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publius's review
3.0
Unless you want to be entertained, intrigued, and possibly disturbed, do not read this book.
On the other hand, if you enjoy thought provoking short fiction, then download a copy of Guy Hasson's The Emoticon Generation
today. A collection of short stories that seem to focus on human nature when technology allows us to play with the rules of physics, each is an interesting tale with a twist.In one we see a controversial national war hero confronted with a technology that in one moment vindicates his version of events while simultaneously forcing him to reconsider history's premise. Another story questions what it means to be human and sentient. A third allows a man to revisit his past, with results that are disturbing.
The stories fascinated and intrigued. I saw echoes of Philip K. Dick or the Twilight Zone in several.
Ironically, the title story was the selection that I struggled with the most. In it, the author poses himself as a journalist who becomes interested in the effect of emoticons on rising generations. Satirically, it wonders if too many words are unnecessary, and if we can communicate meaning just as well, if not better, with smiley faces. Then, in just a couple of paragraphs, the author concludes that, no, it is the power of language that has allow great engineering feats, Shakespeare, and the progress of the human race, and the failure of language presages our decline. I laud Hasson for writing so convincing that I almost thought he was serious--until the last few paragraphs--but I felt cheated that he didn't respond to his own arguments. On the other hand, it is perhaps a tribute to his ability to satirize emoticons that his arguments for simpler language were so simple and sarcastic that response is perhaps unnecessary.
If creativity, an eye for human nature, and insight are strengths Hasson's stories can rely upon, an editor might be the single thing to improve them. While some stories clearly showed sharp and efficient use of language, others rambled beyond when Hasson had made his point.
As I opened with, go pick up a copy of The Emoticon Generation
for your ereader. If Hasson's stories don't make you think, then you may not be paying attention.
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