The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - A Short Story Review

One can make a case that Fantasy is just the opposite side of the coin where Science Fiction resides.  Technology can be substituted by magic, starships by dragons.

I prefer to imagine my world forward because I am curious.  I want to know what is around the next bend.  When you look far enough back, history becomes legend.  Somehow I don’t find that as satisfying.

This is a fantasy story.  

A young boy is noticed then groomed to become the next court magician.  He is overseen by - a ghost - I guess, but certainly his predecessor.

The child learns everything he is taught and is disappointed that most of the magic he has seen can be explained as slight of hand.  The more he learns the closer he gets to real magic.  Real magic exists but at a cost to the magician.

How much of that cost can the young man bear?

It was a well written story and a good one to boot.  It’s just not the kind of story I am drawn to.

I just wish the Hugos would split the Fantasy from the Science Fiction.  This is something Lightspeed Magazine identifies and I appreciate it very much.

Sarah Pinsker’s website - http://sarahpinsker.com/

Lightspeed Magazine - https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Sarah Pinsker

How to Become a Mars Overlord by Catherynne M. Valente - Lightspeed Magazine

 38/150/2016

Great title.

But I found this one to be rather odd.

The author has a love of space opera and ancient mythology.

Take those two genres and fold them into a promotional/professional development seminar and you get a feel for how the story is presented.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun and I loved the author's sentences.  There is a real love of grandiose language that I found quite entertaining.

I just don't know how to label it.  Perhaps that is what makes it good.  I have not run into anything quite like it before.

Amaryllis by Carrie Vaughn - A Short Story Review

36/150/2016

This was another podcast of one of issue #1 of Lightspeed magazine.

The story was lovely.

Was it post apocalyptic?  Who knows.  Society is certainly different than it is today; much more planned and community centered.

It was a joy to listen to as Gabrielle De Cuir had a wonderful delivery.  She captured the emotion of the piece. 

This was a story about people, their past and letting go of it. 

The future demands it.

Wonderful.

Dinosaur Killers by Chris Kluwe - A Short Story Review

35/150/2016

What would it be like to witness the annihilation of Earth from your perch, in orbit, on a space station?

Here the narrator is trying to make sense of it and decide what he should do next, when a voice from another station asks, "Where are the others?"

The sentences are choppy.  The narration stuttered.  As we try to grasp with what it all means.

It is a unique view of a post apocalyptic world.

I liked it.

It sure makes you think.

I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You In Reno by Vylar Kaftan - A Short Story Review

33/150/2015

I decided to go as far back as the Lightspeed podcast archives would allow me.

Right to the beginning, as it turns out.

This was an expression of love as told through physics.

Such an inventive idea.

I liked it.

Vylar Kaftan - https://vylarkaftan.com/

Shooting Gallery by J. B. Park - A Short Story Review

32/150/2016

My recent dive into the world of audio books has lead me to my other interest - short stories.

Lightspeed Magazine has been in my circle of magazines since it launched in 2010.  John Joseph Adams is the editor and anthologist who has been making quite a splash in the world of short fiction.

The Magazine has always been an interesting hybrid, half the issue is available online for free.  For the complete issue you only have to drop $3.99 which is a real bargain.

They also podcast the free stories which is something I really appreciate.

I have often thought it would be a cool idea to go back into the archives of Analog or some other, now-defunct pulp magazine and podcast the stories.

But what about this story?

It's about a down-on-his-luck undead teenaged boy who is trying to earn a little bit of rent money for his down-on-her-luck mother.

He decides to leverage his "undead-ness" to do so.

It really was an interesting idea.  It was also touching and deeply rooted in humanity.

It was a good read.

Lightspeed Magazine November 2016 issue.

Lightspeed Magazine January 2015 a recap.

Generally I'd have to say that I enjoyed this issue.

Some of the stories felt more like Soft SF which I'm less thrilled by.

