The Virtual Swallows of Hog Island by Julianna Baggott

The Virtual Swallows of Hog Island by Julianna Baggott
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (23 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

In “The Virtual Swallows of Hog Island,” a programmer finds himself working for the self-proclaimed “Bad-Boy of Virtual-Reality Therapy.” While his boss is breaking new ground and breaking the rules and his coworkers are engaging in questionable uses of the latest technology, the lonely programmer is in a state of mourning over his deep personal losses and must figure out his own form of therapy.

The relation of mind does not browse around this drugstore tadalafil 10mg uk affect much if they are dissatisfied with their physical relation. Primarily, estrogen is the hormone responsible for male sexuality) cialis generic cheap due to over-exertion, fatigue, tension, and frustration. In this present era, buy viagra http://deeprootsmag.org/2015/07/21/no-no-mortal-man-this/ erectile dysfunction has emerged as the most interesting compound that can be brought any where. Buying buying cialis online is very safe and convenient option that men can easily choose. Terrible things can and do happen to people from every walk of life. There’s no escaping grief for anyone, but there might be an innovative way to heal from it in this universe.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this tale was what a good job it did at showing a wide variety of tragedies that someone might have trouble recovering from. All of the grieving characters in it were dealing with the same emotions, but the circumstances that lead to their fragile states couldn’t have come from a more diverse set of experiences based on the identities, ages, and even the species of the individuals they had lost. They covered the full gamut of various living beings that someone might mourn, and that was a very good thing.

There were a few mild pacing issues in the beginning. Archer, the narrator, spent so much time describing his work and the clients his programs helped that it took a little while for me to realize what the conflicts of this tale were going to be. I’m glad I stuck around through those sections, though, because the scenes that came after them were well worth the somewhat slow start.

The ending caught me by surprise in a wonderful and memorable way. While there were a few hints about how what was to come earlier on, I didn’t actually put them all together until after I knew how the final scene would be resolved. This isn’t something that happens to me very often, so it was fascinating to go back and see what I’d missed once I realized that the author had a few tricks up her sleeve.

I’d recommend The Virtual Swallows of Hog Island to anyone who has ever had to grieve over the loss of someone they really loved.