 

 

 

If you're interested in this book, you can join the discussion on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GilbertStack...