Making the Cut By: Mike Resnick, Lezli Robyn Series: The Close Shave Book Number: 2 Star Rating:

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Synopsis

A motley collection of supernatural creatures gather at a local barbershop that caters to their kind, shooting the breeze. They're joined by Lamont, a zombie wrestler who's trying to hide out from his fans, a bunch of old ladies who like to stick him with hat pins. Lamont laments not being able to feel pain, because he doesn't always react in a way that convinces his fans, but the new manicurist may have a remedy that will help.

Review

"Making the Cut" is a short piece that appears to be part of a series known as A Close Shave that takes place in a barber shop catering to the supernatural crowd. A motley group of these creatures are gathered in the shop, shooting the breeze, while the barber whose name we don't learn gives a haircut to a werewolf. They're joined by a manicurist who's applying for a job there, and she also provides grooming for the werewolf. Then others show up, including a zombie wrestler who wishes he could feel pain so that he reacts more realistically for his fans, and the manicurist unexpectedly has a remedy for that.

I called this a piece rather than a short story, because it feels more like a scene rather than a story. It was amusing but it doesn't have much of a plot to speak of. It was mostly about this barber shop being the stereotypical community meeting place except that it's for supernaturals and there's quite a varied collection of them. The only human characters are the barber, who is the first person narrator, and the manicurist. I enjoyed it for what it was and it drew a few smiles out of me, but it almost seemed like I was supposed to already know the characters. However, I could only find a reference to one other story in the Close Shave series, titled "The Close Shave." I'm not sure where that story was first published, but it apparently can now be found in the anthology, Soulmates. "Making the Cut" can be found in the anthology Blood Lite III: Aftertaste.

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Lezli Robyn