Francis Mont

There’s a whole variety of stories in this book, as promised, ranging from just a few pages to roughly novelette-length.

Elements I liked:
I really enjoyed the mixture of stories in this book and how most of the stories offered a different take on common things. The tales were thought-provoking, and many had a nice fantastical element to them. Many of the stories also seemed like good seeds for longer works.

Elements I struggled with:
Some of the stories seemed too short. While it’s nice to be left wanting more, a couple seemed like they just cut off - a bit frustrating.

Overall:
I found this collection of stories enjoyable and entertaining, well-written (barring a few typos) and a fast read.

(Read February 2021)… (más)

This post-apocalyptic read certainly gave me chills at first. In the prologue, current day political and social/environmental events are described and extrapolated upon. One thing leads to another and soon the US is at war with certain countries you might predict, then farther in the future, others you might not have seen coming… and eventually, nuclear war ensues. AI and automation are slowly taking over, with a pair of software engineers the last to hold their jobs as their creation no longer needs them. But in a country ravaged by war, natural disaster, and left with only small pockets of survivors, the AI decides to take over and lock the humans up to protect them.

This was a terribly fascinating read, particularly as the story progressed and we moved to more of a survivalist, rebuilding setting of trying to refashion tech into something that could perform simple tasks, figure out farming (loved the line where the computer geek could fix the tech but couldn’t hitch up the plow so the girl had to show him and he was like… well, but I built her this and that…too funny!), and build a community that could survive. Set in the greater Sacramento area, there’s a good balance between human details and tech details, with quirky characters and fascinating problems to overcome. Think salvage runs, trying to figure how you turn firewood into charcoal, how to hook up generators and ensure survival… it’s a fun, fun story, and the devil’s in the details, and author Mont makes this post-apocalyptic tale totally work as described. The best spec fic gives you chills because it’s totally believable, and this one works!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
… (más)

“Meandering” by Francis and Vera Mont is a delightful collection of short stories with a sci-fi bent. Aliens, robots, truth-telling gas, machines that allow you to see into the future. Each of these creative tales is a treat in itself.

I particularly enjoyed “Terror on Cherry Street” for its lovely descriptions (particularly of the landscaping!) and intriguing, creative characters with vivid details that came right off the page. The slow disintegration of the neighborhood from a paradise of azaleas to a war-zone terror-ridden by purple Z’s was comical and aptly depicted, the neighbors going bonkers when no one can identify the perps.

“Time Scope” was also a favorite, with Zach purchasing a mysterious invention at a garage sale and soon getting in over his head when he discovers that yes, this one actually does something and it can look at any point in time and record it. The tech was explained in a way that felt smart but was still easily understandable by lay people, and as Zach gets sucked in deeper, his hopeful plans to set up a detective agency unfortunately turning into a twisty, tangled mess, this turns into a delightful tale. My one critique would probably be that while the starts and middles of each story felt well-paced, sometimes the endings felt abrupt. However, that’s a small quibble. These were fine tales, and I look forward to more of the Monts’ work!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.… (más)