Sci Phi Journal, Autumn 2023/3
“Meno’s Dream” by Ben Roth
“A Rejection” by Lloyd Earickson
“The Familiar Stranger” by Carlton Herzog
“Combustion” by Bob Johnson
“Virginia” by Gheorghe Săsărman
“Evert” by George Salis
“Battle in the Ballot Box” by Larry Hodges
“The Utopian’s Edict, Or: Ignorantia Juris” by Zachary Reger
“Care and Feeding of a Hybrid Workforce” by Kim Z. Dale
“The Deepest Forever-Kiss” by J. Edward Tremlett
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Ten works of fiction that blend science fiction and fantasy with philosophical speculation appear in this issue.
In “Meno’s Dream” by Ben Roth, the servant of an ancient mathematician has a dream that he relates to his master. It allows the mathematician to solve a perplexing problem. But who deserves credit for the discovery?
The premise raises the question of where knowledge arises, whether in the mind of the individual or somewhere outside it. This is an age-old philosophical quandary, and the implied mysticism in the story adds little to it.
“A Rejection” by Lloyd Earickson consists of a series of letters between the author of a scholarly article and the journal that refuses to publish it, because the editors think it violates their ethical policies. They believe it implies that one kind of lifeform is superior to another.
Although set in a galaxy full of many different kinds of beings, this work seems to be an allegory for political correctness in present-day academia. Adding to the sharpness of its satire is the fact that the author of the rejected article is a member of the lifeform that is supposedly being depicted as inferior.
The point that science should be objective, and not limited by political beliefs, is an important one. Unfortunately, it is presented in a very dry fashion here, as the story consists of little other than the author and the editors repeating their opposing views multiple times.
“The Familiar Stranger” by Carlton Herzog is also an epistolary tale. A series of letters describes a man’s experience of seeing a version of himself from a dystopian future. Later, there is discussion of the discovery of a site, millions of years old, containing fossils of what seem to be modern humans.
The premise, if I understand it correctly, is that alternate realities overlap, and that they are not congruent in time. Like many stories in the magazine, this one appeals more to the brain than the heart. The very brief description of the dystopian future is much more vivid than anything else in the text.
“Combustion” by Bob Johnston is a very brief, very odd story in which a vial that is supposed to contain phlogiston (an imaginary fluid that was once thought to be responsible for the release of heat during burning) turns out to hold something much stranger. Frankly, I fail to grasp the point of this little anecdote. A punchline implies that it is meant to be some sort of joke.
Newly translated from Romanian by Monica Cure, “Virginia” by Gheorghe Săsărman is one of a series of brief tales set in imaginary cities. In this one, a man intrudes upon the stronghold of the Queen of the Amazons. Their encounter leads to a change in her attitude.
This story is likely to be controversial, because the man essentially rapes the Queen, and she, having no experience of men, welcomes it. However one might feel about the relationship between the sexes, it is hard to believe that a woman without any knowledge of males would immediately be swept off her feet by the first one she sees.
“Evert” by George Salis depicts a planet that is inside out compared to our own Earth. The exterior is molten, while the interior contains an environment that supports life. The text goes on to describe how the eyeless inhabitants eventually create an artificial sun and acquire vision. They also undertake a mission to drill their way to the unknown exterior of their world.
The premise, although hardly scientifically plausible, is developed in a logical fashion. The story is little more than a travelogue, but an interesting one.
Two sentient computer viruses compete to change the results of an election in “Battle in the Ballot Box” by Larry Hodges. Because they are identical, but working for opposing candidates, neither is able to prevail. The presence of a third virus changes things.
The author makes a valiant attempt to bring the nonhuman characters to life, but since their interaction is, from the start, a stalemate, there is little tension. The third virus, although it adds a touch of irony, is something of a deus ex machina in a story that would otherwise have no conclusion.
“The Utopian’s Edict, Or: Ignorantia Juris” by Zachary Reger takes place at a future time when knowledge of every law is transmitted directly into the minds of the populace as soon as a regulation is enacted. A peace officer and three bank robbers base their actions on their perfect understanding of the law.
This story reminds me of a certain kind of logic puzzle, in which the solver must figure out how people would behave if they have perfect knowledge of a situation and act in a rigidly rational fashion. As such, it is inherently artificial. Readers may obtain some intellectual pleasure by attempting to follow the complicated logic of the characters.
In “Care and Feeding of a Hybrid Workforce” by Kim Z. Dale, office workers are split into separated bodies and souls, although there seems to be no difference between the two, as they are essentially doppelgangers. One works at home while the other is at the office, then they switch places. It turns out that they survive by feeding on their own blood.
The latter premise comes out of nowhere, and it is difficult to see what the author intends by it. If the story is meant as a satire on the demands of the workforce, perhaps this odd form of vampirism says something about the physical and emotional costs of overwork.
Written in an unusual style that requires careful reading, “The Deepest Forever-Kiss” by J. Edward Tremlett features a starship full of artificial intelligences investigating the loss of another vessel that was captured by the gravity of a Dyson sphere (a gigantic structure completely surrounding a star.) The AI exploring the site of the loss has a strange encounter that changes its existence.
More of a fully developed story than many of the pieces in the magazine, this work creates a sense of strangeness through its narrative technique, as well as the fact that none of its characters are human. Despite this latter fact, the AIs, each one designated by its function, come across as individuals, with their own personalities. One is even a Poet, giving the story a touch of emotion. The climax is dramatic, and brings this issue to a satisfying close.
Victoria Silverwolf read this magazine on Friday the Thirteenth, but didn’t review it until the next day.