In a post-apocalyptic world, New Orleans was spared from nuclear destruction by the sudden appearance of a mysterious dome over the city. Under the safety of the dome, the city’s vampires and zombies have come out from hiding while the general populace is divided into castes. Tired of the world’s woes, many people volunteer to become mindless workers, Drones, who are programmed by the Techs to do most of the menial and security work. Ruling this tiny world are the Peers, who live in a blissful world of technological augmentations. When Bink, one of the Techs, wants to leave New Orleans, how far is he willing to go?
The story’s mix of fantasy and science fiction elements didn’t work at all for me. For most of the story the vampires and zombies are nothing more than window dressing until they become a cheap cop-out at the end. It’s disappointing that in a story with such a strong social commentary as this one, it’s the mainly the fantastical elements and not the caste system itself which plunge everything into chaos.
This is an unfortunate blemish as the rest of the story is excellent. There are some cool science fiction ideas and a truly interesting moral dilemma but what I admired most was the depiction of Bink’s messed up relationships with his on-and-off girlfriend and the city and the many parallels between them.
(Lone Star Stories, June 2008)
