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A review by oleksandr
Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, September/October 2020 by Leah Cypess, Gregory Frost, Ian Tregillis, Y. M. Pang, Robert Reed, M. Bennardo, Sheila Williams, Michael Libling, R. Garcia y Robertson, Cadwell Turnbull, Jason Sanford, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Gray Rinehart, Rich Larson
3.0
This is the “spooky” September-October 2020 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction. A majority of stories in the issue are more horror than SFF and I am not a fan of that genre, I found them quite solid reads.
The contents
Thirty-Fourth Annual Readers' Awards Results [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams and Readers' Award Winners (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) [Annual Readers' Award (Asimov's)] essay by uncredited list winners of last year best works, with comments of readers/voters. I’ve read none, so cannot judge.
The Road Not Taken [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg a story about young Robert, who bought his first Galaxy magazine in 1950 and preferred buying SF to cigarette packs
Meet Your Subliminal Self [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly a quasi psychological essay
Gretel's Bone poem by Jane Yolen
Maelstrom [Diving Universe] novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch there is a crater on a local moon, where supposedly untold riches are ready for exploiting, but a severe ice storms destroy most expeditions as if they are alive. It is a mockumentary and as such a novel ‘true story’ approach. 3.5*
Photograph #51 poem by Robert Frazier
A Sideways Slant of Light short story by Leah Cypess a women, estranged from her family visits her house to tell farewell to her dying mother. She has a secret – a ghost, whom only she sees, who helped her live as a teen. 4*
The Ossuary's Passenger short story by Robert Reed far future SF, uplifted hyena and a beetle meet ships filled with people to returned to die on Earth. 2.5*
Incomplete Adaptation poem by Bruce Boston
When God Sits in Your Lap novelette by Ian Tregillis a story heavy on homage to hard boiled detectives about an angel sleuth/charmer hired to break a union of a woman and her lover by her son. A bit too heavy on allusions. 3*
Shock of Birth short story by Cadwell Turnbull a male narrator thinks that he is now not in his body, but in another in the bast, ends up in mental hospital, meets there other ‘travellers’. 3*
The Eight-Thousanders short story by Jason Sanford a narrator follows his boss on a mountain climb, sees a vampire there, who decided that killing is bad, but on Everest there are fresh dead (true!) and almost dead are common. 4*
A Rare and Wondrous Thing poem by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
A Vengeful Revenant short story by M. Bennardo a new road it made and the narrator uses it to visit his friend grave, which attracts (?) dead animals/moths supposedly killed by that road. 2.5*
In Horror Movies, Whenever Someone Gets Their Sucked Out poem by Michael Meyerhofer
Escaping Real Time [Amanda James / Cole the Younger 6] novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson I haven’t read earlier installments. A (space) marine on an outskirts of Sol system is ordered to deliver a rebel girl, the order he dislikes but follows. A parallel thread – a Bradley paradox – when something is predicted in advance like Jules Verne predicting that the Moon will be visited by three Earthmen, launchin from the US and landing in ocean. 3.5*
Robyn in Her Shiny Blue Coffin short story by Michael Libling a boy narrator visits a burying of his girlfriend who was ill for quite long and learnt magic trick as her was in the hospital. She searched to do a magic to evade death. 3.5*
Next Issue (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) essay by uncredited
Mangy White Dog short story by Y. M. Pang a narrator cat works tricks at a market for her human master, while a mangy white dog comes to her master, who pushed it away… 3.5*
Traveling On [Rapture (Gregory Frost)] short story by Gregory Frost most people lefdt Earth in a Rapture like event and remaining (about 1/3) wander why they were left. 3*
The Conceptual Shark short story by Rich Larson a man sees a shark and feels himself in an ocean when deals with water (e.g. while cleaning teeth), visits a psychiatrist… 2.5*
Self-Assembly Required poem by Josh Pearce
Flare Shack [Stormie Pastorelli] novelette by Gray Rinehart a people on Moon colony hide from a Solar flare and find new info about each other. 2*
Dawn Fiddler poem by Fred D. White
On Books (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) [On Books] essay by Peter Heck
Cavall poem by Mary Soon Lee
SF Conventional Calendar (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) essay by Erwin S. Strauss
The contents
Thirty-Fourth Annual Readers' Awards Results [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams and Readers' Award Winners (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) [Annual Readers' Award (Asimov's)] essay by uncredited list winners of last year best works, with comments of readers/voters. I’ve read none, so cannot judge.
