★★★☆☆ Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 201, June 2023, by Isabel J Kim
Is this a story, or facts?
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 201, June 2023
Isabel J Kim
Is this a story, or facts?
I am reviewing only "Day Ten Thousand", by Isabel J. Kim. Here is the thirteenth paragraph
A story is a set of events, real or imaginary, told in succession. There are many forms that a story can take, but the difference between a story and facts is that a story makes sense and facts just exist.
One of several problem with this definition is that "makes sense" is not an all or none thing. Some sets of facts make a lot of sense, and others make a fair amount of sense, while yet others make only a very little bit of sense. This particular story-like object makes very little sense, but more than none at all. So, I guess, by its own standards, it is a story, just barely.
I'm going to do you a small favor here: Ten thousand days is a bit over 27 years. This is a useful thing to know if you read the story.
I don't really feel like saying much more about this barely-a-story. I might have liked it more if I read it in a forgiving mood. As it is, I am annoyed at all the work Kim made me do to read these deliberately obscure 6610 words and try to come up with a story-like construction under which they make some kind of sense. And after all that, I am left with the impression that there is no pony in there.