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mary_soon_lee's review
I liked every one of the ten stories in this issue of F&SF, and also appreciated their diversity. There are two science fiction stories with a backdrop of space exploration to accompany Bob Eggleton's wonderful cover art of Mars and its moons; there's dystopic science fiction; there's fantasy of the magic variety and of the encountering-magical-beings variety; there's time travel, and a very original take on summoning monsters, and a not-quite-ghost-story.
Five of the stories particularly appealed to me. Corey Flintoff's "The Queen of the Peri" is a very nicely told story that combines race car driving, Dubai, and djinns. The start of L. X. Beckett's "Freezing Rain, A Chance of Falling" confused me, but, once I sorted it out, I found this a darkly compelling and disturbing vision of what social media might do to us. Rachel Pollack's "Visible Cities" turns what might have been an underwhelming idea into a beautifully-rendered, gently-paced story. R. S. Benedict's "Morbier" raises the old question of whether you would kill Hitler as a baby, and makes it largely new through strong characterization and an alarming glimpse into the horrors of food catering. Ashley Blooms's "Hainted" draws on her knowledge of coal-mining to create a haunting not-quite-ghost story.
Those five were all fine stories, but if I were forced to pick my favorite from this issue, it would be William Ledbetter's novelette, "Broken Wings." It's one of the two stories to accompany the Martian cover art, and that's a setting I'm drawn to. It's a fun, gripping, adventure where the heroine faces off against a villainous customs inspector. I liked both the heroine and the friend she's trying to help, each of them misfits in their own way. There's a sweetness to the ending that sealed the tale perfectly.
Five of the stories particularly appealed to me. Corey Flintoff's "The Queen of the Peri" is a very nicely told story that combines race car driving, Dubai, and djinns. The start of L. X. Beckett's "Freezing Rain, A Chance of Falling" confused me, but, once I sorted it out, I found this a darkly compelling and disturbing vision of what social media might do to us. Rachel Pollack's "Visible Cities" turns what might have been an underwhelming idea into a beautifully-rendered, gently-paced story. R. S. Benedict's "Morbier" raises the old question of whether you would kill Hitler as a baby, and makes it largely new through strong characterization and an alarming glimpse into the horrors of food catering. Ashley Blooms's "Hainted" draws on her knowledge of coal-mining to create a haunting not-quite-ghost story.
Those five were all fine stories, but if I were forced to pick my favorite from this issue, it would be William Ledbetter's novelette, "Broken Wings." It's one of the two stories to accompany the Martian cover art, and that's a setting I'm drawn to. It's a fun, gripping, adventure where the heroine faces off against a villainous customs inspector. I liked both the heroine and the friend she's trying to help, each of them misfits in their own way. There's a sweetness to the ending that sealed the tale perfectly.
stephen11's review
4.0
I enjoyed 7 of the 10 stories! Very pleased with that ratio!
"The Prevaricator" by Matthew Hughes - ****
"The Phobos Experience" by Mary Robinette Kowal - ***
"The Queen of the Peri Takes Her Time" by Corey Flintoff - ****1/2 Wow! I'm going to have to look for more from this author!
"Freezing Rain, A Chance of Falling" by L. X. Beckett - ***
"The Adjunct" by Cassandra Rose Clarke - ****
"Visible Cities" by Rachel Pollack - ***
"Bedtime Story" by James Sallis - * The one disappointment with this issue. Luckily, it was also the shortest story!
"Morbier " by R. S. Benedict - **
"Hainted " by Ashley Blooms - **
"Broken Wings" by William Ledbetter - ***
"The Prevaricator" by Matthew Hughes - ****
"The Phobos Experience" by Mary Robinette Kowal - ***
"The Queen of the Peri Takes Her Time" by Corey Flintoff - ****1/2 Wow! I'm going to have to look for more from this author!
"Freezing Rain, A Chance of Falling" by L. X. Beckett - ***
"The Adjunct" by Cassandra Rose Clarke - ****
"Visible Cities" by Rachel Pollack - ***
"Bedtime Story" by James Sallis - * The one disappointment with this issue. Luckily, it was also the shortest story!
"Morbier " by R. S. Benedict - **
"Hainted " by Ashley Blooms - **
"Broken Wings" by William Ledbetter - ***
sarahfett's review
2.0
I only read "The Phobos Experience" by Mary Robinette Kowal, not the whole magazine. This short story seemed like it could be a good start to a novella, but on it's own it didn't seem to have a point. Goodreads rating: 2 stars (it was ok)
stephanienicole's review
4.0
A space adventure set in the alternate Lady Astronaut timeline in the 1970s. It was a fun. However, the protagonist reminded me too much of Elma: she's a NavCom astronaut with a medical condition that compromises her abilities to function but somehow she overcomes that. Her voice wasn't distinctive enough from Elma's. The twist was unexpected; I liked seeing more political intrigue in the Lady Astronaut universe.
standback's review
5.0
An absolutely stellar issue.
It's got a university whose citation system is downright Lovecraftian; a waitress who just might be a time traveller; a novice shaman's tour of cities that have each made adjustments to what their denizens can see. It's got SF and haunting fantasy and a fairy hunt and a heist. It's a pretty amazing issue :)
I plan to circle back and review this one properly, but until then: read this issue it's fantastic
It's got a university whose citation system is downright Lovecraftian; a waitress who just might be a time traveller; a novice shaman's tour of cities that have each made adjustments to what their denizens can see. It's got SF and haunting fantasy and a fairy hunt and a heist. It's a pretty amazing issue :)
I plan to circle back and review this one properly, but until then: read this issue it's fantastic
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