Re: Will You Be An Astronaut?

In New Skies, there are a fair number of classics which are heavily anthologized elsewhere, such as “Out of All Them Bright Stars” and “They’re Made Out of Meat“. Most of the stories seem to be directed at young people who haven’t read science fiction before. I think if that were the case for me, […]

Re: Out of All Them Bright Stars

In “Out of All Them Bright Stars,” by Nancy Kress, it’s the end of the night, and Sally Gourley is filling up the catsup bottles when an alien walks into the diner. I know right away it’s one of them — no chance to make a mistake about that — even though it’s got on […]

Re: Palimpsest (by Stross)

“Palimpsest,” by Charles Stross had great buzz at Readercon, even inspiring a panel. When I finally squeezed it into my reading, I could see why. It’s filled with great mind-stretching concepts. There are beautiful passages that are easily the best things I’ve ever read by him. You’ve got to respect a time-travel story that goes […]

Re: Eros, Philia, Agape

In “Eros, Philia, Agape,” by Rachel Swirsky, Lucian is a robot purchased by Adriana to be her lover. His brain is filled with the knowledge of famous poets and physicists and gardeners etc, and he is designed to change his personality so he will be in love with her. After they marry, Adriana and Lucian […]

Re: Sleepy Joe

One nice thing about my iTouch is that I can carry it outside and play in the garden while catching up on listening to fun stories like “Sleepy Joe,” by Marc Laidlaw. This amusing story got a fabulous reading on Escape Pod.

Re: Vishnu at the Cat Circus

The beauty of Ian McDonald’s prose keeps making me want to like his work, but it never pays off. At least I got through “Vishnu at the Cat Circus” in one pass. We begin with lots of poetical cats. How can you lose with cats? Within the framework of this cat circus, Vishnu Nariman tells […]

Re: They’re Made Out of Meat

The remaining Hugo stories have given me a lot to think about, but you know what? I’m tired of thinking. The meat between my ears is tired. So tonight I recommend taking a break and reading “They’re Made Out of Meat,” by Terry Bisson.

Re: Act One

After being disappointed by her recent runs at the Hugo, I was pleasantly surprised that I liked “Act One,” by Nancy Kress. The story asks interesting questions, raises intriguing ideas, and involves you in a world where real people might live. The characters are all grumpy in one way or another but they care about […]

Re: The Island

There’s lots of sense of wonder in “The Island,” by Peter Watts: the vast sweep of time, glimpses of a mysterious past and hints of a mysterious future. I loved the prologue, which describes building a space highway of wormholes. Then it injects the first sour note by asking to be thanked.

Re: One of Our Bastards is Missing

“One of Our Bastards is Missing,” by Paul Cornell needs more context. I liked the opening, which zooms in across the Solar System, but then it lands in some sort of alternate history British court. And stays there. This puts me off, as I get quickly bored with court intrigue. There’s a princess betrothed to […]