Tyler Keevil. Fearful Symmetry. (Interzone #238, Jan-Feb 2012)

Science thriller set in a remote wilderness in eastern Europe, post-something. There’s climate change to contend with, and the story revolves around the exact nature of an animal in the forests which is killing the locals. Simply hunting it down isn’t an option, as the genetic mutations rife in animals (and humans) requires the authorities to identify exactly what the creature is, for should it be a genetically new animal, it must be preserved.

Keevil sets the scene well, as a female western scientist has to deal with reluctant support from the local scientists, and more openly hostile reaction from the local hunters. The tension builds as they trek through the forest and realise that the hunters have become the hunters. There’s a taut finish in a story that delivers what it sets out to.

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