Short Reviews: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

"Coolhunting" [permanent link]. A fascinating story that works on two levels. In one, the story is about a 'Coolhunter', a person who goes around looking at fads and trends, trying to spot the 'next big thing' and make a profit out of selling it to marketeers. On the other, the story is about the Coolhunter who wants to help her sister who has been genetically modified to be unable grow (a future-day Peter Pan). A chilling story about a future measured in quickly changing trends and whims.
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"Echea" [permanent link]. An intriguing story about a young girl being sent to a foster home. Her original home is the Moon, devastated after a war. Her foster parents are at odds over her (the mother wants her, the father isn't so sure) and her daughters dislike her at first. But after attempting to integrate her into their lives, they discover a devastating secret about her; a secret that may well change the little girl's life.
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"The Gallery of His Dreams" [permanent link]. A fascinating and wonderful story about the American Civil War photographer, Matthew Brady. This story follows Brady from his childhood, his passion for photography, the skill in taking pictures of the Civil War (while not being killed) and his fight to keep the rights to his pictures. But little does Brady know that he is about to get a visitor that will give him some very unusual (and sometimes gruesome) photography assignments.
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"Millenium Babies" [permanent link]. People always debate about 'nature versus nurture' and what determines how successful an individual will be. This story looks at it at another angle when a group of people born near or on January 1, 2000 take part in a study. The results of the experiment may well turn out to be a surprise to the participants.
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"The Retrieval Artist" [permanent link]. Set in a future where mankind has ventured to the stars and met alien races (not all of them comprehensible), a 'retrival artist' has been hired to find the heir to a wealthy person who has vanished. As the investigation continues, clues begin to turn up as to the purpose of locating the person and how it may relate to strange alien laws and customs on responsiblity.
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"A Time for Every Purpose" [permanent link]. An interesting time-travel storey with some twists. A detective can travel back in time into his younger self to prevent crimes from taking place. But he is in anguish because he is forbidden from preventing the murder of his own daughter. Finally, he decides to take matters into his own hands but is the outcome worth the price?
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