One of the most effective kinds of horror is that which explores the boundaries of what human beings are capable of. Other animals kill for food or to eliminate a threat. Only humans kill for sport.
In this case, the everyday touches, like the occasional lol, made the story all too believable. Brilliant job!
Good lord, this is horrific and intense. It is also disgustingly believable. I couldn't rip my eyes away from this, Andy - you are SO good. And just as Nick said, I kind of hate myself for liking this so much, too. Amazing.
Every now and then, a story just pops up on my feed over and over again and I get to wondering "What's so special about this one?"
Inevitably I go and check it out. I'm late to the party on this one, but man... I get it. This was so unique, well written, dark, and also so timely. Hats off to you.
In all seriousness - you’re the Van Gogh (maybe Bosch is more accurate) of futuristic horror writing. You have a remarkable talent, thank you for sharing your incredible work with us.
Andy Futuro, you’re a goddamn fucking satiric genius. I know I’ve seen this idea before in a story somewhere, but it wasn’t done like this (and therefore apparently wasn’t memorable). I especially liked the extension of the logic in the “father son vacation package” and the corporate soullessness of the “team-building exercise.” The appearances of the racist and the rapist are smartly handled. You hit the story’s premise from all angles, save perhaps one (a terminally ill customer, which offers opportunities for nuance but might be too convoluted for inclusion here — maybe that’s a premise for a sequel?). And the last line really puts the knife in!
Wow. Amazing. One of my favourite things to do on the internet is read reviews of anything from paper clips to public toilets to stock standard restaurants and hotels. I genuinely forgot I was reading fiction. You are a wizard
Heartbreaking and terrifyingly plausible. It makes me despair for humanity. In a way, I almost wish that I could unread this story, because it will be haunting my imagination for a long time. Well done.
yes... its great writing but its desperately bleak because you can see this happening ... in the world where that 50+ gang of rapist beasts in France exists right now, and surely will exist elsewhere in France and no doubt other countries, we are a whisker away from it, the legalising of disposable human life. so little worth is attached to life in so many places.
We need to fight against the acceptance of disposal. It's something I've done my whole life - helping all sorts of critters as a child, raising my own kids, helping in nursing homes as a nursing aide, and now caregiving for my father-in-law, who lives with us. I even rescue insects (I'm chief bug catcher in our house - though during the winter I secretly release them into the utility room or garage)! Life is valuable, life is precious. Death is inevitable - and unless one is a vegetarian, death is necessary for survival. But we need to show empathy for the dying, and gratitude to any creatures that die to sustain us. Full disclosure, I don't eat critters, but I know mine is an extreme attitude - my loved ones are omnivores.
I didn't know about the rapists in France and had to look it up. Gisèle Pelicot is a very brave woman. I am horrified by the actions of her husband and the other rapists, but they will be punished, and not just by jail time. Their wives, parents, sisters, and neighbors will never look at them the same way again... they will suffer, and hopefully will learn to feel the empathy that will allow them to become better men. And because Ms. Pelicot refused to hide her experiences and refused to feel shame for what had been done to her, the world might change for the better, too. Evil proliferates in secret corners.
I do realize that many people seem to care less for human life - but I have hope that the good will someday overwhelm the evil.
💯 "Evil proliferates in secret corners." My goal with this was to take violence and cruelty and bring it ad absurdum to the level of entertainment so that it can't as easily be hidden by sophistry and propaganda.
Thank you, you are too kind... And of course there are deep, wonderful voices like your's.
Yes, his work can't be ignored, which is a good thing. I do like my rose-colored glasses. but we can't fight evil if we don't know about it. And despite all the ivory tower talk, I'm not forgetting that Andy's writing is both powerful and entertaining.
Jesus God in Heaven, Andy. This shit will haunt my nightmares. I hate how this feels only a fraction of a moment away from our real lives. I love how dark and bleak and soul crushing it is. It's real life through the mirror of broken sadness. Well done, sir.
Wow. I opened my Kindle and among my 7 Instapaper files, I chose one at random and this is what appeared as my first read of the morning, in preparation for a few hours of writing.
I can't improve upon any of the other commenters - this was incredible, and that's putting it mildly. Not the kind of thing I'd usually read - I'm eager to read more now!
(as for what kind of impact it will now have on my next book chapter, which I'm about to commence...things might be taking a dark turn, thanks for the inspiration!)
One of the most effective kinds of horror is that which explores the boundaries of what human beings are capable of. Other animals kill for food or to eliminate a threat. Only humans kill for sport.
In this case, the everyday touches, like the occasional lol, made the story all too believable. Brilliant job!
Thank you 🙏
Good lord, this is horrific and intense. It is also disgustingly believable. I couldn't rip my eyes away from this, Andy - you are SO good. And just as Nick said, I kind of hate myself for liking this so much, too. Amazing.
Thank you very much 🙏
Every now and then, a story just pops up on my feed over and over again and I get to wondering "What's so special about this one?"
Inevitably I go and check it out. I'm late to the party on this one, but man... I get it. This was so unique, well written, dark, and also so timely. Hats off to you.
