ASIMOV'S JAN. 2009
I finished this issue a few weeks ago but never got around to writing about it. It got recycled back then but I think I can remember well enough to say a few things about the stories; I'd like to not miss writing about a month of either Asimov's or F&SF this year.
The issue started off with Mary Rosenblum's "Lion Walk," where a mystery arises about girls getting killed on a nature preserve in the near future. Rosenblum is not concerned only with the mystery but where society has gotten to. It's good solid SF.
"Passing Perry Crater Base, Time Uncertain" is a short piece by Larry Niven that was okay but not memorable enough that I can remember anything about it other than my general impression.
Will McIntosh's "Bridesicle," on the other hand, is completely memorable. It's set in (perhaps) the same future as a previous Asimov's story (was it "Midnight Blue?") where people who die can stick around in the consciousness of their offspring. This story goes even further, into a future where the cryogenically-frozen dead can be brought back to life (and maybe to a real body) if they become brides. It's told from the perspective of a prospective "bridesicle" who also happens to be a lesbian. Good stuff.
"Five Thousand Light Years from Birdland" by Robert R. Chase is a solid first contact story in which a member of the translation team is sacrificed by being sent to the alien world, except for the fact that he understands more than the rest. Solid SF.
E. Salih makes his debut with "Messiah Excelsa" but unfortunately doesn't do much for me with a story about time travel and Stradivarius. It wasn't the subject as much as the execution.
Nancy Kress looks at divorce through the lens of a dog who can "talk" in "Unintended Behavior," a sharp little tale that I liked.
Finally, "Uncle Bones" by Damien Broderick focuses on the conspiracy behind a treatment that allows the dead to live, albeit in a way that makes them outcasts from society (as well they would be). It's a fun story (and yes, I know that sounds incongruous but it is).
In all, it's another solid issue of Asimov's...
Showing posts with label Will McIntosh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will McIntosh. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, November 15, 2008
ASIMOV'S SEPT. 2008
My never-ending quest to catch up on my SF magazines continued this past week with the Sept. issue of Asimov's. It is the third issue I've read since the start of September, so at least I'm on a better pace. Anyway, here's what I thought...
The opening novelette was William Barton's "In the Age of the Quiet Sun." I have had my share of frustrations with Barton in the past and have given up on his stories in the middle more than once. This tale about a future where long life and space travel are possible, though you have to become less human to do so. It's a story of failure and redemption and the discovery on an alien and its ship on an asteroid. I liked it.
Robert R. Chase's "Soldier of the Singularity" takes a turn in the middle that I didn't see coming and that was a good thing. It's set in the office of a psychiatrist who is helping humanity try to come to grips with the horrors of the advent of the Singularity. His patient? A damaged robot who is a part of the Singularity...or is it?
There is a very intriguing idea at the heart of Mary Rosenblum's "Horse Racing" - that there is an auction where companies bid on kids based on their future potential. They will then try to manipulate the circumstances of those children to get them to evenutally pay off as investments. It's social engineering and profiteering wrapped up in one. A very good story.
Ian Creasey explores what life would be like if a destructive parent could be downloaded and part of your life forever in "Cut Loose the Bonds of Flesh and Bone." Here's a hint: it wouldn't be ideal for some people.
"Slug Hell" is another Silurian tale by Steven Utley. I really like the series, though the last couple stories haven't done much for me. This one, however, is a keeper. It's a quiet, reflective tale, a character study. It has an odd shifts in viewpoint and I'm not entirely sure why but maybe it just adds to the overall tone.
My favorite story in the issue and one of the best stories I've read this year is Will McIntosh's "Midnight Blue." It's set an an alternate world where different-colored spheres were found out in the wild. If you found the three of the same color, you could put them in a staff and absorb its power. You could get powers like Good With Machines or Better Looking or Flyer. At the time of this story, there aren't many spheres left in the wild and David dreams of finding one. He does and it not only changes his life but the world. It's a great idea, it's well done, and I would love to see more stories or a novel in that world. Get to it, Will!
Derek Zumsteg takes a look at cross-country racing in the near future in "Usurpers." It's short, prickly, and to the point.
Finally, Stephen Baxter gives us an alternate history where aliens made of ice overrun Britian in the 18th century in "The Ice War." We have a less-than-heroic main character, Jack Hobbes, and he meets Isaac Newton, Daniel Defoe, and Jonathan Swift along the way. It's not a happy story by any means but I liked it.
I think this might be the strongest issue of Asimov's in a while - I liked every story and the McIntosh was outstanding.
My never-ending quest to catch up on my SF magazines continued this past week with the Sept. issue of Asimov's. It is the third issue I've read since the start of September, so at least I'm on a better pace. Anyway, here's what I thought...
The opening novelette was William Barton's "In the Age of the Quiet Sun." I have had my share of frustrations with Barton in the past and have given up on his stories in the middle more than once. This tale about a future where long life and space travel are possible, though you have to become less human to do so. It's a story of failure and redemption and the discovery on an alien and its ship on an asteroid. I liked it.
