"The Perfect Book" isn't a perfect science fiction short story, but it's definitely good. Author Alex Shvartsman's stories are often in my ballpark, and this story does not disappoint.
The texture of "The Perfect Book" is the familiar smooth of modern sci-fi shorts. It flows like honey and makes Orwell's prose look decidedly unlike Orwellian prose (if anyone understands that reference).
I like both main characters in this story, especially because of how deep they are in contrast to the story's length. The 1st-person narrator is given a competency boost due to the content of the story, which pairs well with high sympathy. Jacquelyn isn't extremely pro-active, but the other main character's proactivity covers her well enough under the specific circumstances surrounding "The Perfect Book."
There's actually a little bit of plot progression in this story, even though it's only twenty-five paragraphs long. The plot works in splendid tandem with the character development.
The setting is interesting. It implies that in that world it is probably impossible to create "the perfect book." Is it possible in the real world? We don't know and probably never will.
If you haven't already, click the link above to read "The Perfect Book" by Alex Shvartsman, published in the third issue of Fantasy Scroll Mag.
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