Re: Dangerous Space

I’m not all that into music but “Dangerous Space,” by Kelly Eskridge won me over by plugging me into what’s like for people who are. Mars is a brilliant “sound guy” who seems supremely confident and competent, untouchable save for one vulnerability–music. In the perfect little divey bar, the opening band, Noir, goes on stage […]

Re: Little Brother

In Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, Marcus Yallow is a smartass who delights in playing Harajuku Fun Madness and in evading the security at his high school. He and his friends are caught in the post-bombing sweep after a terrorist attack on San Francisco. After a harrowing interrogation, Marcus is set loose. Though he knows […]

Re: The Space Time Pool

I liked the opening of “The Space Time Pool,” by Catherine Asaro. It seemed a lovely setting, the Great Smoky Mountains covered with rhododendrons in flower and cicadas buzzing on a fine day in June. A lovely place for Janelle to go for a walk to celebrate getting a her math degree from MIT. Considering […]

Re: The Political Prisoner

In a moody story of an internal spy caught in the sweep of a coup, “The Political Prisoner,” by Charles Coleman Finlay is so dominated by betrayals, interrogations, and imprisonment, it’s easy to lose track of the setting: a planet where the terraforming is going slower than hoped and religion seems to be the main […]

Re: Baby Doll

The introduction to “Baby Doll,” by Johanna Sinisalo gives you an intriguing overview of the Finnish heritage in science fiction and fantasy. Then it curtly informs you that this story is dystopian SF about children losing their childhood and dumps you into sexhell.

Re: The Ray-Gun: A Love Story

From the opening, “The Ray-Gun: A Love Story“, by James Alan Gardner made me smile. In storybook prose it tells of a ray-gun and the boy who found it. I most enjoyed the flashes of humor in lines like: No one on Earth noticed–not even the shamans who thought dots in the sky were important.

Re: Mars: A Traveler’s Guide

“Mars, A Traveler’s Guide,” by Ruth Nestvold is pretty dark. Funny, but dark. You realize quickly that you are reading the data feed from an online help system. The unseen human is stranded with no better help than a wiki. It reminds me of the old Bob Newhart routines, where he used to tell stories […]

Re: Trophy Wives

In “Trophy Wives,” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Ylva Sif has a history of estranged marriages, but now lives with a mental link with another woman, Alanna Brigid Kinnowar. Alanna is married to Gwelf, a wealthy man who both tolerates the two women and supports them. Then Ylva goes to market to buy perberries and comes […]

Hugos pile on

I’ve barely started reading the Nebula nominees, and the Hugo ballot has also been announced. While I find reading both lists interesting, the Hugos are the ones I can actually affect. I even got my act together in time to sign up and nominate a book: Anathem. Not surprisingly, it’s the only work on the […]

Re: The Tomb Wife

In “The Tomb Wife,” by Gwyneth Jones, Elen is the Navigator of a small crew of humans and a guest alien on a starship transporting ancient artifacts. The alien, Sigurt, is the most distinctive character. The story opens with him messing with them about the nature of one of the artifacts, claiming that it’s haunted […]