http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/bear-and-shifty/
BENJAMIN PARZYBOK


"Bear and Shifty" by Benjamin Parzybok is, at first glance, a pretty typical alien invasion/post-apocalypse story. There are conquering aliens in advanced technology and the gritty, large protagonist with the big gun. The set-up is straight out of any of a dozen recent media outings like "Falling Skies" or "V".

But much like the namesakes of this story, protagonist Bear and pseudo-antagonist Shifty, this story is more than it seems on the surface. This is a tale about duality and to a less extent about self-awareness. The aliens have a technology that allows them to essentially piggyback on human consciousness, to effectively hijack the human brain with an alien awareness.

Bear is a past victim of this technology that has broken free. The experience has changed him dramatically as has the existence he and the rest of humanity are forced to life as rebels and itinerants. The action of the story is a typical chase scene but the heart of it is with Bear, a man who is capable of great compassion, who is seeking a way to free himself from the lingering memories of his past captivity, but who is also ruthless and mercenary as a course of survival. This dichotomy is echoed on multiple levels, including the subtle hints that Bear may not have completely slipped the alien control.

Secondary is the idea that Bear is both very aware of his own contradictions, and yet, oddly not aware of the impacts of them on his own psyche. He has a moment where he seems on the verge of a revelation about humanity as a whole that slips away. He laments the fact that perhaps humanity is not capable of such epiphanies and the moment itself feels slightly heavy-handed and labored. However, the subtler parallel that Bear, a single person, can fail to recognize the smaller understanding of his own nature, and that this lacking on a micro level is, in fact, the reason for the larger failure in awareness as a species is well done.

This is a story that works on different levels and is more or less successful depending on what the reader is hoping to get out of the experience. As a slice-of-life tale in a dangerous world it is okay. The action moves quickly but the world is drawn in only the broadest strokes with little depth or detail. On one hand this works for quick immersion. We don't need to know the details to enjoy the gunfight. It's the equivalent of a movie blockbuster, flashy and loud but lacking substance. Some people like that and others do not. For me, I would have preferred something more textured.

For me the whole thing is more successful as a character study of Bear. You get just enough pertinent details about his life to get the portrait of a deeply fractured man. The reader is made to feel for his experience and empathize without the writing getting too manipulative or sentimental. Even better the reader is allowed to react more emotionally to the trauma of Bear's life than he himself can. This, in my opinion, is the best part of the story.

It also, as explored above, takes an interesting philosophical view on consciousness, awareness, and human nature. However, this is not transparent. It took time for me to see these elements, and I may be projecting greater meaning that is actually on the page. This is, of course, the curse of having been an English major.

In the end, I enjoyed this story, but I did get the sense of just skimming along the surface of the world, the characters, and the meaning. It is not bad on any level, but it did feel a little scattered and thin which left me feeling a little let down after my first reading. Much like Bear I felt like I had been brought to the precipice of something amazing that then just faded away.

Which, of course, in retrospect, is part of what makes the story work. I was not just reading about Bear's experience but on some level sharing it.

Unfortunately, had I not been writing a review I probably would have never acknowledged that resonance. I would have read the story, taken it at face value, been disappointed, and never given it another thought.

This story is more than it seems from a casual read, however, that beginning premise is so familiar and shiny that it may obscure the depths from many readers. To them this will seem a well-written but forgettable tale and that is a shame.