Set in Tidhar’s ‘Central Station’ milieu, stories from which have appeared in various locations, most relevant to this story being ‘The Indignity of Rain‘ two issues ago in Interzone #240.
I liked that previous story, and this equally so, a story that you spend a bit more time reading than other stories, as there’s more depth and texture to this story than many others. Central Station is a transport hub between Tel Aviv/Jaffa and Carmel has landed there, her first time on Earth. She has to hide her true nature to get through the security checks – she is a Shambleau, a Strigo, a data-vampire.
The story doesn’t move very far, but we get some back story from Carmel, explaining how she arrived at Central Station, and I’m waiting for the next story in the sequence. (And there’s a neat little reference to Larry Niven’s ‘Ringworld’ but don’t blink or you’ll miss it).
