Jack McDevitt, "Never Despair"

After burying another member of their expedition, Chaka and Quait decide to turn back.

(from Wastelands)

Then Chaka meets somebody she guesses is a ghost, but is most likely an old amusement park attraction (some kinda fancy interactive hologram, most likely). Neither one seems to recognize each other’s world, because so much time has passed. I really dug this story: weirdly fascinating but kinda subtle. Awesome.
What Happened: One way or another, civilization has mostly collapsed. There are plenty of ruins, but no one seems to have much connection to them or the way earth used to be. What specifically went down isn’t clear.
Destructo-O-Meter: 8.

One thought on “Jack McDevitt, "Never Despair"

  1. Casey Quinn

    Hi, I have recently opened a new ezine called Short Story Library located at http://shortstory.us.com and wanted to pass on the information to you. The site allows you to read some good quality short stories as well as submit your own for consideration in future editions!

    Reply

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