“Fury” has the epic sweep of old-school space opera, a galaxy-wide canvas and 30,000 years of history. Since this is short fiction, it’s mostly suggested rather than detailed, and well done. An assassination is attempted on the galactic emperor. Clues are discovered. The head of security must travel across the stars to solve the mystery. The solution to the mystery is mostly handed over effortlessly, still it’s an interesting revelation, and it includes a surprisingly grotesque tidbit.
The sticking point is the ending, which doesn’t quite sit right. The security chief takes it upon himself to implement punishment for murder, yet that punishment amounts to a schoolboy prank -- poisoning the headmaster’s favorite pet.
“Fury” by Alastair Reynolds originally appeared in the anthology
Eclipse 2 (Night Shade Books, 2008) edited by Jonathan Strahan.
Link:
Year’s Best SF 14 summation and table of contents
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