Robert R. Chase's "Soldier of the Singularity" takes a turn in the middle that I didn't see coming and that was a good thing. It's set in the office of a psychiatrist who is helping humanity try to come to grips with the horrors of the advent of the Singularity. His patient? A damaged robot who is a part of the Singularity...or is it?
There is a very intriguing idea at the heart of Mary Rosenblum's "Horse Racing" - that there is an auction where companies bid on kids based on their future potential. They will then try to manipulate the circumstances of those children to get them to evenutally pay off as investments. It's social engineering and profiteering wrapped up in one. A very good story.
Ian Creasey explores what life would be like if a destructive parent could be downloaded and part of your life forever in "Cut Loose the Bonds of Flesh and Bone." Here's a hint: it wouldn't be ideal for some people.
"Slug Hell" is another Silurian tale by Steven Utley. I really like the series, though the last couple stories haven't done much for me. This one, however, is a keeper. It's a quiet, reflective tale, a character study. It has an odd shifts in viewpoint and I'm not entirely sure why but maybe it just adds to the overall tone.
My favorite story in the issue and one of the best stories I've read this year is Will McIntosh's "Midnight Blue." It's set an an alternate world where different-colored spheres were found out in the wild. If you found the three of the same color, you could put them in a staff and absorb its power. You could get powers like Good With Machines or Better Looking or Flyer. At the time of this story, there aren't many spheres left in the wild and David dreams of finding one. He does and it not only changes his life but the world. It's a great idea, it's well done, and I would love to see more stories or a novel in that world. Get to it, Will!
Derek Zumsteg takes a look at cross-country racing in the near future in "Usurpers." It's short, prickly, and to the point.
Finally, Stephen Baxter gives us an alternate history where aliens made of ice overrun Britian in the 18th century in "The Ice War." We have a less-than-heroic main character, Jack Hobbes, and he meets Isaac Newton, Daniel Defoe, and Jonathan Swift along the way. It's not a happy story by any means but I liked it.
I think this might be the strongest issue of Asimov's in a while - I liked every story and the McIntosh was outstanding.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
ASIMOV'S JAN. 2008
I'm still behind in my SF magazine reading but I've at least been able to read them in the month of their cover publication date. That has to count for something, right? Right? Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on the recently read Jan. 2008 issue of Asimov's.
The cover story this time out is "The Perfect Wave," a collaboration between Rudy Rucker and Marc Laidlaw. It's subcutlure SF, taking place in an establishment where you surf electronically and can design your own courses. Things get out of hand, of course, and it's a fairly cool idea. I think I may have liked it more had I read the story all the way through and not in bits and pieces like I did. Happens sometimes.
The next story was a bit more in my wheelhouse. Two old friends decided to seek out the magic store where they first met years ago in "Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders" by Mike Resnick. They do find the shop, of course, and what happens next is quite entertaining. Well-written and fun.
Deborah Coates gives us the mood piece of "The Whale's Lover," which is the search for a leviathan and redemption. "The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald" by Tanith Lee tells the tale of an unusual plague in a way that things don't start to make sense until you get about halfway through the story. Will McIntosh looks at the strangeness of how the world works by throwing together two people whose proximity to each other makes everybody safer in "Unlikely." All three are good stories, with the McIntosh being my favorite.
The last story is the third part of Allen M. Steele's serialized novel Galaxy Blues, "Fool's Errand." Things get even more complicated amongst the aliens of the Talus and lead to an impossible situation. The next issue brings the last part and I'm looking forward to its conclusion.
I'm still behind in my SF magazine reading but I've at least been able to read them in the month of their cover publication date. That has to count for something, right? Right? Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on the recently read Jan. 2008 issue of Asimov's.
The cover story this time out is "The Perfect Wave," a collaboration between Rudy Rucker and Marc Laidlaw. It's subcutlure SF, taking place in an establishment where you surf electronically and can design your own courses. Things get out of hand, of course, and it's a fairly cool idea. I think I may have liked it more had I read the story all the way through and not in bits and pieces like I did. Happens sometimes.
The next story was a bit more in my wheelhouse. Two old friends decided to seek out the magic store where they first met years ago in "Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders" by Mike Resnick. They do find the shop, of course, and what happens next is quite entertaining. Well-written and fun.
Deborah Coates gives us the mood piece of "The Whale's Lover," which is the search for a leviathan and redemption. "The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald" by Tanith Lee tells the tale of an unusual plague in a way that things don't start to make sense until you get about halfway through the story. Will McIntosh looks at the strangeness of how the world works by throwing together two people whose proximity to each other makes everybody safer in "Unlikely." All three are good stories, with the McIntosh being my favorite.
The last story is the third part of Allen M. Steele's serialized novel Galaxy Blues, "Fool's Errand." Things get even more complicated amongst the aliens of the Talus and lead to an impossible situation. The next issue brings the last part and I'm looking forward to its conclusion.
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