Thank you very much 🙏
🤢🤢🤮 oh man that was awesome 🤢🤮
Thank you 🙏
In all seriousness - you’re the Van Gogh (maybe Bosch is more accurate) of futuristic horror writing. You have a remarkable talent, thank you for sharing your incredible work with us.
I am humbled 🙏
yes… i sort of hated myself for liking it so much
Andy Futuro, you’re a goddamn fucking satiric genius. I know I’ve seen this idea before in a story somewhere, but it wasn’t done like this (and therefore apparently wasn’t memorable). I especially liked the extension of the logic in the “father son vacation package” and the corporate soullessness of the “team-building exercise.” The appearances of the racist and the rapist are smartly handled. You hit the story’s premise from all angles, save perhaps one (a terminally ill customer, which offers opportunities for nuance but might be too convoluted for inclusion here — maybe that’s a premise for a sequel?). And the last line really puts the knife in!
Thank you very much for your attention and your thoughtful comments 🙏
Wow. Amazing. One of my favourite things to do on the internet is read reviews of anything from paper clips to public toilets to stock standard restaurants and hotels. I genuinely forgot I was reading fiction. You are a wizard
Thank you very much 🙏
Heartbreaking and terrifyingly plausible. It makes me despair for humanity. In a way, I almost wish that I could unread this story, because it will be haunting my imagination for a long time. Well done.
Thank you very much 🙏
yes... its great writing but its desperately bleak because you can see this happening ... in the world where that 50+ gang of rapist beasts in France exists right now, and surely will exist elsewhere in France and no doubt other countries, we are a whisker away from it, the legalising of disposable human life. so little worth is attached to life in so many places.
We need to fight against the acceptance of disposal. It's something I've done my whole life - helping all sorts of critters as a child, raising my own kids, helping in nursing homes as a nursing aide, and now caregiving for my father-in-law, who lives with us. I even rescue insects (I'm chief bug catcher in our house - though during the winter I secretly release them into the utility room or garage)! Life is valuable, life is precious. Death is inevitable - and unless one is a vegetarian, death is necessary for survival. But we need to show empathy for the dying, and gratitude to any creatures that die to sustain us. Full disclosure, I don't eat critters, but I know mine is an extreme attitude - my loved ones are omnivores.
I didn't know about the rapists in France and had to look it up. Gisèle Pelicot is a very brave woman. I am horrified by the actions of her husband and the other rapists, but they will be punished, and not just by jail time. Their wives, parents, sisters, and neighbors will never look at them the same way again... they will suffer, and hopefully will learn to feel the empathy that will allow them to become better men. And because Ms. Pelicot refused to hide her experiences and refused to feel shame for what had been done to her, the world might change for the better, too. Evil proliferates in secret corners.
I do realize that many people seem to care less for human life - but I have hope that the good will someday overwhelm the evil.
💯 "Evil proliferates in secret corners." My goal with this was to take violence and cruelty and bring it ad absurdum to the level of entertainment so that it can't as easily be hidden by sophistry and propaganda.
Yes, your work is important. You're sweeping out the corners, so we can't pretend the evil isn't there. And you do it so WELL. 😉
🙏
and we do have beautiful strong voices like yours Jeannine. we mustn't forget that. Andy's work has truly struck a jangling chord amongst us hasnt it.
Thank you, you are too kind... And of course there are deep, wonderful voices like your's.
Yes, his work can't be ignored, which is a good thing. I do like my rose-colored glasses. but we can't fight evil if we don't know about it. And despite all the ivory tower talk, I'm not forgetting that Andy's writing is both powerful and entertaining.
Jesus God in Heaven, Andy. This shit will haunt my nightmares. I hate how this feels only a fraction of a moment away from our real lives. I love how dark and bleak and soul crushing it is. It's real life through the mirror of broken sadness. Well done, sir.
Thank you very much 🙏. It wasn't much of a leap to imagine.
That was a fun read! I liked the review format.
Thank you 🙏.
Wow. I opened my Kindle and among my 7 Instapaper files, I chose one at random and this is what appeared as my first read of the morning, in preparation for a few hours of writing.
I can't improve upon any of the other commenters - this was incredible, and that's putting it mildly. Not the kind of thing I'd usually read - I'm eager to read more now!
(as for what kind of impact it will now have on my next book chapter, which I'm about to commence...things might be taking a dark turn, thanks for the inspiration!)
Thank you very much 🙏
I do not say this lightly, but Andy, WHAT THE FUCK?!
🙏 Thank you. High praise from your eminence.
Just call me The Editor, that’s my titular.
Brutal, smart, satirical, but just this side of believable to make it firmly horrific. Excuse me while I mourn humanity.
Thank you very much 🙏
What's terrifying is I can believe this happening very soon.
🙏 It didn't exactly tax the imagination to write.
Once you came up with the original awful (and perfectly feasible) idea, nothing is too awful to be believable. Humanity is the pits.
Can I buy two and make them fight each other?
Absolutely! As long as you fulfill the termination clause.
We want to stream it to youtube, make an event of it. My lawyers will be in touch.
Love the construct and concept. Super super good!
Thank you very much 🙏.
I am so glad you reshared this recently. Excellent stuff! Really liked the different "voices" in the reviews.
Thank you very much 🙏