Our second piece of audio fiction for March is "Perfect Lies" written by Gwendolyn Clare and read by Kate Baker.
Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 54 - Perfect Lies by Gwendolyn Clare [42:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (7494)
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Gwendolyn Clare has a BA in Ecology, a BS in Geophysics, and is currently working to add another acronym to her collection. Away from the laboratory, she enjoys practicing martial arts, adopting feral cats, and writing speculative fiction. Her short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Asimov's, Ekaterina Sedia's Bewere the Night anthology, Daily Science Fiction, and Abyss and Apex, among others.
Website:
gwendolynclare.com
I enjoyed this story a great deal, the character was interesting,the aliens were fairly novel and the ending was great. Though I had mixed feelings on the comments at the end.
While I agree that people should not be forced to undergo elective surgery, I always roll my eyes when the person refusing said surgery for a disability tries to claim they are not, in fact, disabled.
To that end, I can't see comparing a hypothetical treatment for sociopathy with treatment for hearing loss. No matter how much "deaf culture" commentary I've heard, I have yet to understand how someone can claim a deaf person is in no way suffering an inherent disadvantage when compared to a person who can hear. This has nothing to do with a social construct or an inherent predjudice, it is simply a fact that a person unable to use a phone, hear a door knocking or listen to a recording is at a disadvantage. As such, I don't see this as a valid comparison. Additionally, the story did not suggest sociopaths were forced to use the cure for their condition, anymore than deaf people are forced to receive cochlear implants today.
Keep up the great stories, really enjoyed listening to this one!