Aphelion

Part of the story didn't work for me. I can't understand what Nelson is. Is Nelson a serial killer who has come home to his killing fields? Is he an Indian ghost or descendent from an Indian tribe who has taken it upon himself to avenge his ancesters?<br><br>One would not expect to find filler, many rust spots, or patches on a late model Chevy. Also, later Nelson is driving an Econoline! That's a Ford.<br><br>Also, a kid would not describe an arrow being shot in a poetic sense. He would probably say," It zoomed up like a rocket, stopped, then zoomed back down!" Even when a kid is thinking to himself.<br><br><br>But on the positive side, I liked the description of the one detective "That fat one with a brush cut and flat head..." A kid would think in those terms. And the detectives came alive, especially when "Fat-Head" stared at Samuel for so long that Samuel had to turn his head.<br><br>The detail of Samuel walking behind the man showed caution on Samuel's part. It's too bad, but kids often trust an adult after being around them for a short time!<br><br>The Description worked and the way Samuel approached Nelson at the old barn, made me feel as if I were there, watching at the barn, and that type of setting is a big plus to me when reading a story.<br><br>Maybe Nelson killed his family years ago and returned to face his crime? The fort that he and and his brother built must mean something, but I'm not sure about how it fits into the story, yet.<br><br>The crossbow suggests cunning to me. Modern crossbows are very powerful, and they can kill silently. Crossbows in my opinon are one of the most under-rated weapons manufactured today. They are very lethal and easier to conceal than a long bow, so Nelson just might be a seasoned killer.<br><br>The police at the barn during the end? Do they know that Nelson is in town, and have they been after hims?<br><br>Nelson has me baffled, and maybe that's a good thing. After all, it will keep me musing over the story and what Nelson really is.<br><br>

For me, certain parts kind of dragged on, but they did pick up at a fast pace eventually. I still liked the story actually. One thing that sticks out for me tho is that it didn't "feel" like a fantasy story. Not that that bothers me, its just something I did notice.

it could qualify as SF since the genre is so broad anything outside DVD manuals seems to find its way into its inviting bossom at some point. come to think of it, i had a couple of manuals that were sci fi in light of the promises they made.

Lee

<br><br>And the translation from the original language (an obscure dialect of Kzinti?) was reminiscent of James Joyce a la 'Ulysses' ... or the fake text in phishing e-mails ...<br><br>But seriously, folk, 'Red Arrow' qualifies as a horror story, albeit a subtle one. Once again, to paraphrase Walt Kelly, we have met the monsters -- and they is us. (Wanna see a truly scary monster? Rent 'American Psycho'.)<br><br>Robert M.