Magazine Review #5 - Analog, January-February 2012

Triggers (Part 1 of 4) by Robert J. Sawyer:  I don't read enough of Sawyer's work; a Canadian SF author who has such a clean, easy to read way of telling a story.  Set in the near future USA, terrorists are hard at it; many bombings have occurred all over the US.  The story opens with the shooting of the president as he's delivering a speech at the Lincoln Memorial.  He's rushed to the hospital.

Meanwhile, at the same hospital, a doctor is trying to help a patient cope with post traumatic stress.  He's developed a new technology to help and is using it on his patient while the president is in surgery in the next room.

A bomb is detonated emitting an electromagnetic pulse that effects the treatment and has dire consequences that we only begin to understand in this installment.

This story should appeal to all kinds of people; action thriller types, conspiracy fans, medical science fans, etc.  I really enjoyed the story so far.  Lucky me I received the next issue in the mail last week!

An Interstellar Incident by Catherine Shaffer: The quite funny story of a person trying to host a dinner party for human and alien, the Tuladan, dignitaries.  The trouble comes in the form of how to host a polite, inoffensive dinner when each species is disgusted by each others' eating habits.

Listen Up, Nitwits by Jack McDevitt:  Another rather funny story; this one about how humanity is saved from World War III.  There is a rather hart-warming yet sad twist ending that I liked.

Probability Zero - Return of the Zombie Sea Monster by Michael F. Flynn:  A fun bit of two-page flash fiction about a cast of characters trapped in a world of cliches.

The Alternate View - Talking About My Generation by Jeffery D. Kooistra:  In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Kooistra, who is a freelance physics consultant, writes about changing the methods of producing electricity from current nuclear technology.  It's been long known that there are safer methods of producing nuclear energy and that is what is discussed in this essay.  I found it fascinating.

If the subject interests you Kooistra suggests you start at this website -  http://energyfromthorium.com/

Special Feature - What Science Means to Me by Jerry Oltion:  The beauty of the scientific method and living in a scientific age is discussed.  Oltion also lightly touches on theology and its conflicting views with science.  A well thought out essay.

Humanity by Proxy by Mark Niemann-Ross:  This was a touching story that was connected by the invention of a useful military tool; something called a sawhorse.  Think of mechanical pack mule and you'll get the idea.  The story starts off in June of 2114 Tiffany is a healthy 111 year old but is suffering from Alzheimer's and along with medication is provided with a sawhorse to keep her safe in case she gets lost.

Tiffany's connection to the sawhorse is revealed as the story progress backwards in time to June 2092.

This was a touching little story that still proves how military spending can positively affect our lives. It's so ironic to think that tools designed to help us kill each other can then be turned around and used in a different way.

Ninety Thousand Horses by Sean McMullen:  An alternate history, steam punk story that was just wonderful.  I was completely taken in by it.  The story begins in the middle of World War II, 1943, Bletchley Park where a story is told about how a mad-scientist type invented a rocket back in 1899.

I don't usually read steam punk but I really do love the look and feel of it and I was not disappointed with this story.  The author has a fertile mind.

Special Feature - Theme: The Art of Writing "About" Something by Richard A. Lovett:  The creative process is endlessly fascinating to me.  I'm always watching the DVD extras and eat up interviews with authors.  Anybody who can site Joss Whedon in an essay has my attention.  I really enjoyed this piece.

Project Herakles by Stephen Baxter:  Another alternate history story this time set in 1960's Britain during Harold Wilson's time as Prime Minister.  It touches on the coup attempt of the time and adds giants to the story.  Yep, giants.

The story was okay, I enjoyed the story line that dealt with the coup more than the giants plot line.  The ending was quite cartoony but there was no other way to sort out the story.

Doctor Alien and the Spindles of Infinity by Rajnar Vajra:  Great title - too bad I couldn't make it past the first few pages of the story.  I found it so boring that I just gave up on it.

***

Confession time - I hate aliens.  They bore the fuck out of me.  So many pages are spent on describing alien physiology, alien culture, alien communication, alien history ..... Come on!  Get on with the story!  As soon as I see tentacles you've lost me.

I didn't mind the aliens of Star Trek simply because the were extrapolation, distillations, if you will, of the human condition.  Klingons = violence, war and honor.  Ferengi = capitalism.  Vulcans = intelligence and knowledge.  Romulans = suspicion and secrecy.  They help explore the human condition which is pretty much what all story telling is about.  Trying to talk to a big pile of goo is just not interesting.  Sure, if it really happened that way then yes, you'd have to figure it out.  But in a story, meant to entertain, it's just not interesting. To me.

