Redstone #25, June 2012

Delores, the older sister in “Daddy’s Girl” by Amy Sundberg, doesn’t want to follow in her father’s footsteps.  But she does as he wishes and becomes a spacer, under her sister’s leadership.  They’re on their way to pick up another load of ice.  Delores is still reeling from the loss of her husband, and concerned that they’re pushing their aging ship too hard.  When they get to the ice field, they find their arch-rival there ahead of them, and have no choice but to back down. 

Maybe it’s a personal failing, but when a short story tosses in problems as if they were dice, all needing to get onto the table at once, it makes my eyes glaze over.  The ending is the best part of this story. 

In “The Cold Beyond the Pools” by Steven R. Stewart, a group of shelled creatures is pulled from its warm acid pools, forced by another species to pull carts, under inhumane conditions.  The aggressors, who might be humanoid, are heartless and cruel.  They use the children of their captives as toys, and eat the dead.

This tale takes the perspective of the beast of burden.  The choice adds some interest, but yields poor visuals.  The good guys struck me as shelled-sheep, while the villains are pure black hats, with no compassion or credible motive for their cruelty.

I’m gaining the impression that Redstone is becoming less unique, more generic and interchangeable with its counterparts.  Since the old Redstone was my favorite among the publications we review, I hope I’m wrong.