Clarkesworld is a monthly on-line magazine edited by Neil Clarke.
Everything is available in HTML from
the magazine's site, and
it can be bought in various other formats.
Octo-Heist in Progress by Rich Larson has a near-future burglar with an
octopus controlled by nerve stimulation. It's a pleasing idea, though
the progress of the story is a bit rote for my taste, particularly the
unsurprising surprise at the end.
What the South Wind Whispers by H. Pueyo is a study of dysfunctional
personalities among the crew of a comet-defence facility in Patagonia.
It's lyrical and well-observed, and has an actual story to it.
Ghost Island by E.E. King has a post-ecodoom Earth and an island
where the workers are mysteriously losing their memories and going
mad. It's immediately obvious what, in an overall sense, is happening,
but not how or why; and when the end comes, there's no explanation
beyond "it just mysteriously happened somehow". Disappointing.
The Gift of Angels: an introduction by Nina Allan deals with a
successful SF writer planning, finally, to write about his dead
astronaut mother. There are lots of flashbacks, and shifts between
present and past tense, sometimes correlated with the flashbacks,
sometimes apparently random; and there is meditation on the short film
La Jetée and the Gilliam expansion Twelve Monkeys (though never a
mention of the rather good TV series). Once I'd fought through the
writing I found this self-indulgent and over-long.
The Love Letters by Peng Simeng is a lyrical description of
mis-addressed letters, but the rather dull letters themselves make up
most of the text. One can't tell whether "I've already landed on
sixteen constellations in succession, explored every planet that could
possibly hold crystal, stone, or ore" is bad translation or bad
original writing. In any case, there's no plot here, just a snapshot.
Death on Mars by Madeline Ashby (reprint) has a
just-pre-colonisation Mars mission, and some arguments about the right
to die in a manner of one's choosing that one might have thought old
hat now never mind in the vague future. Even so, it works, and I
enjoyed it more than the same author's vN (previously reviewed).
A Catalogue of Sunlight at the End of the World by A.C. Wise
(reprint) is another thought on death, but this time there's a
generation ship leaving an eco-collapsed Earth, and the narrator is
choosing to stay behind. It's not clear how many other people will be
staying, though at least a few; that might have grounded the story
more effectively. But mostly this is the narrator's memories of his
dead wife. Hey ho. People who like stories like this will like this
story.
Melon Farmers! Science Fiction Stumbles on the Way to the Theater by
Mark Cole is a recounting of troubles in film production, with little
to say if you're interested in film (because you are likely to know
this stuff already) and probably little appeal if you aren't.
Genetics, Spores, and Automation: A Conversation with Nancy Kress by
Chris Urie manages again to produce an interesting interview, even
with a writer I don't generally get on with; I'm becoming impressed
with Urie as an interviewer.
Another Word: Klingon Time Management by A.M. Dellamonica considers
how to turn a successful NaNoWriMo into being an actual writer.
Editor's Desk: Wouldn't it be Nice? by Neil Clarke suggests what
Clarke would do with a larger guaranteed budget (more pay, and more
translations both to and from English).
The Pueyo is definitely in contention for a Hugo nomination from me.
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