Comment -  I'm worried that I'm getting too old for the Science Fiction of the day.  Having been born in 1965 I was surrounded by Soviets, Americans, Moon Landings, Space Probes and general Space Enthusiasm.  In the fiction of today, as in the reality of today, space seldom comes up in conversation or political policy so it probably makes sense that there are no longer stories of humans exploring or trying to make a living in space.  It saddens me because these are the stories I want to read and they are becoming less common.

I want to read stories where humans live, work and play in space.  The story could take place on Earth so long as there are ships out there that a character can board and get off-planet.  I want space travel to be as common as air travel as common a driving a car.  Rember the wonderful quote between Wash and  Zoe on Firefly?

Wash: That sounds like something out of science-fiction.
Zoë: We live in a spaceship, dear.
Wash: So?


That's what I'm talking about.


If anybody can make suggestions for my reading that will give me the above, please let me know.

Magazine Review #4 - Asimov's February 2012

Murder Born by Robert Reed:  Ooh, I liked this one.  This takes capital punishment in a very interesting direction.  In the story a new method of capital punishment is invented with the unintended consequence of bringing the dead back to life.  This story brings the moral questions of CP to a new level that I just found incredibly interesting.  A real winner.


Hive Mind Man by Rudy Rucker & Eileen Gunn:  This story was a bit out there.  At first it reads like a simple dating story set in the future but then it takes on a life of its own and takes social media and advertising in dizzying directions.  It left me scratching my head.  Entertaining? Yes. Interesting? Sure


The Voodoo Project by Kristine Kathryn Rusch:  An elite covert, military team meet for the first time in a vacant high-rise apartment.  One of the members is a ESPer (I don't know the term, but you get it - ESP) who's job it is to evaluate the team itself.  The evaluation does not go as usual.  Very good story.  It was Rusch's name that drew me to the issue.  I have never been disappointed by her writing.

Observations On A Clock by D. Thomas Minton:  I first found Minton's work on Lightspeed Magazine's website and found his story “Thief of Futures" very, very compelling.  I was very happy to find his name on the cover of the magazine.  This is a story of faith, of trying to save humanity from itself, but in the end the story kind of went over my head.  I'm sure I missed something; the only thing I'm sure about is that there is a monk on an asteroid with a dying atomic clock on it.  He's supposed to report back to Earth what he's observed. Yea, didn't get it.

The People of Pele by Ken Liu:  A nice story about human colonization, the effects of time dilation on a mission that traveled at near light speeds, politics and the definition of life.  I could read a lot more from this author.

Going Home by Bruce McAllister & Barry Malzberg:  A strange a quirky story told in letters between an author and his editor.

Magazine Review #3 - Asimov's, August 2008

Asimov's Science Fiction magazine

August 2008

I've got to say that all in all this issue really did not deliver on the promise of Science Fiction.  The cover art is not tied to any of the stories within. 

I'm getting the feeling that Asimov's might not be the magazine for me since I like my Science Fiction with space ships.  I don't have to be in space but I like knowing that the ability to get out there is possible.  Only one of these stories satisfied that need but only in a very limited way.


Lagos by Matthew Johnson: This was an interesting story.  I liked it.  It took the whole third world call-center industry to a whole new level.  Plus there is the recurring theme of the man-machine interface that has been cropping up a lot in SF lately.  It was a satisfying read.  I really felt the desperation of the main characters.

Old Man Waiting by Robert Reed:   I'm confused.

I cannot figure out why this story is considered Science Fiction.The story goes like this: some dude spots an old man sitting on a park bench, he decides the old guy looks queer and DECIDES he's an alien.

And SPOILER ALERT - he's exactly what he seems to be - an old man with Alzheimer's. How does this qualify for publication in this magazine?

Pass on this one.

Lucy by J Chris Rock:

Set in the near future, two engineers, working from their Hell's Kitchen apartment, on a robotic probe on Titan find that neighbourhood has an influence on their mission.

Not a bad story but it's set so near in the future that there is very little sense of wonder in the story. The descriptions of the Titan environment were satisfying but I couldn't help thinking that this particular mission is only a matter of time and forgone.

I'd call it a piece of literary fiction with a splash of science thrown in before I'd call it SF.

