"The Secret of Pogopolis," by Matthew Bey

[Scott H. Andrews]

This thread is to discuss "The Secret of Pogopolis," by Matthew Bey, which appears in BCS #43 (http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/forums/../toc.php?s=43) from May 20, 2010.

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[Unregistered]

A) Doesn't really fit into the submission guidelines
B) This "writer" has clearly never had a real relationship, nor a real conversation, judging from the dialogue (He probably made the girl mute because he doesn't know what they sound like)
C) It's a story about a man who lives in a city which is a pogo-stick for no well-explained reason, who finds a girl who falls in love with him for no well-explained reason, with whom he escapes the city for no well-explained reason.

Was this seriously the best thing in the slush pile?

[Scott H. Andrews]

Wow--sorry you hated it so much. I thought it was very good--a unique world, that needs no more explanation than any other short-fiction fantasy setting does (novel settings of course need more); and a man fighting the ennui of his situation and surroundings, for reasons that felt very real to me.

I think it fits the guidelines perfectly--quite literary, an adventure (a character-based one) of his personal struggle to escape his surroundings, and a fascinating and unique secondary-world setting.

To each his own. ;) I hope you enjoy the next one more.

[kate.marshall]

I'm quite fond of this story, myself. I found the worldbuilding wonderfully inventive, especially with regards to the psychology of the citizens who grew up in such an unusual environment. Carneby's dissatisfaction came across quite vividly to me, as did the girl ("she takes out the knife and clearly offers to amputate"), even though she didn't speak Carneby's language. I felt the dialog perfectly suited the tone of the story--not realistic, perhaps, but fitting in well with the ornate madness of the city.

Of course, ad hominems aside, everyone is entitled to their personal tastes.

[dee-bow]

i liked it, and am excited it was sf.

[Unregistered]

I enjoyed the imaginative world and how that impacted on the lives of the City's inhabitants. The zero-G stuff was great. I'm not sure of the science - I would have thought the free fall part would be a lot longer than the compression and rebound, and the City would still be moving horizontally at apogee so there would still be wind. I also had a hiccup at the reasons given for the City's ever higher bounds.

I thought the characterisation wasn't incredibly deep - Carneby is introduced as relatively sombre, but leaves his job without much cause - but it was strong enough to draw me in.

As for the title - "Pogopolis" seems to lessen the depth of this great creation. I loved the setting and got into the simple, almost bizarro tone of the storytelling. It is told with a great sense of humour (that maybe lessened its emotional power?) Overall, I enjoyed it. The setting is definitely the star.