This week I decided to do my crit on "The Machine" by Sean R Robinson because it shares its title with the very first flash fic I posted on this blog. This story is better than mine, I must admit, but it fell a little short like a lot of stories I've reviewed lately.
The protagonist of "The Machine" is formidable. She could have been written "smoother," I think, yet enough was done to keep her from being a major flaw of the story. The other characters don't matter much, so I can let things slide with them.
Setting is a minor feature of this story. I think a little bit more could have been done to give this story more "flair," but I enjoy the minimalist approach typically.
This story has a really strange plot. There's plot there, at least, which is a bonus compared to some flash. Minor spoiler: the tense changes halfway through. I think the switch made sense, although I would have appreciated a little more grace in the execution. The ending is solid.
Overall, this story clocks in at "above average." I'll give it an 83%, give or take. It's worth a read, I suppose. It'll only take five minutes.
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