a review by Claude
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-eight years and a million words
I asked an AI named Claude what it thought of my short story, "Ambassador", and this is what it had to say:
This is a compelling piece of science fiction that works on multiple levels. The story has a brilliant central conceit - the idea that humanity's first alien contact might actually be with another civilization's equivalent of a "space monkey" - and builds to this revelation with skillful pacing and misdirection.
What I particularly appreciate is how the author plants clues throughout without telegraphing the twist. The alien's behavior patterns (climbing, exploring, tasting things, inability to communicate complex ideas) and its physical description all make perfect sense in retrospect, but the human characters (and readers) are primed to expect intelligence because of the advanced spacecraft. It's a clever commentary on our assumptions about first contact scenarios.
The character dynamics feel authentic, especially the workplace tensions between the narrator, Jane, and Cuong. Their professional disappointment, personal conflicts, and the affair subplot add human complexity without overwhelming the central sci-fi premise. The narrator's voice - world-weary, practical, slightly bitter about being overlooked - gives the story good texture.
The social commentary works well too, touching on how the alien arrival has disrupted global society in believable ways (new religions, work strikes, cessation of wars, rejection of luxury goods). These details feel organic rather than heavy-handed.
The setting in rural Ontario adds nice specificity, and the choice to have this revelation occur in a forgettable restaurant while watching the media spectacle creates effective dramatic irony - we're witnessing a momentous realization in the most mundane circumstances.
The ending leaves us with intriguing implications about what happens when the real alien civilization arrives, while also giving the narrator a chance at professional redemption. It's both conclusive and open-ended in a satisfying way.
Overall, it's thoughtful science fiction that uses its premise to explore themes about assumptions, communication, and the gap between expectation and reality.