Galaxy’s Edge #57, July 2022
“The Land and Sea Must Needs Share” by Kimberly Unger
“Tin Soldier” by Angela Slatter (Reprint, not reviewed)
“Still City” by Mica Scotti Kole
“Travels With My Cats” by Mike Resnick (Reprint, not reviewed)
“Sized” by Elaine Midcoh
“Men of Greywater Station” by George R.R. Martin & Howard Waldrop (Reprint, not reviewed)
“A Flying Ark for the Ghost Dolphins” by Antony Paschos
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
This 57th issue of Galaxy’s Edge contains four interesting original stories, including one novelette. In addition, this issue includes three fascinating stories that were previously published. Tangent Online does not review previously published works.
“The Land and Sea Must Needs Share” by Kimberly Unger
A father must prepare to let his merman son return to the sea in this short fantasy. He loved a mermaid and agreed to raise their son on land until he was eighteen. But he secretly hoped his son wouldn’t turn or develop gills in all those years.
Now time has run out, and with coaching from the mother, the father prepares for the separation. But as the boat pulls out into the deep water, the father must give one last gift to his son, something that has driven other fathers crazy.
This plot lacked the mystery needed to pull the reader gracefully through the story.
“Still City” by Mica Scotti Kole
Sam was on the verge of divorce in this short SF story when an accident at a cryogenic factory froze everyone in her town. She wakes a century later with her husband, but minus her beloved cat, who didn’t make it. The world is strange, but her marital problems are unchanged. Still, she could now go to the moon, literally.
This was a quiet and thoughtful snippet of a story. It was a brief flash of our humanity and how it didn’t change much over the centuries.
“Sized” by Elaine Midcoh
In this SF novelette, an advocate, Arthur, takes on the case of an old man designated for sizing because he’s no longer relevant. The act of sizing reduces a person to the size of a pre-toddler, incapable of speaking or walking. However, it relieves the infirm from pain while easing the burden on those caring for them daily.
The old man claims he remains relevant since he can guide the younger people based on his considerable experience. When the court adjudicates the case, Arthur argues well for his client, who gives helpful advice to people in the court. But when the judge agrees to defer the case for three months, his decision has a hidden agenda. It is a plan that spells trouble for Advocate Arthur.
Author Midcoh crafted an intriguing glimpse of a future where society pushes people to be compliant. And where non-compliance carries a heavy price for anyone involved.
“A Flying Ark for the Ghost Dolphins” by Antony Paschos
Nina is one of the few survivors of the nuclear war in this SF short. She is collecting the skulls of sea creatures in the hope that future generations can use their bones to clone the animals again. Since the untimely death of her lover, Nina is especially keen to get a dolphin skull.
After finding an appropriate skull in an aquarium in Athens, Nina sets off alone to fly an Airbus 320 to Cairo, where they have an underground sanctuary to store the bones away from the radiation that continues to contaminate the planet. But shortly after take-off, she hears banging from beyond the cockpit door. Clutching the emergency fire ax, she opens the door.
This fascinating story kept the reader engaged as they turned page after page, finding themselves surprised that the story had finished.
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