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mikewhiteman's review
3.0
Evil Opposite - Naomi Kritzer **
Nothing really standout in this one, a fairly standard parallel universes story set in a PhD programme. Well enough put together but the academic rivalry and consideration of the possible changes, large and small, are all well-trodden ground.
We Are Born - Dare Segun Falowo **
A woman creates a daughter out of clay after all her children die shortly after birth. Some flashes of interest but nothing really engaging until near the end when a little is revealed about the animating spirit, although the ending itself reverts to form.
Leash On A Man - Robert Reed ***
Some nice parts to this, the interactions between the genetically-adapted part-neanderthal prison guard and his enigmatic genius prisoner in particular, but it has a vagueness and a meandering quality that failed to engage me in the whole story.
Tasting Notes On The Varietals Of The Southern Coast - Gwendolyn Clare ***
Short, but gives a detailed glimpse of part of a world in its brief length. A quick study of single-mindedness against a background of plague and conquest.
The Care Of House Plants - Jeremy Minton ***
Claustrophobic, set almost entirely within a house overgrown with bioengineered plants after the genetic data for them was stolen. The tension between the two investigators builds steadily and the unknown capabilities of the plants creates a threatening atmosphere during their interrogations. Short on plot but the unsettling and sometimes grotesque visuals kept it interesting.
The Hermit Of Houston - Samuel R Delany ****
I don't want to call this challenging, because I think the story itself is quite straightforward, but I can see why people have had issues with Delany's writing style. Very much a commentary on modern life, sex/gender, technology, conspiracies, collectives and nation-states - there is a lot packed in here, along with the story of an older couple coming to terms with the world and each other. Has a depth that many stories with similar themes do not manage.
On Highway 18 - Rebecca Campbell ***
Gives a good sense of small-town teenage friendship between two girls, small moments of jealous rivalry along with the bond of growing up together in a restrictive environment. The separation and eventual return combine well with the eeriness of the ghost stories in the background of the town.
Hollywood Squid - Oliver Buckram *
The humour of this one didn't land for me, the silliness not balanced with any wit and a very "cool dad", down-with-the-kids tone throughout. Squidlike aliens winding up humanity as a whole with fake technological advances could be funny but the Oscars conspiracy here was limp.
Still Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Working Day - Amy Griswold **
Short, but doesn't have much to say beyond the expansion of capitalist consumer credit is a bad thing and unlikely to get better. Which is fine, but not enough for even a story this short.
Bodythoughts - Rahul Kanakia **
A simplistic transplanting of an LGBT+ experience of teenage self-discovery onto an alien realising it is attracted to humans. Yes, parents may react differently and their attempts to understand may be more embarrassing or harmful than helpful, but everything here is so matter of fact and surface-level. The most interesting part is the love-inspiring human captain's struggle to accept his actions and his self-disgust but even that is given short shrift.
Riddle - Lisa Mason **
A washed-up artist finds a sphinx outside his apartment and uses her to take out his frustration over his ex leaving. An ugly story about an ugly person who doesn't understand their love.
Children Of Xanadu - Juan Paulo Rafols ****
The length of this one allows the history and guilt of the central character - a doctor/scientist forced to work on a continuous rotation of quick-grown and short-lived children to develop gene therapies for enhancing the children of the rich - to be revealed slowly and lends weight to their final decision and revenge. A nicely drawn and detailed South-East Asian world dominated by the "Meritocracy" of China.
The Two Choice Foxtrot Of Chapham County - Tina Connolly ****
Short but evocative, breaking down a fantastical pregnancy into a series of rigid binary choices and the consequences of trying to break out of those choices. A great piece of freeing and redemptive imagery at the end.
Starlight Express - Michael Swanwick ****
Far-future, decayed and stagnant post-intergalactic expansion Rome, with simple artisans living next to a matter transporter they cannot work and that no-one has arrived in for centuries. Some clever touches and a fitting conclusion to a story about unrequited love and the vastness of the galaxy.
