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A review by villyidol
Black Friday by Alexander C. Irvine
4.0
I got a little fed up with all the Black Friday craze. All week long I was getting e-mails with “Black Week” offerings and Black Friday countdowns. Then today it got completely out of hand. My phone just wouldn’t stand still. Mail after mail with hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands of offerings. Suddenly I had to think of this free Tor short story.
Families are teaming up and go to the mall, where they become part of a reality tv show as the teams are hunting for loot caches, and their Christmas presents. Someone else gets between us and the newest video game console? Let’s shoot them. After all the viewers want to be entertained.
This is satire. It is dark, and occasionally very funny.
I loved the dark humor in the beginning. But there’s also this spoilery thing that has been the catalyst for The Celebration, as they call the yearly televised event. And then you think about all the shit that’s happening in real-life. And this story becomes something more. For better or worse.
3.5 stars
You can read it here: https://www.tor.com/2018/05/30/black-friday-alex-irvine/
And now please excuse me. I’ve seen this wonderful piece of carnival glass that will never be as cheap again as it is today. And I have never been so sure that I need it.
In a dark future America where consumerism and gun culture are unchecked, a young family teams up to celebrate the first shopping day of the Christmas season in the most patriotic way possible.
Families are teaming up and go to the mall, where they become part of a reality tv show as the teams are hunting for loot caches, and their Christmas presents. Someone else gets between us and the newest video game console? Let’s shoot them. After all the viewers want to be entertained.
This is satire. It is dark, and occasionally very funny.
The Mugs were out only for themselves. They wanted to celebrate the holiday the way it was supposed to be celebrated, without the compromises sponsorship would bring. So that meant they paid for all their own weapons and training, but Caleb liked it that way. It brought the family together.
I loved the dark humor in the beginning. But there’s also this spoilery thing that has been the catalyst for The Celebration, as they call the yearly televised event. And then you think about all the shit that’s happening in real-life. And this story becomes something more. For better or worse.
3.5 stars
You can read it here: https://www.tor.com/2018/05/30/black-friday-alex-irvine/
And now please excuse me. I’ve seen this wonderful piece of carnival glass that will never be as cheap again as it is today. And I have never been so sure that I need it.