
The story of Emily and Control [fiction] - akkartik
http://squid314.livejournal.com/293753.html
======
pierrec
(soft spoiler:)

I think I'm culturally incompatible with this story. Reading the end, I felt
the whole thing was a poor joke or some kind of elaborate troll. Maybe it
doesn't help that I've only ever heard of "ouija boards" in the context of
people laughing at the thing. So the story suddenly becomes comical when the
characters (so far rational) appear to take it so seriously without
explanation. I'm saying this is cultural, since I should probably have put
myself in a mindset where ouija boards are going to be serious business before
reading anything on livejournal.

I could certainly enjoy a good fiction based on the premise that ouija boards
work, but the art of good SF/fantasy is also about introducing unreal elements
in a way that doesn't break the storytelling flow. A safe was of doing that is
by introducing such elements right in the first paragraph (not in the
conclusion...)

~~~
cjbprime
I (believe myself to) share the author's culture and I had the same thought.
So I think you've simply found a very strong criticism of the story.

------
exolymph
Deep cuts, huh? In case anyone isn't aware, this is Slate Star Codex's old
blog. Scott is currently writing a novel that's also very good:
[http://unsongbook.com/](http://unsongbook.com/)

------
cjbprime
Another good short story in the genre of rationalist fiction:

[http://www.yudkowsky.net/other/fiction/the-sword-of-
good](http://www.yudkowsky.net/other/fiction/the-sword-of-good)

(And of course there's also Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.)

