Title: Skinner BoxAuthor: Carole Johnstone
First Published: June 5, 2019
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 40
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Short Stories
Format: Web
Source: Tor.com
Rating:
Synopsis:
A disturbing science fiction story about space exploration and a seemingly routine scientific mission to Jupiter that is threatened by the interpersonal relationships of its crew.
This story is available to read for free here on Tor.com.
Review
Skinner Box is a clever little story that blends psychological horror and hard science fiction seamlessly. Evie is a neuropsychologist aboard a shuttle with her husband, an abusive and terrifying man, and a young male engineer who is infatuated with her. The three are trapped in tight quarters with each other as they carry out their work separately on board far from home.
The narrative is dizzying and the very real domestic horror is felt keenly with distressing detail. The name of the story comes from Evie’s experiments with nanotechnology and a skinner box, alluding to a famous invention by B. F. Skinner to condition behavior in rats. The story creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that makes the passengers on board feel like they’re trapped in a box hurtling through space. This is the type of story that is best to go into knowing as little as possible, it’s a mind-bending adventure that could have easily spanned a much longer novel.
Quote
“If the reward is big enough, wanted or needed enough, a rat will endure pain past the point of recovery. Of sense. And that’s obvious why too. All life, after all, is just pushing levers and hoping.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Carole Johnstone
Carole Johnstone is an award-winning writer from Scotland, whose short stories have been published all over the world. Mirrorland, a psychological suspense with a gothic twist, is her debut novel.
Having grown up in Lanarkshire, she now lives in the beautiful Argyll & Bute, Scotland, and is currently working on her second novel: a very unusual murder-mystery, set in the equally beautiful Outer Hebrides.
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