The Answer: A Fable for Our Times

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
In the course of testing a nuclear warhead, a US general finds the test has killed an innocent bystander - an angel.

Review
The Answer is interesting, so far as it goes, but it doesn't go very far – it's a novelette, and a brief one. While it does wrap up nicely with a message for humanity, I frankly wish it had gone substantially further in exploring the premise. Wylie is primarily interested in getting across a concern about nuclear weapons and a wish that we'd all just get along, but I felt there was more complex story in here that he could have explored. As it stands, it's a nice, efficient message story, but not much more.

Wylie takes an effective tack in making his protagonist, a general, a sceptic of both war and religion, allowing him enough distance to function as a commentator without getting in the way of the story. He's an engaging character, and I would have liked to see more of him.