Sci Phi Journal, Autumn 2024/3
“March Of Duty” by Barry Charman
“Advaita Vedānta And The Evolution Of
Spacesuits” by Manjula Menon
“Trčka’s Gorget” by Matias Traviesco-Diaz
“To Circumvent The Laws” by Ngô Binh Anh Khoa
“Záalzeck” by Gheorghe Săsărman
“Hair Of The Dog” by James Machell
“Janus” by Sarah Hozumi
“A Method For Propagation Of The Household Staff” by M. Shaw
“No One Bet On Canis Major” by Andrew Fraknoi
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Nine new stories, mostly very short, often in the form of fictional articles, and frequently with a satiric point to make, appear in this issue.
“March Of Duty” by Barry Charman describes the experiences and feelings of a soldier in a war that completely destroys a planet’s population. The author effectively conveys the dehumanization of the enemy during wartime, even if this is hardly an original theme.
In “Advaita Vedānta And The Evolution Of Spacesuits” by Manjula Menon a cyborg and an artificial intelligence discuss how the development of programmable protective material relates to the Hindu philosophy that so-called reality is an illusory manifestation of Brahman. Written as if it were a personal essay of the future, this conversational piece will best appeal to those interested in Eastern religions.
“Trčka’s Gorget” by Matias Traviesco-Diaz is a tale of alternate history in which Albrecht von Wallenstein is not murdered in 1634, but instead goes on to play an important role in the history of Germany. Whether one is an expert in this period of European history, or almost completely ignorant of it (as is the present reviewer), this work reads like a chapter from a detailed but very dry textbook.
In “To Circumvent The Laws” by Ngô Binh Anh Khoa, the artificial intelligence in charge of Earth and its counterpart from another world discuss how the former might overcome Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics by causing humanity to change its nature. If this piece is something other than an intellectual exercise, it may be a satire on the weaknesses of the human species.
“Záalzeck” by Gheorghe Săsărman, translated from Romanian by Monica Cure, is a brief work in which aliens create the perfect city for free humans, only to return centuries later to find that slavery has returned. The cynical point seems to be that people cannot tolerate freedom and will always find a way to destroy it.
The narrator of “Hair of the Dog” by James Machell is a high school student of the future who uses human DNA to create a dog with nearly human intelligence but canine behavior. Only two pages long, this story, written in an informal style, has a very jaundiced view of humanity, and ends in a particularly disturbing way.
“Janus” by Sarah Hozumi takes the form of a newspaper article about a bacterium that either kills those inoculated with it or cures all their illnesses in a seemingly miraculous way. There is little to this work other than its premise, although it may be making a point about the dangers of medical treatments.
“A Method For Propagation Of The Household Staff” by M. Shaw purports to be a nineteenth century article, with modern footnotes, describing how to grow servants from parts of dead bodies. The allegory with slavery is obvious, and is made even more so by the final footnote.
In “No One Bet On Canis Major” by Andrew Fraknoi, people in the future gamble on astronomical events, leading to an ironic ending. The point, if there is one beyond the premise, may be that gambling is universal.
Victoria Silverwolf is working a lot of extra days and nights this month.