Sci-fi novelette confronts ‘what if?’ nightmare

Imagine something that can instantly transfer you to wherever you desire to go, as long as the locale’s data is stored inside the device.
That’s the jumping-off point of a self-published sci-fi short story, The Transporting Device, written by Mississauga resident Joseph A. Monachino.
Throw in a scientist faced with the possibility his invention could be used for malevolent purposes if it fell into the wrong hands and what Monachino has crafted is a tale that explores the consequences of scientific innovations.
Monachino said he settled on writing a short story instead of a novel because he wanted the story to be read in one sitting.
“I felt I could sum up the ending of the story, with its underlying theme of hope, better in a short story rather than a full-length novel,” he said.
It may not be the latter, but Monachino, in the 35 or so pages, manages to take the reader on a sweeping romp across Canada and the United States. On the lighter side, via the titular invention, he also touches down at some of the Seven Wonders of the World.