"The Mole Rats of Mars," a new medical SF short story by Alex Hernandez

Alex Hernandez, a writer who has given up trying to publish (“I’m neither persistent nor talented enough”) but showcases weird short stories on his blog Ibis Ink, recently posted a new medical science fiction story entitled “The Mole Rats of Mars” (2010). I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but here are the opening lines:

       DR. ESTER ROJAS gracefully hurried through the bustling cobblestone streets of uptown New Colorado, which sat within the bowl of a Martian crater. The scent of pine and the whistle and trill of sparrows flavored the light artificial breeze. The uptown area looked like a small, idyllic lakeside town with quaint flat-roofed, red brick buildings that seemed transported from America’s past. Even the Xan Headquarters were carefully designed to resemble a majestic old City Hall...

Hernandez would appreciate any comments or feedback.