Bewildering Stories introduces and welcomes...

Barry Fields

Barry lives with his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He enjoys hiking, traveling and the French language and culture. He has published more than two dozen short stories as well as many nonfiction articles.

“Resonance” is a horror story reflecting populist distrust and resentment of societal institutions. An authority within a medical society is depicted as starkly criminal, while a qualified physician, Dr. Barlowe, is depicted as a lone individual persecuted on account of her seemingly magical healing powers.

The story rightly depicts Canada as less riven by social and political distrust and dissension than the U.S. However, one would expect that Dr. Barlowe would contact the provincial government of Ontario or Quebec; the federal government would be more appropriate for medical services in the northern territories, while the provincial governments are responsible for it otherwise.

In any case, one might suggest that Dr. Barlowe could exercise her talents in almost any state of the U.S. She could function not as the licensed physician she is but as a cult goddess who makes her devotees feel better when she sings mystical tunes. She couldn’t be accused of practicing medicine, and one could hardly prosecute the individuals who hear her for healing spontaneously.

Barry Fields’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Barry. We’re glad to have you with us.