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vorsoisson's review against another edition
4.0
At first I thought I might be overly biased towards this story due to its geography, but it's a very thoughtful piece and went in directions I didn't expect. Definitely planning on reading more by this author.
chirson's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a little bit of a disappointment: it was good, but I didn't find it as cohesive as I would have liked, and the ideas didn't quite work for me (aside from the central sentience/lifespan twist). The ending was quite nice, but it was a good story where I'd hoped for an amazing one.
jbaltsar's review against another edition
2.0
leider nicht so ergiebig, wie andere Ausgaben der Vergangenheit
"Touring with the Alien" by Carolyn Ives Gilman ** 1/2
ganz OK, ein korallenartiger Alien steht auf menschliches Bewußtsein und läßt sich mit seinem (menschlichen) Wirt durch die USA kutschieren
"Balin" by Chen Qiufan *
zu bemüht, chinesische Familienbande, Hirnforschung und ein seltsames Etwas (Mensch, Tier, Alien? what the heck), das als Haustier und Versuchskaninchen herhalten muß
"The Bridge of Dreams" by Gregory Feeley **
interessante Idee, nordische Götter im Weltraum, aber bei weitem zu langatmig
"The Cedar Grid" by Sara Saab *
SF aus dem Libanon mit starke regionalem Flavour; sicherlich lobenswert als Gegengewicht zur übermächtigen US SFF, konnte mich aber nicht fesseln
"Old Friends" by Garth Nix ***/****
etwas konfus, ein "baumiger" Krieger in Menschengestalt wird von seiner Vergangenheit eingeholt
"Winter’s Wife" by Elizabeth Hand ****/*****
Holzfäller in einem kleinen Dorf in Maine heiratet eine Isländerin, die etwas mehr ist, als sie zu sein scheint - gut
"Touring with the Alien" by Carolyn Ives Gilman ** 1/2
ganz OK, ein korallenartiger Alien steht auf menschliches Bewußtsein und läßt sich mit seinem (menschlichen) Wirt durch die USA kutschieren
"Balin" by Chen Qiufan *
zu bemüht, chinesische Familienbande, Hirnforschung und ein seltsames Etwas (Mensch, Tier, Alien? what the heck), das als Haustier und Versuchskaninchen herhalten muß
"The Bridge of Dreams" by Gregory Feeley **
interessante Idee, nordische Götter im Weltraum, aber bei weitem zu langatmig
"The Cedar Grid" by Sara Saab *
SF aus dem Libanon mit starke regionalem Flavour; sicherlich lobenswert als Gegengewicht zur übermächtigen US SFF, konnte mich aber nicht fesseln
"Old Friends" by Garth Nix ***/****
etwas konfus, ein "baumiger" Krieger in Menschengestalt wird von seiner Vergangenheit eingeholt
"Winter’s Wife" by Elizabeth Hand ****/*****
Holzfäller in einem kleinen Dorf in Maine heiratet eine Isländerin, die etwas mehr ist, als sie zu sein scheint - gut
par3's review against another edition
5.0
5 Stars!.. This review is for the Hugo nominated novelette, “Touring with the Alien” by Carolyn Ives Gilman. Linked below… It’s about an intelligent alien species that lacks consciousness that we meet through a proxy or “translator.” They seek to learn about humans on a road-trip by bus accompanied by our MC, Avery… I loved this story very much! Very heartfelt and interesting and everything I look for in a short story. Enjoy!
Read: 3/7/23-3/8/23
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/gilman_04_16/
Quotes:
- “People function unconsciously all the time. You’re not aware that you’re keeping your balance right now—you just do it automatically. You don’t have to be aware to walk, or breathe. In fact, the more skillful you are at something, the less aware you are...”
- “To play an instrument truly well, you had to lose all awareness of what you were doing, and rely entirely on the muscle memory in your fingers… You are so in the present, there is no room for self. No ego, no doubt, no introspection.”
- “What would be the point of achieving such supreme skill, if the price was never knowing it was you doing it?”
- “We pay a high metabolic price for consciousness; it’s why our lifespan is so short...”
- “Guessing is what your unconscious tells you. Knowing is a conscious thing. They’re only in conflict if your mind is fighting itself.”
- “The stillness felt good, but unfamiliar. Her life was made of motion. She had been driving for twenty years—driving away, driving beyond, always a new destination. Never back.”
- “They stood there for a moment, two people trapped in their own brains, and the only crack in the wall was empathy.”
- “There’s no death if there’s no self to be aware of it…
…No life either.”
Read: 3/7/23-3/8/23
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/gilman_04_16/
Quotes:
- “People function unconsciously all the time. You’re not aware that you’re keeping your balance right now—you just do it automatically. You don’t have to be aware to walk, or breathe. In fact, the more skillful you are at something, the less aware you are...”
- “To play an instrument truly well, you had to lose all awareness of what you were doing, and rely entirely on the muscle memory in your fingers… You are so in the present, there is no room for self. No ego, no doubt, no introspection.”
- “What would be the point of achieving such supreme skill, if the price was never knowing it was you doing it?”
- “We pay a high metabolic price for consciousness; it’s why our lifespan is so short...”
- “Guessing is what your unconscious tells you. Knowing is a conscious thing. They’re only in conflict if your mind is fighting itself.”
- “The stillness felt good, but unfamiliar. Her life was made of motion. She had been driving for twenty years—driving away, driving beyond, always a new destination. Never back.”
- “They stood there for a moment, two people trapped in their own brains, and the only crack in the wall was empathy.”
- “There’s no death if there’s no self to be aware of it…
…No life either.”
titusfortner's review against another edition
3.0
One of the 2017 Hugo nominations for best novelette.
Worth reading for the interesting discussion of consciousness vs intelligence, but the pieces don't quite all fit together on this story.
Worth reading for the interesting discussion of consciousness vs intelligence, but the pieces don't quite all fit together on this story.
tronella's review against another edition
2.0
I can't work out why, but this bugged me for some reason.
lonecayt's review against another edition
3.0
It was alright. It started out in a very similar vein to Chiang's Story of Your Life, and I couldn't help but compare the two stories throughout the rest of this one. Perhaps unfortunate, because Story of Your Life was far better in every way. This was an engrossing enough read to keep me occupied, though.
bookaneer's review against another edition
1.0
Rating and review only for "Touring with the Alien” by Carolyn Ives Gilman:
Like a bad version of Story of Your Life or Childhood's End. Too many build ups and scattered internal musing. The concept of consciousness could have been more developed.
Like a bad version of Story of Your Life or Childhood's End. Too many build ups and scattered internal musing. The concept of consciousness could have been more developed.
thiefofcamorr's review
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this one as the premise sounds fun, but it seemed so hammered down and treated the reader like they were five with no ability to come to their own conclusion. A few elements felt forced like the plot had to go a certain way even without the proper stepping stones to get there, and the ending was a bit too weird without the clever to make it work. Really disappointing, unfortunately - just not for me.