Tor posts free stories on their web site, and put out anthologies of
them sometimes. I got the 2016 edition. One of the stories that I've
gone through I just don't get.

If you'd like, people here could read through it as well. It's not very
long. There are some comments.

https://www.tor.com/2016/01/20/the-caretaker-david-nickle/

I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.

Brian

Default User wrote:

>I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.

Are these people Miss Erish's caretakers, or does she lead a team of
caretakers of something else? She mentions the spheres have realigned.
Is that part of the caretaking?

What was with the scheduled meeting? It was moved, so did the meeting
happen? If so, with whom? And what was the note Miss Erish left and
why, as when she sees them a short while later there's no real mention
made of either the meeting or the note. It doesn't seem like she's
dissolving the group, and in fact is unhappy that Amy has decided to
leave.

Brian

On 6/12/23 17:04, Default User wrote:
> Default User wrote:
>
>> I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.
>
>
> Are these people Miss Erish's caretakers, or does she lead a team of
> caretakers of something else? She mentions the spheres have realigned.
> Is that part of the caretaking?

No. There is an excellent interpretation in a review by "Karen" on
Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116629-the-caretakers

My attention was held by the story which I enjoyed, thank you, but, yes,
it was puzzling.

On Sunday 10 December 2023 at 05:06:57 UTC, Titus G wrote:
> On 6/12/23 17:04, Default User wrote:
> > Default User wrote:
> >
> >> I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.
> >
> >
> > Are these people Miss Erish's caretakers, or does she lead a team of
> > caretakers of something else? She mentions the spheres have realigned.
> > Is that part of the caretaking?
> No. There is an excellent interpretation in a review by "Karen" on
> Goodreads.
> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116629-the-caretakers
>
> My attention was held by the story which I enjoyed, thank you, but, yes,
> it was puzzling.

The description of her reminds me of
Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" concept,
where many rivers are inhabited by immortal
spirits, many of which are human beings who
may have died in an encounter with the water.
Others are born or re-born in the water.
Oh, and they say they are gods, and they
act like it, within limits... I shouldn't mention
limits, they won't like that.

Titus G wrote:

>On 6/12/23 17:04, Default User wrote:
>> Default User wrote:
>>
>>> I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.
>>
>>
>> Are these people Miss Erish's caretakers, or does she lead a team
>>of caretakers of something else? She mentions the spheres have
>>realigned. Is that part of the caretaking?
>
>No. There is an excellent interpretation in a review by "Karen" on
>Goodreads.
>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116629-the-caretakers
>
>My attention was held by the story which I enjoyed, thank you, but,
>yes, it was puzzling.

While Karen's review was lengthy and enthusiastic, I'm not sure that it
was all that deep. It more or less related the obvious surface things
without too much delving into deeper questions. To be fair, the same is
even more true of my discussion.

Brian

Default User wrote:
> Titus G wrote:
>
> >On 6/12/23 17:04, Default User wrote:
> >> Default User wrote:
> >>
> >>> I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.
> >>
> >>
> >> Are these people Miss Erish's caretakers, or does she lead a team
> >>of caretakers of something else? She mentions the spheres have
> >>realigned. Is that part of the caretaking?
> >
> >No. There is an excellent interpretation in a review by "Karen" on
> >Goodreads.
> >https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116629-the-caretakers
> >
> >My attention was held by the story which I enjoyed, thank you, but,
> >yes, it was puzzling.
> While Karen's review was lengthy and enthusiastic, I'm not sure that it
> was all that deep. It more or less related the obvious surface things
> without too much delving into deeper questions. To be fair, the same is
> even more true of my discussion.
>

Was that review longer than "Caretakers"? I started to read it, but the words began blurring, so I stopped. Perhaps a review longer than the story is necessary; the story is almost short enough that sentences need to be doing double duty, say as scene-setting and characterization: an example is characterization and reflective characterization, our narrator describes describes the other woman -who we've been given clues is very like our narrator- as a _slut_, (emphasis hers,) which is almost immediately retracted, not in intent, but for need of a word that would reflect less poorly on her for using. (My first thought for an example was the scene setting of the cars seen through the snow, described as across a river, or as a river of traffic, might play in to the importance later given to a river, but I can't make anything of it, maybe someone else can.)

I'm ready to dismiss it as not sf and not a story, but I can gnaw on the bone a little more: As a story, it's basically a description of a situation, the only character taking decisive action about this situation, who is changed the most by it, the closest thing to a protagonist, is barely described and off stage after the climactic action. As sf, it is only as much as those Old Dark House stories that invite you to consider a supernatural explanation before the point it confirms or refutes it. If I were to give this story more social freight than I think it can bear, I would criticize it for leaning towards the mindset of "she's a witch! burn her!'

--
-Jack

On 12/5/23 20:03, Default User wrote:
>
> Tor posts free stories on their web site, and put out anthologies of
> them sometimes. I got the 2016 edition. One of the stories that I've
> gone through I just don't get.
>
> If you'd like, people here could read through it as well. It's not very
> long. There are some comments.
>
> https://www.tor.com/2016/01/20/the-caretaker-david-nickle/
>
> I will post my reaction and questions in a reply message.
>
>
> Brian
I found this story just a bit odd, and somewhat ambiguous.
--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Sr. Software Engineer (Retired, mostly)