Another story I want to spotlight: Through My Eyes. Again. by Iskander. Which is, yes, yet another do-over story—and yeah, I binged on do-over stories, not just on SOL, but also Chinese webnovels and American ebooks. This is one of the better I've read. I won't say it's my favorite, as that's the unfinished Rewind, but this one is lean and tight and harrowing and it nails the ending. Nails it.
It's fascinating how the do-over premise, in the hands of different authors, can be used with different focuses: rectifying wrongs either done to or by the protagonist, dealing with traumas of the previous life or of the dislocation itself, the logic problems of time-travel itself, building a more fulfilling life, pure wish-fulfillment, and so on. This one, more than most, is concerned with the play of history and incremental changes, and does it while remaining a tightly personal story.
The author has written a few side-stories, mainly set prior to this, and is working on a sequel. The former are tasty, and I look forward to the latter with a mix of anticipation and dread, hoping it meets the expectations set by this. (No pressure, Iskander!) In the meantime, there's this to read (or reread, as the case may be).
(And can I just say I love punctuation play in story titles? It's almost as much fun as doing it in band names, and yes, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, I'm looking at you.)
