This is a classic case of an article that presents an anomaly but never treats it to any fun exploration. I could pass random judgments on the effects on the anomaly, which are OK if not too inspiring on their own, but what can I say when very little of it comes into use?
I was anticipating that the pills' combustible property would cause some deliciously deadly incidents down the line, but (besides a vague, unsatisfying implication in the recovery log) it was only added for the sake of the titular "phoenix" allusion. Meanwhile, the premise of dying and coming back to life is only as interesting as the article makes it—not particularly. Lastly, the "mad science" origin story is acceptable set dressing but nothing more and not unique to this article.
In lieu of its own narrative developments, this article invokes an abundance of crosslinks and moderately-charming dialogue. These are nice, as is the article's general presentation, but it doesn't make up for what's missing. It's a bit like a plate of condiments. I know it can be hard as a writer to figure out what's real narrative meat and what's just filler, but this article is generally the latter. 3/5
(account deleted) 08 May 2019 12:41