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mary_soon_lee's review
This issue of F&SF contains a wealth of variety, with eleven stories ranging from a short-short science fiction vignette with a nicely understated melancholy ("The Cry of Evening Birds" by James Sallis) to a lengthy fantasy novella ("Of Them All" by Leah Cypess), alongside articles on books, games, televison, and printing technology.
Leah Cypess's novella proved to be one of my favorite pieces in the issue, a fairy tale that brilliantly exlores why a woman might want beauty even though it warps her. It's very well told, and succeeded in making me care about the main character even though I was often at odds with her. I knew the story had its hooks in me by how much I wanted the ending to follow a certain shape.
My other favorite was "The Dog and the Ferryman," a sweetly moving, imaginative blend of fantasy and science fiction (it opens with Charon the ferryman waking up from a years-long sleep coated in dust). I liked both the dog and the ferryman in an uncomplicated way, and hoped for a happy ending all the way through.
In one instance, R. S. Benedict's "The Fairy Egg," I found one of the main characters so unlikable that I didn't enjoy reading the story, even though it was powerful, and hence, I conclude, successful. Otherwise, I found the issue replete with good stories, fine articles, and the particular pleasure of finding a poem by a friend (Timons Esaias's crisp and succinct "The Writing of Science Fiction").
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Leah Cypess's novella proved to be one of my favorite pieces in the issue, a fairy tale that brilliantly exlores why a woman might want beauty even though it warps her. It's very well told, and succeeded in making me care about the main character even though I was often at odds with her. I knew the story had its hooks in me by how much I wanted the ending to follow a certain shape.
My other favorite was "The Dog and the Ferryman," a sweetly moving, imaginative blend of fantasy and science fiction (it opens with Charon the ferryman waking up from a years-long sleep coated in dust). I liked both the dog and the ferryman in an uncomplicated way, and hoped for a happy ending all the way through.
In one instance, R. S. Benedict's "The Fairy Egg," I found one of the main characters so unlikable that I didn't enjoy reading the story, even though it was powerful, and hence, I conclude, successful. Otherwise, I found the issue replete with good stories, fine articles, and the particular pleasure of finding a poem by a friend (Timons Esaias's crisp and succinct "The Writing of Science Fiction").
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
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