Review of Sarah Pauling, “Informed Consent Logs from the Soul Swap Clinic”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
With an interesting concept of swapping your souls into other bodies, I was hooked from the beginning.
It was fun getting into the mindset of the technician, and the two swappers, RED and BLUE. While it was a good look into how people prioritize certain qualities and attributes, I ultimately felt it was an unjust and unfair conclusion, and I felt it could have been executed in a way that didn’t lead to one person getting misled into a disappointing existence.
Essentially, I liked the concept and prose, but not the unsatisfying conclusion that disregards the wishes of another human being on purpose, with no empathy shown towards their vision or goal.
** At the risk of a spoiler, I can only hope I misunderstood what happens to RED.
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