That said I never found myself wishing I'd not read a story or wanted to give up one one.  All of them had interesting subjects.  The two highlights of the issue, for me, were The Choice by Paul McAuley and More Adventures on Other Planets by Michael Cassutt

Find the links to each story below

Ad Astra.

Beautiful Boys by Theodora Goss:
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/beautiful-boys-by-theodora-goss.html

He Came from a Place of Openness and Truth by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam:
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/he-came-from-place-of-openness-and.html

More Adventures on Other Planets by Michael Cassutt:
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/more-adventures-on-other-planets-by.html

Men of Unborrowed Vision by Jeremiah Tolbert:
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/men-of-unborrowed-vision-by-jeremiah.html

The Choice by Paul McAuley:
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-choice-by-paul-mcauley.html

The Choice by Paul McAuley

12/100

Set in post-apocalypse Scotland after the melting of the ice caps and after aliens have found earth and live among us in the ruins.

I often find these types of stories intriguing but often depressing; only because I very much want to live in the "shiny" future not the "grubby" one. 

Here we find two teen boys going on an adventure to see an alien sea-craft accidentally beached in some shallow water nearby. 

There is some perfectly incorporated world-building making the story incredibly rich.  In the spotlight you learn that there are many other stories set in this world. 

There are some ramifications to the boys' trip that make this a most satisfying read. 

One thing I must commend Lightspeed Magazine for is providing author spotlights and interviews.  I just love DVD extras and it is most welcome to find it in a print publication.

Highly recommended.

The author's website is here:   http://www.omegacom.demon.co.uk/index.htm

This was included as an ebook exclusive and is only available if you purchase the issue.
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/issues/jan-2015-issue-56/

This story was first published in Asimov's February 2011 issue.

Asimov's February 2011

Paul McAuley

Men of Unborrowed Vision by Jeremiah Tolbert

11/100

This was an interesting riff on the Occupy Wall Street protests. With a healthy dose of conspiracy theory.

Was it interesting?  Yes.

Was it science fiction?  Not even close.

Time to be fair - It was a really good story.  I found the characters interesting and I liked the friction between Mara and Adam.  It tackles the notion of inequality by taking a closer look at the people who participate in political protests.  There is even a nod to those folks who believe the government is trying to control our minds with "chem-trails", the CONtrails (short for condensation) that you sometimes see from overflying aircraft.  It is here that the story probably qualified as SF.

Yikes!  The government is out to get us.

The real trouble I had with the story is that it was published in a science fiction magazine.  So the difficulty I'm having lies with the editor and not the author.  I'm always happy when an author makes a sale but, as a reader, I question if this even qualifies as soft SF.

Opinions may vary.

Jeremiah Tolbert's web page is here:   http://www.jeremiahtolbert.com/

The story is available to read online here:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/men-unborrowed-vision/

Lightspeed Magazine is here:  http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Jeremiah Tolbert.  Love the hat.

More Adventures on Other Planets by Michael Cassutt

10/100

This may have been the best SF story from this issue.

It was a real nuts and bolts exploration of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Set in 2026 it takes what we know about the Mars rovers to the next level. 

The two main characters were flawed and believable; rough personalities; failed marriages; tempers flaring, it all made for an authentic setting.  I also liked how the author personified the rovers; just like today each rover was given a name but, interestingly, they developed "personalities' of their own. 

From top to bottom this was a believable and touching look at the future of planetary exploration. 

If you liked The Martian by Andy Weir then you'll like this too. 

Excellent.

NOTE:  If you want to follow the real world attempt to explore Europa go to the NASA website and learn about the Europa Clipper Mission.  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/

Europa Clipper

Michael Cassutt does not have his own web page; his Wikipedia entry is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cassutt

The following picture of Michael Cassutt was lifted from the Tor Books blog:
http://torbooks.co.uk/2013/07/29/david-s-goyer-michael-cassutt-the-heaven-series-interview/

Lightspeed Magazine:   http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Michael Cassutt

He Came From a Place of Openness and Truth by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

9/100

This whole thing started out as a YA teen angst kind of story that turned into an alien abduction with a twist.

