Welcome to another edition of pBooks, where I get to shout out something cool I have read. If you are new to my mad surfing of books, welcome, enjoy. As for the rest of you cats who have been hanging on the back fence, you'll know what the what is.
I have been fortunate enough to follow author Jennifer Hudock on her blog tour, and she stopped by here at ye olde blog a few days ago. Super cool. Her Dark journeys Blog Tour has been cool and more to come as well, but ya know what is even more cool, more.. super? Jennifer has been putting out more stories in the Dark Journeys Collection, and Black Velveteen is the latest. Here is a blurb right from her website..
In a future world where prostitution is mandated by the government, cybernetic sexbots, like Unit 33B, roam the streets and fill the city brothels. A honey-skinned dream with bubblegum lips and a body designed to stir the senses, she calls herself Velvet, and you should too. Sex-related crime statistics are at an all-time low, but when a hard-edged homicide detective finds himself questioning Unit 33B in a grisly murder case, he unearths a powerful secret that sheds light on man and morality.
How far will mankind go to protect the innocent?
Now then, that is the teaser, but there is more. I am a huge fan of science fiction and I have read everything I can get my hands on, even going so far as to hunt down old copies of the pulp mags from as far back as the 40's. I am pretty sure I have read everything SF from the likes of Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury and most of the Grand Masters of SF. Suffice to say, I am a fan, have read a lot and as a fan, I know a wee bit about what makes a good SF short story. Black Velveteen is such a story.
This is a story that deals with humanity and their interaction with their creations, in this case, a cybernetic robot. Sounds simple, but Ms. Hudock effectively explores the emotional element of the awakening of emotions in Velvet beyond her cybernetic programming. In the classical SF tradition of using the genre to explore the human element, Ms. Hudock hits it out of the park. This is the kind of short story that questions our own humanity, the kind of SF we all love to read.
You can pick up a copy at Amazon or Smashwords for .99 cents. Give it a go, I think you'll really dig this story like I do.
Patrick, I couldn't agree more. I was blown away by this story when I first read it. This is one of my favs from Jenny.
Posted by: Nicole | 05/26/2010 at 07:40 PM
Thank you for the humbling review, Patrick.
Posted by: Jenny Beans | 05/26/2010 at 07:52 PM
That blurb is temptation enough, and your review makes my mouse finger itchy to head on over to Smashwords and pick it up. Clicking.....
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