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» Hatrack River Forum » Archives » Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show » The Sound of Death, Gareth D. Jones

   
Author Topic: The Sound of Death, Gareth D. Jones
Scott R
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quote:
The doorway to the apartment was guarded by a Peace Officer, all six arms folded across his corrugated chest plate. The vermillion sash of the Service contrasted vividly with the dark grey leather of his skin. Inspector Ek-Lo-Don traversed the length of the corridor, floor-claws tapping out a signature of authority. The guard acknowledged his approach with a subservient-professional rattle of his upper-midclaws.

"Has anyone been inside?" Ek-Lo-Don asked with a muted chattering of his outer jaw.

"Only to verify the location of the body."

The guard stood aside and Ek-Lo-Don pushed through the warm doorway sphincter which gave way with a welcoming murmur. Within was dim warmth. The entry matting gave under his claws with a tinkling crunch of joviality and sprang back into shape with a complementary whoosh of studiousness. The inspector cocked his head: an interesting combination.

The room was a large oval, much bigger than standard. Four door sphincters at diagonal opposites led, he presumed, to the sleep chamber, excretorium, sloughing chamber and storage. Around the walls, an array of high quality furniture: tables, chairs, brood couch, trophy cabinet. In the centre of the floor, a body.

Gareth D Jones works with hazardous waste, which has so far failed to mutate him into a superhero. He is a father of five who also writes stories and drinks lots of tea. His stories have appeared in 40 publications and 23 languages.
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Scott R
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quote:
The Sound of Death started life as a 600 word story in response to a flash fiction challenge – basically just the opening scene of this alien murder mystery. Right from the start I wanted the cause of death and the scene of the crime to be as non-human as possible. As I started expanding the story I realised this principle had to apply to the whole society, their social interactions and motivations. It was soon clear that everything I had learned from watching several seasons of CSI was also useless. I needed to invent entirely new forensic procedures and investigative methodology.
From the Story Behind the Story...
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