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tarana's review
3.0
All good stories with a couple that were outstanding for me. These would be The Last Legend by Matthew Hughes and Death on the Nefertem Express by Brian Trent. The second is a bit of a locked room mystery with a severe time constraint.
spikegelato's review
I picked up this issue of F&SF specifically for Come the Revolution, a prequel novella to The Alchemy Wars, a brilliant alternate history series that was the perfect combination of concept and execution.
It was great to be back in this imaginative alt-history world and I really enjoyed seeing the backstory and humble beginnings of the mad Queen Mab, who eventually goes on to lead a robot “Clakker” army seeking vengeance on humanity. This story moves with alacrity and Tregillis is once again in fine form as he’s crafted an excellent primer for newcomers to the series or those thinking of embarking on a reread.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
It was great to be back in this imaginative alt-history world and I really enjoyed seeing the backstory and humble beginnings of the mad Queen Mab, who eventually goes on to lead a robot “Clakker” army seeking vengeance on humanity. This story moves with alacrity and Tregillis is once again in fine form as he’s crafted an excellent primer for newcomers to the series or those thinking of embarking on a reread.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.
samarkandar's review
4.0
Another strong issue. Standouts for me were KIKELOMO ULTRASHEEN by Dare Segun Falowo and COME THE REVOLUTION by Ian Tregillis
cerv's review
Kikelomo Ultrasheen - Dare Segun Falowo
Hairdressing sure is magical.
Blah
The Million-Mile Sniper - SL Huang
An analysis of an omnidoc (movie) that informs the reader of the differences between the dramatization and actual events.
Meh
The Last Legend - Matthew Hughes
A promising young boy has dreams of greatness, but his parents die and he becomes a ward of his foul wastrel drunkard uncle, who spends all the family money and sells him into apprenticeship, for booze. In this wretched work he is bullied and one day strikes back. Thinking that he's killed the bully, he flees the town. Eventually he finds himself in the forbidden part of an ancient forest where he finds a wizard who is more than he seems. All very generic stuff, but that's to be expected for something that was meant to be in an anthology of legends.
Ok
Come the Revolution - Ian Tregillis
Maklobellathistrogantus, mab for short, is a mechanical of the guild of the Brasswork Throne. Set in roughly the 1700s or 1800s, by my estimation, Netherlands. A story of mechanical (robot) slavery. It's a prequel to his The Alchemy Wars trilogy. It's enjoyable, but I don't know if it's enough for me to read the novels. Reminded me a lot of Detroit: Become Human.
Enjoyable
Red Sword of the Celiac - John Possidente
A review of a fictional novel trilogy about an immortal monster protagonist that eats people.
Ok
Say You're Sorry - Amman Sabet
Our world as it is except that saying "Sorry" can cause immediate and inexplicable calamity.
Meh
A Solitary Crane Circles Cold Mountain - Gregor Hartmann
Lili is a sociophysicist developing the ideal society for a generation worldship that will take 400 years to reach its destination without any of the 18,000 passengers in stasis. The setting is China in maybe a century or two hence, with a world in chaos, and a culture ruled by what would currently be considered as social justice eco-terrorists.
Quite enjoyable
A Feast of Butterflies - Amanda Hollander
Strange modern fairy tale of a constable searching for a Judge's son and a girl who eats butterflies.
Blah
Hungry is the Earth - William Ledbetter
Alien berries infects their hosts so they can spread across the galaxy and be planted on every planet.
Blah
Hacksilver - Elizabeth Bear
A man who went a-viking returns after eight years to his family home, to find much has changed. This is much more legend than fantasy, which makes sense as it was meant for an anthology of legends. There arguably isn't anything fantastical about it at all.
Enjoyable
Death on the Nefertem Express - Brian Trent
The Nefertem Express is a treaded vehicle heading ever westward to avoid the dawn that incinerates everything. This is its first run. Five passengers are aboard and one of them intends to murder all the others, but who is it?
Ok
The Man I Love - James Patrick Kelly
The protagonist runs a bar he inherited from his uncle. It's only open on Mondays. All its patrons are ghosts.
Ok
Hairdressing sure is magical.
Blah
The Million-Mile Sniper - SL Huang
An analysis of an omnidoc (movie) that informs the reader of the differences between the dramatization and actual events.
Meh
The Last Legend - Matthew Hughes
A promising young boy has dreams of greatness, but his parents die and he becomes a ward of his foul wastrel drunkard uncle, who spends all the family money and sells him into apprenticeship, for booze. In this wretched work he is bullied and one day strikes back. Thinking that he's killed the bully, he flees the town. Eventually he finds himself in the forbidden part of an ancient forest where he finds a wizard who is more than he seems. All very generic stuff, but that's to be expected for something that was meant to be in an anthology of legends.
Ok
Come the Revolution - Ian Tregillis
Maklobellathistrogantus, mab for short, is a mechanical of the guild of the Brasswork Throne. Set in roughly the 1700s or 1800s, by my estimation, Netherlands. A story of mechanical (robot) slavery. It's a prequel to his The Alchemy Wars trilogy. It's enjoyable, but I don't know if it's enough for me to read the novels. Reminded me a lot of Detroit: Become Human.
Enjoyable
Red Sword of the Celiac - John Possidente
A review of a fictional novel trilogy about an immortal monster protagonist that eats people.
Ok
Say You're Sorry - Amman Sabet
Our world as it is except that saying "Sorry" can cause immediate and inexplicable calamity.
Meh
A Solitary Crane Circles Cold Mountain - Gregor Hartmann
Lili is a sociophysicist developing the ideal society for a generation worldship that will take 400 years to reach its destination without any of the 18,000 passengers in stasis. The setting is China in maybe a century or two hence, with a world in chaos, and a culture ruled by what would currently be considered as social justice eco-terrorists.
Quite enjoyable
A Feast of Butterflies - Amanda Hollander
Strange modern fairy tale of a constable searching for a Judge's son and a girl who eats butterflies.
Blah
Hungry is the Earth - William Ledbetter
Alien berries infects their hosts so they can spread across the galaxy and be planted on every planet.
Blah
Hacksilver - Elizabeth Bear
A man who went a-viking returns after eight years to his family home, to find much has changed. This is much more legend than fantasy, which makes sense as it was meant for an anthology of legends. There arguably isn't anything fantastical about it at all.
Enjoyable
Death on the Nefertem Express - Brian Trent
The Nefertem Express is a treaded vehicle heading ever westward to avoid the dawn that incinerates everything. This is its first run. Five passengers are aboard and one of them intends to murder all the others, but who is it?
Ok
The Man I Love - James Patrick Kelly
The protagonist runs a bar he inherited from his uncle. It's only open on Mondays. All its patrons are ghosts.
Ok
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