Review: Surprising and satisfying
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2012
The horror trope of malevolent authority figures experimenting on prison inmates is a tad overused, but Hopkins puts an original spin on it by telling the story from the point of view of the inmate.  I had to wonder why we weren't told what the protagonist had done to put him on death row, and why, except for his appearance, he seemed atypical from your customary hardened criminal - but rest assured, the reader will find the answer to that in the end, and that answer will be surprising (and all the more satisfying for it).***SPOILER ALERT***My main nitpick is that the stakes didn't seem high enough for all the trouble the characters went to - if the ill effects of Evans' 'treatment' wear off in a few days, then what was all the fuss about?  Aside from that, though, this is a cleverly plotted short story that makes intelligent use of a twist ending.