Elise Corbin author page
1 puzzle by Elise Corbin
with Jeff Chen comments
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If you haven't read Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, get it onto your list. Even though I have a tough time suspending disbelief at the weirdness of DARK MATTER principles, the story is incredible.
In case you missed the ten missing letters, we've added them to the grid below. Great touch to arrange them in symmetrical positions, using five rows of two answers each.
I did wonder why the letters were "dark," especially the D of DREAD, M of MARIA, and E of EASTER. As with Crouch's book, sometimes you have to turn off your stupid brain and enjoy.
It might seem easier to work with ten short themers than five long ones, but it can be much tougher. Any time you force black square placements, you take away flexibility, and every one of the ten themers does just that. Additionally, to stay at the 78-word limit, you need a bunch of your fill to be long. It's a tough combination of constraints.
I like Elise's decision to go to 80 words. She still gave us some long color in DECK CHAIR, IN GENERAL, and she even did well with up some mid-length slots like SPARE ME. There is a lot of minor glue — AMA ASIN EMS ENT ESS etc. — but nothing is egregious.
Ten themers, each of which becomes a valid entry after "beheading," made for an interesting debut. If I understood DARK MATTER better, I might have disappeared into the concept more.