(urth) Short Story 3: The Dead Man

[Gerry Quinn]

From: Marc Aramini 

> The Grave Secret
>
> This is quite possibly the first truly Wolfe-like story  in terms of theme, 
> because it brings in a conditional, identity based unawareness that is 
> hinted at when you look back at the opening paragraphs.
> 
 > As James anticipates, the corpse enters the house he wants it to and 
> takes a knife from the wall to kill its occupant, one Mary, who knows 
> James well and has judged him harshly for his love of the necromantic 
> pursuits.  The corpse has stabbed her in the breast, and she looks at 
> him to say, James, you’re dead – you died three days ago.  The body 
> he has raised was his own.
It would be interesting if this story were actually called ‘The Dead Man’, because there are distinct resonances with a much later story ‘The Other Dead Man’ (collected in _Endangered Species_).  I won’t post spoilers but the literary technique and theme (albeit translated to hi-tech zombies on board a spacecraft) are quite similar.
- Gerry Quinn
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