Lightspeed #141, February 2022
“Plausible Realities, Improbable Dreams” by Isabel J. Kim
“When We Were Gods” by Isha Karki
“Bad Code” by Stephen Graham Jones
“NeuNet” by Sharang Biswas
“How to Abandon Your Sourdough Starter: A Recipe for Disaster” by Theresa DeLucci
“The Honest Fox, or, A Truth Shared is Not a Truth Lost” by P. H. Lee
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are six original stories in Lightspeed’s 141st issue, plus two previously published stories. The new tales include one flash story.
“Plausible Realities, Improbable Dreams” by Isabel J. Kim
The multiverse is splintering in this short SF story. Cat’s world changes as she jerks from one reality to another. If only she could settle on the reality where Roshan exists. She likes him, but for some reason, he only exists in one of her realities, though everyone else exists in ninety-nine percent of her worlds.
Fighting to hold the thread with Roshan, she tries to make sense of the universes sliding over each other. She wants to keep the only one where they exist together. But then someone lets her in on the truth; it’s not what she wants to hear.
This was a jumbled-up world that took a page or two to understand, then it flowed better, leaving the reader engaged in the character’s plight.
“When We Were Gods” by Isha Karki
Mriti is almost a slave for the conquering Mohars in this short fantasy. Mriti’s people are close to the gods, and her twin sister is a godling. But the Mohars use the godling blood to power their technology.
Mriti must work for the Mohars if she is to survive. But she has no hope for the future as she misses her twin sister. Being so close to the Mohars creates both problems and opportunities for her, and soon she feels compelled to act.
This story tried to show everything that happened, and it soon became confused and hard to follow.
“Bad Code” by Stephen Graham Jones
In this short SF, Jacob and his father visit his goofy uncle. The uncle tells the father about his latest theories about the aliens. He explains how the aliens sent crude androids with blank faces and long fingers in the past. However, the new androids could pass as humans. The paranoid uncle checks for recording devices, but Jacob knows he’ll never find his.
The story was barely longer than a flash story, and the material was suitable for this format. The ending was easily predicted.
“NeuNet” by Sharang Biswas
Dementia has robbed a former surgeon of his faculties in this short SF story. Matthew, the surgeon’s son, is left alone by his sister to care for his father. It is a difficult task, and when a friend suggests sending his father to NeuNet, Matt explores this option.
NeuNet links human brains into a powerful human-computer. In effect, it is a neural network. But Matt must decide if this is what his father would want. The world seems polarized over the concept. The doctors assure Matt that the brains retain no memories or even thoughts; it is like an endless sleep.
The author’s story foretells a Matrix-like warehouse of humans harvested for their minds. It is a chilling idea, though this story doesn’t explore the idea deeply.
“How to Abandon Your Sourdough Starter: A Recipe for Disaster” by Theresa DeLucci
In this flash SF, a wife experiments with a sourdough recipe as her world churns. Quarantined in a world full of pandemics, the wife wants a child but bakes bread as a substitute for her hopes.
The story was slow and difficult to follow at times, though the plot approached the subject matter in an unusual way.
“The Honest Fox, or, A Truth Shared is Not a Truth Lost” by P. H. Lee
A young fox is not like the other foxes in this short fantasy. Instead, he is truthful, kind, and direct. All the things foxes aren’t. And he soon finds himself separate from his friends.
One day he comes across an orchard behind a stone wall. Now his nature is not to steal an apple, though the creatures around him try their best to steal one for him. The fox faces an identity crisis as he worries over wanting an apple and not stealing one.
This story was repetitive and, at best, an overly long Aesop-like fable of morality.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com