STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN by J L Navarro

[Robert_Moriyama]

This was a well-told story (although E. Bear may or may not agree in terms of its structure, pacing, conflicts, etc.?) with humor developed through the varying viewpoints of the characters rather than through "wisecracks".  I thought the "voices" of the three major characters were well-handled, distinct enough in rhythm and diction to give a sense of the personalities involved without resorting to exaggeration.  Sam's use of English mixed with a great many non-English words was a little hard to accept, however; many of the non-English words were used for things that presumably would exist in both worlds (articles of clothing, colors), and it seemed inconsistent for most of Sam's vocabulary to be identical to 'ours', while so many common words would be different.<br><br>Also inconsistent was the difference in the effects of the vampirism bug in the two worlds.  From the story, it seems that everybody in Sam's world is a vampire -- they are born that way, so the condition is not due to a 'disease', from their standpoint, anyway. Further, Sam is an omnivore, although he likes to use blood as a seasoning even on salad, and does not seem to have any problem with sunlight.  Once bitten, Roland, on the other hand, craves ONLY blood and has the traditional (in our world) sensitivity to sunlight.<br><br>So:  if vampirism is a communicable disease, it has become so ubiquitous in Sam's world that it is practically part of the human(oid) genome.  The animals (like Jesse the cow) are not affected by it, despite being bitten on a regular basis (one assumes from Jesse's lack of fear).  Roland, however, reacts as if it is a fast-acting virus or retrovirus or self-installing genetic material, and his 'mature' state is more like the traditional definition of a vampire than Sam's version.  Are the differences due to long-term adaptation by people in Sam's world (partial immunity or genetic changes that modify the effects)? (It would be helpful to know if Sam had a pulse ...)<br><br>Recent articles indicate that some genetic traits can be modified in a mature individual using certain gene therapy techniques.  (Turning off a gene that limits muscle growth, for example.)  Does the vampirism contagion work along those lines?  Does anybody besides me care??<br><br>(Sigh)  You know a story is interesting when it causes someone to start trying to take it apart to see how it works.<br><br>Robert M.

[kailhofer]

This was an interesting story to read, and I enjoyed it, although it seemed to go against every conflict-resolution model they teach you. It also seemed to refute every criteria they tell you to rate a story on at that OWW workshop site.<br><br>Sam words were hard to follow; I liked them anyway.<br><br>The setting was almost nonexistent--a hole, a ranch, a cow... But it didn't stop me from following along just fine.<br><br>The daughter was the most complete and sympathetic character, and she really wasn't needed for the story. Sam is the main character, but doesn't have any real conflict to resolve, and isn't involved with the conclusion. The dad may have been flat and not engaging, but still filled the role adequately. I mean, he still became a vampire menace at the end, even without us knowing much about him.<br><br>Three POVs are hard to follow, but without a third character, how would Sam have gone home? The POVs also disrupt the supposedly holy "narrative flow," yet the story unwinds before us just fine.<br><br>This story seems to laugh at convention, and I like it all the more for it. I don't know if JL Navarro did any of these things on purpose or not, but it worked for me.<br><br>Nate