Review: Another Gem from Hugh
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 22, 2012
Hugh again displays his gift of understanding people, the extremes we'll endure to find happiness, and the ever ominous fact that not everyone does. With a clever science fiction "what if" to set up the story, we fall into step right away with a character attempting to climb a mountain on a distant planet which is at least twice as tall as Mt. Everest. This unnamed narrator admits up front that he's willing to kill to get to the top first, and as we get to know the competition racing him, we grow to wish it won't have to come to that. We like this guy, and we hope for a glorious finish.This is a tremendous story that continues to impact me and my view on life. I have great aspirations as well, and sometimes they feel a lot like this story of climbing a 60,000 foot high mountain.Great philosophical questions posed in this story, such as why we strive to be #1 at such awful costs to us and those around us. This is a kind of addiction, and sometimes great costs have to be paid in order to break free--if you're lucky enough that you can break free after paying the cost. Sometimes this addiction takes lives, leaving us as stumps in the snow, possibly never even to be recognized for the battle we fought.I could go on, but I'll stop. Everything I've read by this author has been 5 stars, and for very good reason. I, Zombie and Wool Omnibus are two of my favorite books, and also deal with survival and addictions in philosophical and exciting stories. The Plagiarist is another great short work I recommend.