I'm not sure if I liked it or not.  I've discovered, this past year, that I am not a fan of young adult fiction - since I'm nearly 50.

What I ultimately found disappointing was how it all ended.  I would rather have the author utilize some of the alien awesomeness she introduced instead of going for a cheap happy ending.  It's strange really, you would think this ending, which is kind of different, would work but, somehow, it just fell flat for me.

I decided - I'm still not sure if I like it or not.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this story.

Maybe that's the point.

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam's website is here:  http://bonniejostufflebeam.com/

You can read her story here in the Lightspeed Magazine website:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/came-place-openness-truth/

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

Beautiful Boys by Theodora Goss

8/100

This was a fun story.

How often have we seen a perfect human specimen; either in a magazine add, television or in public?  Sometime we shake our heads and mumble, "That person must be from another planet."

What if that is the case. 

There was an ease to the writing that allowed me to instantly relax into the story. 

I liked it.  But ...

Was it really science fiction?

Well, maybe.  (Up next - a mini rant.)

Science fiction has drifted so far away from its origins, for so many years, that the term is becoming difficult to pin down.

It is appropriate that Beautiful Boys was first published in Asimov's which has become the gold-standard magazine in genre blurring.  Asimov's had done more to damage Science Fiction than any other publication out there.  I have personally found that all they manage to do is confuse readers.

There is an old saying; "Good fences make good neighbours" (Most notably attributed to Robert Frost's poem, The Mending Wall.  This is also true of genre fiction - if you stay true to the tropes and characteristics of your particular corner of fiction you can create excellent stories.  Some genres blend exceedingly well together: Private Eye with SF comes immediately to mind but others don't.  Blending literary fiction (where plot is dirty word) does not mix well with SF and neither does fantasy.

One can argue that Star Wars is a blending of Fantasy and SF, what with swords, monsters and The Force.  Which, I guess is true, but it's the Science Fiction that ultimately dictates the world.  It is filled with space, planets, star-ships and technology.

Years ago, The Twilight Zone created it's own niche by blending genres. Call it Weird fiction.  Beautiful Boys, while very good, belongs in the Weird category.

You can find Theodora Goss here:  http://theodoragoss.com/

Lightspeed Magazine can be found here:  http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Asimov's Magazine can be found here:  http://www.asimovs.com/

Theodora Goss

Asimov's August 2012

Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011 - Fiction Recap

I enjoyed every story presented in this issue.  My heart lies in hard science fiction which is well represented here.

I am a big fan of humans; I like stories that involve people; I prefer it when the future is the setting and humans are involved in the drama or conflict.  With aliens, often too much word count is wasted on describing how strange or icky the creatures are, rather than pursuing a story.  I was happy that Face Value did not fall into that trap and we were given a compelling story, involving aliens, but focused on the two humans in it.

I purchased the issue primarily for The Cold Equations and the re-imagined The Old Equations.  I must say; The Cold Equations has lost nothing of its ability to grip the reader since it was first published in 1954.

Below are links to my thoughts on each story in the issue.

The Cold Equations -
 http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/01/the-cold-equations-by-tom-godwin.html

The Old Equations -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-old-equations-by-jake-kerr.html

Sweet Sixteen -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/sweet-sixteen-by-kat-howard.html

Face Value -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/face-value-by-karen-joy-fowler.html

Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler

4/100

What an interesting story.

Two explorers, Hesper a linguist / poet and Taki an xenologist are embedded in an alien community trying to communicate with the native beings.

The story is interesting on two levels.

First, the team is trying to make, not so much first contact, as they are already accepted within the strange community, but first communication. The residents know they are there and interact by touching each human and going through their things.

Second, we witness the changing dynamics between Taki and Hesper: their relationship becomes strained by the frustrating lack of progress.

Stories like this one expose the fallacy of our current TV science fiction trope; that all we need to communicate is a universal translator.

