Chris Butler

Autumn City is pretty similar to cities in Europe in Victorian times, with the exception of the fact that people emit ‘spores’ that give an indication of their emotions. The story sets up quite nicely, but rather ends with a whimper, with the issuing of spores being a Chekhov’s Gun which you want to play a key role in the denouement, but which doesn’t happen.

A short piece set in a society where pheromones are the primary means of interpersonal understanding, with facial expressions and body language no longer understood.