Divining Light by Ted Kosmatka:This story started in a deep, dark noir aesthetic. But soon it turned into an egghead quantum physics story that completely lost me in the end. By the time the story ended I was completely baffled.

Perhaps that was the intention, after all, a couple of the supporting characters were as confused as I was.

It's a lot like the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.

Yea, this one sailed completely over my head.

Wat You Are About to See by Jack Skillingstead:  This was a strange little story: part Area 51, part Guantanamo Bay and part Twilight Zone. It deals with an alien interrogation and the nature of choices and possibilities.

The story was very "televisual" which I could see if it was being filmed but in the case of the written word I'm not sure the visual of a 7-11 in the desert was necessary. It was still a moving tale which made me hope the best decision would be made.

Wilmer or Wesley by Carol Emshwiller:  Another head-scratch.  Think - monkey escapes from the zoo.  The story is from the point of view of the monkey.  Fair enough but the monkey is not a monkey; he seems to be human.  Okay.  Why is he in a zoo?  Don't know.  What is so different about him?  Never told.  Why is it the citizens don't recognize him as anything else but human?  Still not let in on that detail.

The main character does not know why he's in captivity and the author has deemed it unnecessary to explain it to the reader.  Fair enough if you are trying to convey what it must feel like to be a zoo animal.  But once again I really don't feel like I've been told an SF story.

Radio Station St. Jack by Neal Barrett, Jr.:  What a great title.  This was another disappointment for me.  Not because it was poorly written but mostly because it was not what I expected.  I think I can be forgiven for thinking that it would have something to do with the cover art but really it was a western.  Okay, sure it was set in a post-apocalypse world so it's closer to a Mad Max setting but it just read like a western with all the stilted dialog that comes with it.

Was it good?  Well, it was okay.  The end gave it some gravity for me; it was more about how a small town survives in a world without law and order.  We are shown that we are only one war away from the Wild West.

Magazine Review #2 - Analog - December 2011

Analog Magazine

December 2011

Still on a short story kick; I received the latest issue of Analog in the mail just when I finished reading Amazing Stories.  And look who has a story in this issue - that's right - Kristine Kathryn Rusch!

1- Ray of Light by Brad R. Torgersen:  This was a fantastic story!  Man is trying to survive at the bottom of the ocean after an alien attack triggers a new ice age!  This was a very believable story told without any literary fluff; just a straight-ahead, nuts-and-bolts, hopeful story.  I loved it.

2- Turning it Off by Susan Forest:  An interesting little tale about teen-age suburban life in a time when computer controlled safety devices are implanted in everything; including humans.  What a fun idea!  If Steve Jobs were still alive I'm sure he'd try to implant the iPod in people.  Wait maybe he already has that on a drawing board somewhere at Apple HQ.  Hmm.

3- Freudian Slipstream by Brad Aiken:  Interstellar travel is possible by using hibernation and an AI interface to keep a person's mind active during flight.  In this story a problem is solved en route to a new planet just about perfect for human habitation.  I loved the pacing of this story; very relaxed and confident.

4- Hidden by Kyle Kirkland:  Set in a time after a drug was developed and used on children to give them heightened intelligence it's discovered that these same children become insane in adult life.  Now one of these people has taken over a secret weapons lab and is threatening to set off the prototype bomb.  We follow Robinson as he negotiates with him.  I'd call this story more of a thriller than a Science Fiction story, sure there's some super weapon and a"brain" drug but that's as far as the SF is pushed.  Was it a good story?  You bet.

5- Art for Splendor's Sake by Dave Creek:  I don't know.  I feel that I was missing something when I read this story.  Earth Unity Ambassador Chanda Kasmira is overseeing a complex evacuation of the planet Splendor an ironically named planet who's description brings to mind the Rocky Mountains in February.  The planet is under threat from a fast-approaching nebula when along comes an artist . . .

By the end the artist reveals his work and Kasmira's reaction left me feeling like I missed the point of the story.  After finding Mr. Creek's website I discovered that this is the seventh or eighth story in a series so now I understand my feeling of disconnection.

The story was crisp and well paced.  It felt like it could have fit well in the Star Wars universe: I got the feeling of a much larger world out there from the story that I read.  I'm looking forward to reading more from him.  I also have over three years worth of back issues to read and I know that he has many stories buried in there.