Nothing really standout in this one, a fairly standard parallel universes story set in a PhD programme. Well enough put together but the academic rivalry and consideration of the possible changes, large and small, are all well-trodden ground.
We Are Born - Dare Segun Falowo **
A woman creates a daughter out of clay after all her children die shortly after birth. Some flashes of interest but nothing really engaging until near the end when a little is revealed about the animating spirit, although the ending itself reverts to form.
Leash On A Man - Robert Reed ***
Some nice parts to this, the interactions between the genetically-adapted part-neanderthal prison guard and his enigmatic genius prisoner in particular, but it has a vagueness and a meandering quality that failed to engage me in the whole story.
Tasting Notes On The Varietals Of The Southern Coast - Gwendolyn Clare ***
Short, but gives a detailed glimpse of part of a world in its brief length. A quick study of single-mindedness against a background of plague and conquest.
The Care Of House Plants - Jeremy Minton ***
Claustrophobic, set almost entirely within a house overgrown with bioengineered plants after the genetic data for them was stolen. The tension between the two investigators builds steadily and the unknown capabilities of the plants creates a threatening atmosphere during their interrogations. Short on plot but the unsettling and sometimes grotesque visuals kept it interesting.
The Hermit Of Houston - Samuel R Delany ****
I don't want to call this challenging, because I think the story itself is quite straightforward, but I can see why people have had issues with Delany's writing style. Very much a commentary on modern life, sex/gender, technology, conspiracies, collectives and nation-states - there is a lot packed in here, along with the story of an older couple coming to terms with the world and each other. Has a depth that many stories with similar themes do not manage.
On Highway 18 - Rebecca Campbell ***
Gives a good sense of small-town teenage friendship between two girls, small moments of jealous rivalry along with the bond of growing up together in a restrictive environment. The separation and eventual return combine well with the eeriness of the ghost stories in the background of the town.
Hollywood Squid - Oliver Buckram *
The humour of this one didn't land for me, the silliness not balanced with any wit and a very "cool dad", down-with-the-kids tone throughout. Squidlike aliens winding up humanity as a whole with fake technological advances could be funny but the Oscars conspiracy here was limp.
Still Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Working Day - Amy Griswold **
Short, but doesn't have much to say beyond the expansion of capitalist consumer credit is a bad thing and unlikely to get better. Which is fine, but not enough for even a story this short.
Bodythoughts - Rahul Kanakia **
A simplistic transplanting of an LGBT+ experience of teenage self-discovery onto an alien realising it is attracted to humans. Yes, parents may react differently and their attempts to understand may be more embarrassing or harmful than helpful, but everything here is so matter of fact and surface-level. The most interesting part is the love-inspiring human captain's struggle to accept his actions and his self-disgust but even that is given short shrift.
Riddle - Lisa Mason **
A washed-up artist finds a sphinx outside his apartment and uses her to take out his frustration over his ex leaving. An ugly story about an ugly person who doesn't understand their love.
Children Of Xanadu - Juan Paulo Rafols ****
The length of this one allows the history and guilt of the central character - a doctor/scientist forced to work on a continuous rotation of quick-grown and short-lived children to develop gene therapies for enhancing the children of the rich - to be revealed slowly and lends weight to their final decision and revenge. A nicely drawn and detailed South-East Asian world dominated by the "Meritocracy" of China.
The Two Choice Foxtrot Of Chapham County - Tina Connolly ****
Short but evocative, breaking down a fantastical pregnancy into a series of rigid binary choices and the consequences of trying to break out of those choices. A great piece of freeing and redemptive imagery at the end.
Starlight Express - Michael Swanwick ****
Far-future, decayed and stagnant post-intergalactic expansion Rome, with simple artisans living next to a matter transporter they cannot work and that no-one has arrived in for centuries. Some clever touches and a fitting conclusion to a story about unrequited love and the vastness of the galaxy.
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