Scan barcode
A review by mikewhiteman
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 135 by Ian McDonald, Ken MacLeod, Lettie Prell, Eleanna Castroianni, Peter Mohrbacher, Josh Pearce, Neil Clarke, Cassandra Khaw, Natalia Theodoridou
3.0
The Rains On Mars - Natalia Theodoridou ***
A miner tries to escape their guilty conscience working on Mars. Strong atmosphere and the guilt and numbness of the main character pervades throughout. The use of the rain worked nicely with their mind state.
Crossing LaSalle - Lettie Prell ***
The setting and the characters here - their flatshare, roommates, relationships - are current and feel real. They are young and disillusioned, unable to work and fit into society, and searching for an escape, all very relatable. As a whole though the story is uncomfortable, dealing with suicide/euthanasia but providing the magic solution of everything being ok, not being a "drain on resources" but still being alive in some way - either in an artificial body or uploaded consciousness. To some extent this feels like a cop out, removing the consequences of the action and making the deliberation and fight easier to resolve instead of continuing the struggle. I'm not sure how useful or interesting the idea is beyond an escape/wish fulfilment - which is fine - but I'm still thinking about it, so something worthwhile there anyway.
Falling In Love With Martians And Machines - Josh Pearce **
More scraping by and hoping for a chance to escape in this one. Here, a woman gets along as the mechanic/assistant to a minor successful drag racer while waiting for something bigger. The scenery is all grime and neon and the racing sequences convey the thrill, but the real goal is something different from the racers and pilots, not just a better one.
Darkness, Our Mother - Eleanna Castroianni ***
SFF reworking of the minotaur myth, with mathematics acting as the thread and an inversion as Sadne befriends and tries to help her horned brother Erion escape the labyrinth he has been imprisoned in. Some lovely language and a nice tweak on the familiar tale.
Landmark - Cassandra Khaw ****
A pair of lovers attempt to maintain their connection as one makes the choice to move far beyond the other. Keeps the SF aspect of their separation vague and in the background, focusing on the attempts to communicate love across a distance - both physical and the inherent distance between two individuals. The little details of their love and the efforts to keep it alive through their challenges really shine.
Who's Afraid Of Wolf 359 - Ken MacLeod **
Strange one, this - there's an interesting story within it but it is so stripped of detail and skips over all the real events to give a few moments of snarky conversation. There are some funny lines but the big drama is dealt with in such short order it sticks out sorely.
Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts By Ida Countess Rathangan - Ian McDonald ***
Slow burning tale as an Irish heiress travels across Venus with her "dear companion", a Tongan princess, ostensibly to see the plant life and create papercut art but really to track down and confront her brother over the theft of a jewel from the family prior to her wedding. A very classic feel to the Venus depicted, but the length did begin to drag.
A miner tries to escape their guilty conscience working on Mars. Strong atmosphere and the guilt and numbness of the main character pervades throughout. The use of the rain worked nicely with their mind state.
Crossing LaSalle - Lettie Prell ***
The setting and the characters here - their flatshare, roommates, relationships - are current and feel real. They are young and disillusioned, unable to work and fit into society, and searching for an escape, all very relatable. As a whole though the story is uncomfortable, dealing with suicide/euthanasia but providing the magic solution of everything being ok, not being a "drain on resources" but still being alive in some way - either in an artificial body or uploaded consciousness. To some extent this feels like a cop out, removing the consequences of the action and making the deliberation and fight easier to resolve instead of continuing the struggle. I'm not sure how useful or interesting the idea is beyond an escape/wish fulfilment - which is fine - but I'm still thinking about it, so something worthwhile there anyway.
Falling In Love With Martians And Machines - Josh Pearce **
More scraping by and hoping for a chance to escape in this one. Here, a woman gets along as the mechanic/assistant to a minor successful drag racer while waiting for something bigger. The scenery is all grime and neon and the racing sequences convey the thrill, but the real goal is something different from the racers and pilots, not just a better one.
Darkness, Our Mother - Eleanna Castroianni ***
SFF reworking of the minotaur myth, with mathematics acting as the thread and an inversion as Sadne befriends and tries to help her horned brother Erion escape the labyrinth he has been imprisoned in. Some lovely language and a nice tweak on the familiar tale.
Landmark - Cassandra Khaw ****
A pair of lovers attempt to maintain their connection as one makes the choice to move far beyond the other. Keeps the SF aspect of their separation vague and in the background, focusing on the attempts to communicate love across a distance - both physical and the inherent distance between two individuals. The little details of their love and the efforts to keep it alive through their challenges really shine.
Who's Afraid Of Wolf 359 - Ken MacLeod **
Strange one, this - there's an interesting story within it but it is so stripped of detail and skips over all the real events to give a few moments of snarky conversation. There are some funny lines but the big drama is dealt with in such short order it sticks out sorely.
Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts By Ida Countess Rathangan - Ian McDonald ***
Slow burning tale as an Irish heiress travels across Venus with her "dear companion", a Tongan princess, ostensibly to see the plant life and create papercut art but really to track down and confront her brother over the theft of a jewel from the family prior to her wedding. A very classic feel to the Venus depicted, but the length did begin to drag.