Hello again friends! This week I have the story "Meat And Salt And Sparks" by Rich Larson in my sights - because it was highly recommended by the folks over at Rocket Stack Rank. So I thought I'd take a gander at it... and you know what? It was pretty darn good! Oh, and if you haven't already done so, be sure to check out Rocket Stack Rank. They read all kinds of online short science fiction stories and rank them - which makes it extremely easy to find great stories to read! But don't get any fancy ideas and jump ship to only follow their site, because, well... that would hurt my feelings! ;-)

Non-Spoiler Summary

Cu is an uplifted / enhanced chimpanzee who works as a detective for the Seattle Police Department. She and her human partner, Huxley, are investigating a murder by a woman who was possibly under the control of someone else. As Cu works from home to plumb the depths of the internet for information about the case, she receives a bizarre and strange message from an anonymous source. If she follows the clues down that dark rabbit-hole she may expose herself to memories and feelings she'd rather not experience again. But will the experience make her a better chimp / intelligence? Maybe, as long as she remembers to use those PTSD mitigation techniques!

My Two Cents

• I thought Cu was a great character! She had depth, and the author made me care about her. I also found it a bit humorous and ironic that she was way more civilized than Huxley or any of the other humans in this story!
• I would like to thank the author for having Cu use sign language to communicate with humans, rather than giving her some diminished speaking ability!
• Cu's home and work space were very cool, and something I could easily see happening for our uplifted cousins.
• The writing in this story was excellent, and the story had great flow. It is always nice to read stories that are well written!
• However, I did feel that some of the climactic scenes were too rushed, and felt a little too easily won. I know that short stories are limited and have to keep the pace moving along, but still, I think those parts could have been done better.
• Obviously, this story feels a lot like David Brin's Uplift stories.^† If you are a fan of those, then you should feel right at home with this story. (See below for more about this.)
• Final Verdict:

Where To Find Meat And Salt And Sparks

• You can read "Meat And Salt And Sparks" for free online at Tor.com.

Want More Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Meat And Salt And Sparks" then you might also enjoy "Gorilla My Dreams" by David Brin - about an uplifted dolphin and chimp who must make a treacherous journey to ensure the safety of humankind.

† - This is an affiliate link.  Learn more on my Privacy & Disclosure page.

(This is a revised version of a post which was originally published on BestScienceFictionStories.com on Aug 1st, 2018.)