The Impossibles by Kristine Kathryn Rusch:  Here she is again!  My favorite modern SF author with another fresh take on life in the future.  In this story we follow Kerrie, a new lawyer, two years on the job, working for the Earth Alliance Inter Species Court for the First District.  She's a public defender working off her student loans when the case of a lifetime comes to her.

Set in Rusch's Retrieval Artist universe the story felt like it was part of a larger world to me but it was such a satisfying read on it's own that I didn't get the same feeling of having missed something like I did reading Art for Splendor's Sake earlier in this issue.

Not for Ourselves Alone by Charles E. Gannon:  What a fantastic story!  Part alien invasion, part military SF with a nod to The Cold Equations.  A seemingly unstoppable alien invasion force is on its way to Earth; after attacking a Jupiter orbital space station the survivors find a weakness but can they get the message back to Earth in time.  A fantastic Old-Time space opera tale.

Conclusion - this is issue is well worth a read.

Magazine Review #1 - Amazing Stories, May 1990

Amazing Stories

May 1990

In the field of Science Fiction Amazing Stories looms large.  It's been around since the 1920's.  Although it's no longer in publication today there are still loads of back issues floating around in used book stores and garage sales.  The copy I have is in near perfect condition.  The pages have yellowed but I don't think this copy has ever been read.

I decided to read this as a bit of a break from the last novel, which was ponderous to me.  So some short stories in the SF genre seemed the ticket to refresh my brain.

One of my favorite authors in the field is Kristine Kathryn Rusch and she has a story in this issue, which, I'm sure, is the reason I bought it.

Reading it also gives a glimpse as to where SF was 20 years ago, a bit of a time capsule really.

1- Giant, Giant Steps by Robert Frazier:  Not a bad story.  Set in Chicago during the Second Great Depression.  The story revolves around Marty and his friend Rita.  Marty works as a tele-soldier fighting a distant war via a computer connection to a "Stiff" a robot he controls.  To work the robot his consciousness is transferred directly to it therefore he still runs the risk of dying.

Music has all but vanished from society, when Marty leaves work he goes to his local bar where he and Rita spend time together. On the wall the bartender displays an old relic -  a Saxophone.

While on a mission Marty tries to save a platoon-mate.  A transfer of abilities occurs and Marty can now hear things like never before.  He can hear music in nearly every sound.

Back at the bar he picks up the Sax.

2- Computer Portrait by Jayge Carr:  Again: not a bad story.  This one also delves into differing realities.  An artist living in the loft of an abandoned building is tormented by his computer.  It watches him all the time and critiques his paintings while in progress; estimating and predicting the final product and just how much money he can expect to make from them.

His creativity is in jeopardy because of it.

He turns the computer off and starts to meet interesting and seemingly sinister people who move into the building.

We discover that his life is very much being controlled not by the computer but by the people behind it.

The computer is never really off.

3- The Animist by Bruce Boston:  I didn't read this story.  As soon as I was dealing with another "altered reality" story I gave up.  He lost me when the character was looking for his shoes and found one on top of his stereo.

Stories where reality is doubted I find tiring.

4- Pins by Joe Clifford Faust: This was a fun story!  Take a pinball machine and cross it with Fight Club and you'll have an idea of how this story feels.

Building on the human/machine interface that this issue seems to be about this story takes a fresh approach is very entertaining.  It has a noir, Blade Runner underground setting where a stranger is challenged to take on a pinball machine with an AI built into it.

Strange and fun.

5- Saint Willibald's Dragon by Esther M. Friesner:   I skipped this one too.  Science Fiction and Fantasy are often grouped together but, in my mind, they are very different genres.  My tastes don't run to fantasy and I'm always disappointed to find such a story in an SF magazine.

No offense to Ms. Friesner.

Fatal Disc Error by George Alec Effinger:  This was an interesting story.  What happens to an Artificial Intelligence when it dies?  Again this story goes in and out of all kinds of "realities" as the AI dies due to a fire where it's servers are kept.

A Time for Every Purpose by Kristine Kathryn Rusch:  The best story of this issue.  Rusch is one of my favorite authors.  She does loads of short fiction and she crosses from SF to Fantasy to Romance and Mystery.  I first read her SF short fiction but also found her mystery fiction to be first rate.  Her voice is fresh and her stories are always clear and believable.

This is a "time cop" story.  The main character is traveling through time trying to prevent a serial killer from committing his first murder.

The story weaves back and forth and plays with history as we know it.  It was a first rate read.