Read this last night, as I was in need of a quick read. I've read [b:Neptune's Brood|21074333|Neptune's Brood|Charles Stross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436971293s/21074333.jpg|21562011] more than a week ago, and it was my first Stross story. You can find my review here.

Bit Rot is a short story (which you can read and download for free at AntiPope.org, in html-, epub- or mobi-format, which you can convert, if needed, to pdf via one of the various on-line services, for example), set between [b:Saturn's Children|2278387|Saturn's Children (Freyaverse #1)|Charles Stross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348429796s/2278387.jpg|2284499] and [b:Neptune's Brood|21074333|Neptune's Brood|Charles Stross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436971293s/21074333.jpg|21562011]. I do think it's best to have read either one of these before tackling this short story. Bit Rot also features meta-humans, the soul chips, two sisters, ... on a space ship. Both have wonderful jobs there... in maintenance and cleaning (also the exterior of the ship).

But then evil strikes ferociously: gamma rays and what not. While their suits skins were made to resist such impact, the severity of that one event caused a lot more damage, in a lot of cases irreparable. These meta-humans have special food needs to regenerate and maintain their powers. When stock runs dry, the disease cannot be stopped. As a result, the meta-humans, including the doctors, turn into zombies, preying on every potential source of food. Which means the normal humans, who make sure everything in the ship works as it should, are a priority to serve as such a source.

One sister is still among the normally thinking ones, one of the few, perhaps the last one. She locked her badly injured/damaged sister up to protect her from the bit rot that infected the others - and so be given the chance to have her chip repair what was damaged -, with the clear message to not let anyone enter, except her sister and only when she's sure it's her (the normal one). Meanwhile, the normal sister would try to seek food supplies to help improve the regeneration process.

All in all, an entertaining, quick read (12 pages). It contains some typos and the formatting is a bit off, although this last aspect doesn't really disturb. It is said that Stross didn't have much time to completely review and correct the text. And as one reader wrote: it's free, so no need to complain. ;-) ( )

Hungry space robots
appreciate a fine rump
but they're not picky. ( )

Some of Freya's descendent's from Saturn's Children are on their way from the first colony at Tau Ceti to Wolf 1061, when a nova strikes... ( )