Waiting for the Phone to Ring: 12/13/10

"Waiting for the Phone to Ring" by Richard Bowes is another installment in what will be a roman clef. I wrote in my review of "I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said" that it was my favorite stories from the December 2009 issue. I can't say the same of "Waiting for the Phone to Ring."

In fact, like about half of the reviews I've read, I really can't remember the story. It made no lasting impression on me. There's a vague sense of a man being visited by his past twice in the same day after years of being alone. But that's not enough to go on to write a review.

I'm going to go further and say I'm getting tired of F&SF's commitment to long series of stories. I'm bored to death of Fred Chappell's Shadow series. I'm growing weary of Cowdrey's obsession with New Orleans, the Civil War and the Bayou. I suspect that Bowes will be another one of these authors whose appearance in an issue will make me cringe.

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Friday, December, 17, 2010 at 14:12:12

darla d

I agree - I have let my subscription to F&SF lapse for that very reason. Kind of a sameness, and a lack of memorableness (memorability?). It's too bad!

Comment #2: Monday, December 20, 2010 at 19:56:41

Pussreboots

I still like about 80 to 90 percent of each issue so I'm sticking with my subscription for now. I'm just allowing myself to skip the authors and series who don't do it for me.