This series focuses on stories that are both enjoyable and do something that I find interesting from a technical perspective. This week, it’s our turn to be the aliens.
Making humans the aliens is awfully hard to pull off well, mostly because it’s been done to death. Not that it hasn’t been done well, too…Terry Bisson’s “They’re Made of Meat” is absolutely marvelous, but it’s more of a thought experiment than a full story. (That said, you should read it if you haven’t. It’s the funniest solution to the Fermi Paradox I’ve ever read.)
“They Breed Like Flies,” by Jeff Walden and published in Compelling Science Fiction, carefully creates a believable insectoid alien culture with believable insectoid teenagers, throws a human diplomatic party into the mix, and then sits back and enjoys the chaos. It’s a fun read, and there are some great twists to keep you guessing about the trajectory of the story.
One thing I really like about Walden’s storytelling is his use of dramatic irony to add to the tension in the story. Everything in the story hangs together perfectly well on its own level, which is basically insectoid YA romance lit. (I know that sounds kind of gross. So does Walden, and he turns that assumption on its head for both dramatic and comedic purposes.) However, we (as humans) know a great deal more about what’s going on than the POV insectoid character, and Walden skillfully uses that knowledge to ramp up the tension in the latter half of the story.