A review by sashas_books
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 206 by Neil Clarke

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

An excellent issue! I liked all of the stories, and most of them were excellent.

“Eddies are the Worst” by Bo Balder - a world with aging population, low birth rates, labour shortages and clones. People make do, it’s a human thing. This was very good! 4.2 stars.

“Bird-Girl Builds a Machine” by Hannah Young - your mother builds a mysterious machine for you… Great writing; I liked the twist at the end. 4.2 stars.

“The Long Mural” by James van Pelt - People on a generation ship are painting a long, long mural. Some of them are not who they seem. Wonderful in every way. 4.7 stars.

“The Parts That Make Me" by Louise Hughes - a cyborg on a spaceship crew wakes up after repairs and reminisces. Very nice - and too short, I wanted to spend more time with it. 4.3 stars.

”The Mub” by Thomas Ha - strange creatures are everywhere, the world is dystopian. More horror than sci-fi, but I found it interesting. 3.5 stars.

”Eight or Die” (Part One) by Thoraiya Dyer - alien abductions, missions on distant planets and lots of great weirdness. This is a novella, to be continued. It’s pretty amazing, too. 4.9 stars.

“Thin Ice” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa - AIs as conquerors; but the story is really about colonialism and robbing peoples of their culture. I prefer less heavy-handed messaging, but it’s a good story. 3.8 stars.

“To Carry You Inside You” by Tia Tashiro - of neuroimplants and their many uses… This is the author’s first published story? This is excellent! 4.4 stars.