"A Test of Fate" by Mark Lee Pearson. This timely fantasy has the feel of near-future science fiction: a blood test has been developed that predicts with absolute accuracy the specific manner, but not the time, of an individual's death. Political and economic considerations have made this test mandatory in all but a few parts of the world, and the consequences are not only personal fatalism (why stop smoking if you know you're going to die of lung cancer? Why not take audacious risks as a young person if you're destined to succumb to the complications of Alzheimer's?) but also legal concerns for industry. When a woman loses her job because her employers know her death will result from work-related injuries, she decides to fight the decision in the courts. A thought-provoking story enhanced by a well-realized setting and well-developed characters.
A Big Book of Strange, Weird, and Wonderful: The Best Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction from the pages of 'An Unforgettable E-Fiction Quarterly' (Volume 2) available now at Amazon.