The Road Not Taken [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg a story about young Robert, who bought his first Galaxy magazine in 1950 and preferred buying SF to cigarette packs
Meet Your Subliminal Self [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly a quasi psychological essay
Gretel's Bone poem by Jane Yolen
Maelstrom [Diving Universe] novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch there is a crater on a local moon, where supposedly untold riches are ready for exploiting, but a severe ice storms destroy most expeditions as if they are alive. It is a mockumentary and as such a novel ‘true story’ approach. 3.5*
Photograph #51 poem by Robert Frazier
A Sideways Slant of Light short story by Leah Cypess a women, estranged from her family visits her house to tell farewell to her dying mother. She has a secret – a ghost, whom only she sees, who helped her live as a teen. 4*
The Ossuary's Passenger short story by Robert Reed far future SF, uplifted hyena and a beetle meet ships filled with people to returned to die on Earth. 2.5*
Incomplete Adaptation poem by Bruce Boston
When God Sits in Your Lap novelette by Ian Tregillis a story heavy on homage to hard boiled detectives about an angel sleuth/charmer hired to break a union of a woman and her lover by her son. A bit too heavy on allusions. 3*
Shock of Birth short story by Cadwell Turnbull a male narrator thinks that he is now not in his body, but in another in the bast, ends up in mental hospital, meets there other ‘travellers’. 3*
The Eight-Thousanders short story by Jason Sanford a narrator follows his boss on a mountain climb, sees a vampire there, who decided that killing is bad, but on Everest there are fresh dead (true!) and almost dead are common. 4*
A Rare and Wondrous Thing poem by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
A Vengeful Revenant short story by M. Bennardo a new road it made and the narrator uses it to visit his friend grave, which attracts (?) dead animals/moths supposedly killed by that road. 2.5*
In Horror Movies, Whenever Someone Gets Their Sucked Out poem by Michael Meyerhofer
Escaping Real Time [Amanda James / Cole the Younger 6] novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson I haven’t read earlier installments. A (space) marine on an outskirts of Sol system is ordered to deliver a rebel girl, the order he dislikes but follows. A parallel thread – a Bradley paradox – when something is predicted in advance like Jules Verne predicting that the Moon will be visited by three Earthmen, launchin from the US and landing in ocean. 3.5*
Robyn in Her Shiny Blue Coffin short story by Michael Libling a boy narrator visits a burying of his girlfriend who was ill for quite long and learnt magic trick as her was in the hospital. She searched to do a magic to evade death. 3.5*
Next Issue (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) essay by uncredited
Mangy White Dog short story by Y. M. Pang a narrator cat works tricks at a market for her human master, while a mangy white dog comes to her master, who pushed it away… 3.5*
Traveling On [Rapture (Gregory Frost)] short story by Gregory Frost most people lefdt Earth in a Rapture like event and remaining (about 1/3) wander why they were left. 3*
The Conceptual Shark short story by Rich Larson a man sees a shark and feels himself in an ocean when deals with water (e.g. while cleaning teeth), visits a psychiatrist… 2.5*
Self-Assembly Required poem by Josh Pearce
Flare Shack [Stormie Pastorelli] novelette by Gray Rinehart a people on Moon colony hide from a Solar flare and find new info about each other. 2*
Dawn Fiddler poem by Fred D. White
On Books (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) [On Books] essay by Peter Heck
Cavall poem by Mary Soon Lee
SF Conventional Calendar (Asimov's Science Fiction, September-October 2020) essay by Erwin S. Strauss