Well worth reading.

This story was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1986.

Karen Joy Fowler's website is here:   http://karenjoyfowler.com/

Karen Joy Fowler

Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1986

Sweet Sixteen by Kat Howard

3/100

An interesting story about genetic manipulation and a society that forces young girls into career rolls.

Forces is a bit strong, but not by much; at sixteen years of age girls are genetically and psychologically tested to determine what career she is best suited, for the betterment of society.  She does have input into this decision by listing her top three career choices.

It was a bit dystopian in feel, especially in that self-determination seems to have been lost.

It was a quick and easy read, definitely a nice addition to an issue that seems devoted to exploring situations where choices are limited.  There is a lot of subject matter to think about here, enough that expanding it to novel length would be welcomed.

Kat Howard's blog can be found here -  http://strangeink.blogspot.ca/

Kat Howard

The Old Equations by Jake Kerr

2/100

Here is a fun alternative history story.  What if Einstein's life was cut short and his theory of relativity was ignored?

In this future quantum mechanics is the basis of all physics. Now see what happens to a mission, headed to a nearby star, as it accelerates closer and closer to light speed.

I've always had trouble getting my head around the effects of speed on space-time, known as time dilation, and these poor souls must struggle with it too.

It was not what I expected for a re-imagining of The Cold Equations but it was very satisfying in that ignoring the laws of physics can have a very serious outcome.

I liked this one.

Jake Kerr's website is:   http://jakekerr.com/

Jake Kerr

The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin

1/100

Oh my god!  This story is just as chilling as it was when it was first published in 1954. 

As the title suggests, the universe does not care about good intentions. There is no compromise when it comes to physics and mathematics. 

In this story we run into the desire of a young girl to surprise her older brother. But the laws of physics and the good of the many, to borrow a quote from Star Trek, has something to say about it. 

This is an excellent story and one that should not be missed by any science fiction fan. 

I read this in the July 2011 issue of Lightspeed magazine which includes a follow up short story called The Old Equations by Jake Kerr. 

The original story is now in the public domain and can easily be found with a Google search. Or, if you like you can find it HERE.

The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt

Being an Apollo buff I loved this story about Jerry Carter, a PR man for NASA who is working on the Minerva program which is a shared US/Soviet mission to return to the moon.

Before the historic launch the Russians release some pictures, from the far side of the moon from 1967.  In those pictures a structure is found on the surface and a tabloid runs them and causes a sensation.  Pictures from NASA circa 1968 show no such structure.  The incident is laughed off and explained as a technical error.

Jerry is intrigued by this and decides to look into it a bit further, what he discovers is very interesting.

I always love big government stories like this one, where there incredible discoveries just waiting in a box in an archive somewhere in a little used facility.  Cover-ups are fun especially when a decision must be made to keep it secret or to let it out.

The story was first published in the first issue of Lightspeed Magazine, an electronic magazine who's content is available free from the website our you can subscribe and receive it monthly as a digital issue.

Jack McDevitt's website is HERE

His bibliography is HERE

Read the story online HERE

Check out Lightspeed Magazine HERE

Jack McDevitt

Kim Stanley Robinson - short story review

Out Town was a creepy little story that ended with a glimmer of hope.

The art scene is very different in this particular future. Sculpting has changed completely; instead of using clay, or stone, or wood artists are now using humans, grown in vats, and then taught a skill, such as dance.

The artist then "freezes" the subject in a force field and puts it on display.

This stirs up all kinds of ethical subjects and the story is chilling because the attitudes of the characters is opposite to ours today.

I believe that if we could grow humans they would quickly have rights.

Here we meet two artists, one who represents his time and place in the narrative and the other is closer to we readers in the present.

It's a very effective story and I won't spoil it for you by telling you any more. It will stay with you as any great story will.

You can read it HERE

The author's website is HERE

The eZine this story was published in is HERE

PS - I've subscribed to this magazine.