This story is really quite good. Sort of a Kafka-esque horror short. I particularly liked the intro and the way that it set the tone for the story. Bleak and spare, but with a good sense for the obsessive compulsive nature of the main character---who was very well drawn. I found the other characters to be quite believable as well and the tone and execution was spot on. Well done. If you liked this author, I would try "To Read or Not to Read" which is also available for free on Kindle. ( )

Greatest lead-in for a short story:

"The future is as harsh as nature. Harsher even. Cruel and emotionless. The future is a cryptic place, where a synthetic voice is on the other end when you dial customer service, and it never understands your words. DOES NOT COMPUTE and PLEASE REPEAT YOUR REQUEST are common words in the future. The future is filled with blinking lights and chirping beeps. Complex highways and colossal buildings. One hundred foot billboards line the roads, and everything around you is a commercial for a product you do not need. And somewhere along the line, we lost the human spirit; self-reliance and self-worth disappeared. Because the future is a place where government dictates happiness, and society mandates perception. Welcome. I hope you enjoy yourself." ( )

The story would have gotten five stars, because I love this sort of thing: it's an interesting idea and it's presented well. But Charlie is disliked by everyone, including Hobbes I think. It would have been more compelling, and more emotionally resonant, had the author been more empathetic to his creation. As it was, Charlie is so annoying, that the reader is eager to get away from him. ( )

The story would have gotten five stars, because I love this sort of thing: it's an interesting idea and it's presented well. But Charlie is disliked by everyone, including Hobbes I think. It would have been more compelling, and more emotionally resonant, had the author been more empathetic to his creation. As it was, Charlie is so annoying, that the reader is eager to get away from him. ( )