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A review by thereadingoutlaw
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 113 by Rachel Swirsky, An Owomoyela, Fran Wilde, Michael Poore, Neil Clarke, Ted Kosmatka, Paul McAuley, Dan Koboldt, Benjanun Sriduangkaew, Chris Urie, Nick Wolven, Kim Stanley Robinson
3.0
The second Clarkesworld issue I've read, I think it's one of those things where I'm just going to have to become comfortable with having some of the stories really hit it out of the park for me and others really falling flat. This issue:
The good:
"The Fixer", in which we see what happens when a god-like figure interacts with a human-like creator - hint:: not good things.
"In the Midst of Life" where, through the eyes of a supposed cult leader and his discovery of some unsettling new manipulations of brain chemistry, we're asked to ponder the difference between life and living, and the full means we'll go to in order to keep other people on the same level we are, even if it's for the worse. Also a great commentary on what makes a 'cult'.
"Between Dragons and Their Wrath" - FUCKING DRAGONS.
The not-so-good:
"That Which Stands Tends Towards Free-Fall"- A confusingly written and oddly populated story about a militaristic future, led entirely by women and AI, who are on the hunt for...someone. For...something. Like I said, incredibly confusingly written.
"Blood Dauber" is a story about a relationship between a zookeeper and his girlfriend. As he discovers some kind of new insect life form, and becomes closer to one of the convict volunteers that serves at the zoo, his relationships outside work begin to fall apart. Boring, but also with a weird zoo/animal metaphor. We're all in cages, basically?
"Mercurial" is about an art collector. A bunch of convoluted events occur that necessitate her going home with an original Monet - or is it an original?
It would seem that, all in all, I had about the same overall experience with reading this issue, but enjoyed the newer fiction much more than last time!
The good:
"The Fixer", in which we see what happens when a god-like figure interacts with a human-like creator - hint:: not good things.
"In the Midst of Life" where, through the eyes of a supposed cult leader and his discovery of some unsettling new manipulations of brain chemistry, we're asked to ponder the difference between life and living, and the full means we'll go to in order to keep other people on the same level we are, even if it's for the worse. Also a great commentary on what makes a 'cult'.
"Between Dragons and Their Wrath" - FUCKING DRAGONS.
The not-so-good:
"That Which Stands Tends Towards Free-Fall"- A confusingly written and oddly populated story about a militaristic future, led entirely by women and AI, who are on the hunt for...someone. For...something. Like I said, incredibly confusingly written.
"Blood Dauber" is a story about a relationship between a zookeeper and his girlfriend. As he discovers some kind of new insect life form, and becomes closer to one of the convict volunteers that serves at the zoo, his relationships outside work begin to fall apart. Boring, but also with a weird zoo/animal metaphor. We're all in cages, basically?
"Mercurial" is about an art collector. A bunch of convoluted events occur that necessitate her going home with an original Monet - or is it an original?
It would seem that, all in all, I had about the same overall experience with reading this issue, but enjoyed the newer fiction much more than last time!