Asimov’s, July/August 2023
“The Death Hole Bunker” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“What>We>Will>Never>Be” by Robert Reed
“Daughters of the Lattice” by Stephen Case
“Showdown on Planetoid Pencrux” by Garth Nix
“Bridges” by Sean Monaghan
“Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by Karawynn Long
“Dark Horses” by David Ebenbach
“The Greeter” by Rick Wilber & Lisa Lanser Rose
“Tilt” by Leslie What
“Let the Games Begin” by Robert Friedman & Barry N. Malzberg
“Morning Glory” by Sam W. Pisciotta
“Have You Seen Bitsy?” by James Van Pelt
“My Sister Told Me to Write a Story About the Genetics of Inheritable Godhood” by Sarah Pinsker
Reviewed by Mina
“The Death Hole Bunker” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is ultimately a frustrating novella to read because it does not stand on its own. It is like reading a rather long prologue to the story that will come after but doesn’t, so the reader is left feeling tricked and dissatisfied. We see Hogarth exploring the mystery of “death holes” on the planet of Wyr—they are like exploding sink holes that seem to create instantly mummified bodies if anyone is caught in them. He and his workmate, Raemi, are a mix of explorers and scavengers, uninterested in the science behind the mystery. It is this ignorance that leads to disaster. But the reader learns nothing about the mystery either and it feels like a ploy to get you to buy the book. That’s OK if the reader is given something in exchange, like a good story; they don’t.
“What>We>Will>Never>Be” by Robert Reed requires perseverance to get to the end. This novella is set in the Great Ship and we follow various immortals, some human, some not, through various lives. Among them is Tosylic, the alien mourning his dead AI wife, Note, and planning revenge. The world building was interesting, but I had given up caring by the time we got through all the red herrings to some sort of conclusion. I would not read this again.
“Daughters of the Lattice” by Stephen Case is initially confusing. It’s a hard line to walk as a writer, giving small clues that build up to a whole without alienating the reader along the way. The protagonist hints of an old world/universe order and the cancer that spread and destroyed it; a sisterhood that sowed the seeds of its own destruction. The protagonist must make a hard choice in the end, one that will give her daughters a future. Note to the reader: persevere here—it’s worth getting to the end of the story.
“Showdown on Planetoid Pencrux” by Garth Nix is an excellent replay of High Noon. It’s set on a mining planetoid with warborgs in the role of Sheriff and Deputy. The Doc is the mind of a Precursor, from a much older civilisation, using eets (like silver-blue lemurs) as his avatars. It is a wonderful tale of quiet courage, friendship and responsibility, without being annoyingly preachy or superficial. To be savoured and reread.
In “Bridges” by Sean Monaghan, the itinerant Bern returns to his village. His closest tie is with his niece Saibel and her pet, Purl. He returns to witness the malfunctioning of the AI engine that provides for the village. Bern saves Saibel’s life but that doesn’t seem to be the main point of the story. It feels more about growing up and perhaps eschewing the easy life of those whose every need is met by the providers. Especially providers who can crush those in their care when careless. The world building is good; the seeds of the story could have done with more watering.
“Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by Karawynn Long is a lovely tale about a neurodiverse person who learns to talk with crows. It works well in the first person because the narrator struggles to communicate verbally with the neurotypical characters around them. They work as caretaker for a group of crows being experimented on by a group of scientists. Trapped in their own uncooperative body, they feel great empathy for a group of genetically modified crows, the Crebain. They hatch a plan with the leader of the crows, Kuro, to set them free. A cautionary tale about underestimating others.
“Dark Horses” by David Ebenbach is a tongue-in-cheek look at what happens when you blend SF and PR. A group of PR agents discuss what the theme for a colony on Venus could be. Ideas get thrown around: love, yellow, canals. What makes it a good story is how the author brings in details in the background about a ruined Earth, at the mercy of semi-permanent rain storms, flooding and smog. Only a privileged few will ever see the cloud city of love and its canals.
“The Greeter” by Rick Wilber & Lisa Lanser Rose is a sweet tale. It’s told with a dual viewpoint, Janny and her father. Janny has Down’s but it is treated much as if she has brown, curly hair. She does communicate differently and it turns out she has a gift—she can communicate across space with her absent mother. When her mother comes to get her, she must decide whether to leave or stay with her ageing, lonely father. Janny understands love and compassion and it will colour her choice.
In “Tilt” by Leslie What, SF meets One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with a stroll via Hitchcock. Seven mutants attend the therapy session from hell. As the session progresses, Kim realises she has reached a skilled enough level of mind control that she will be able to start manipulating her way out to freedom where her little boy awaits her. She begins to hatch her plan.
“Let the Games Begin” by Robert Friedman & Barry N. Malzberg is in the form of an email exchange between Bob and Barry. It’s light and not very memorable but a fun read. Is Bob teaching aliens about successful marketing ploys or is he undergoing virtual reality therapy; that is the question.
“Morning Glory” by Sam W. Pisciotta is a simple tale about fear, transformation and connection. Perl’s biophobia will not let her flee the approaching nanostorm with Daisy and Sadie. Yet when Perl is engulfed by the nanostorm slowly taking over the planet, she finds she is like a butterfly escaping its chrysalis.
“Have You Seen Bitsy?” by James Van Pelt is a humorous story. A plucky schoolgirl investigates the disappearance of pets in her paper route. She soon works out that the neighbours with no furniture and silver suitcases are petnapping and taking them to their ship on derelict ground. Lacey determines to save the pets and get her paper money. A light read, particularly appreciated by those of us who took life seriously even at school.
“My Sister Told Me to Write a Story About the Genetics of Inheritable Godhood” by Sarah Pinsker is a delightful, very short story. The author is chatting to her sister, while watching her nephew and niece play. It’s a great discussion on writing whilst performing the task in the title. Well-written and fun. Anyone who can make black walnuts falling from a tree gripping is worth reading.