Asimov’s, September/October 2024
“Heartshock” by NickWolven
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer
“In the Dark” by James Patrick Kelly
“And to Their Shining Palaces Go” by Betsy Aoki
“All the Homes of Terror” by Robert Reed
“Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey
“Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” by Stephanie Feldman
“An Unplanned Hold” by Zohar Jacobs
“Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai” by Anita Vijayakumar
“Lost Recall” by Robert R. Chase
“Eternity Is Moments” by R.P. Sand
“Project Fafnir” by Susan Shwartz
“A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler
Reviewed by Mina
This issue investigates sentience, death and difficult choices.
“Heartshock” by Nick Wolven examines the end of a galactic war. The tale begins with the destruction of the orbital battery, Morbis Moon. Without it, the race that committed countless atrocities to rule the universe can no longer fight. Once the allied states are settled, Captain Maya and her leading officers, Astrid and Ferrin, must decide what to do with the defeated Lo Valis. Astrid argues for leniency; Ferrin for vengeance. Maya must find an answer to the burning question: what will ensure the end of a bloody reign once and for all?
All the while Maya is suffering from “heartshock” or the “localised effects of subatomic wave interference”; in plain language, the electric signals of her heart have been painfully disrupted. She does not accept treatment for it until she has decided on a course of action; almost as if the pain were a necessary price for the atrocity she must commit to cement peace. The psychology of the tale is complex, with heartshock representing much more than just a wound. Most interesting is how Maya protects the person she loves most from the stain of a necessary sin. An uncomfortable tale.
In “Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey, Evan is at his wit’s end having been abandoned by his boyfriend in a haunted house. Then the former owner’s niece comes to visit and together they work out what the ghost wants. Evan also begins to face his own demons. A surprisingly warm tale.
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer is an excellent twist to selkie stories, the hidden skin taking on a whole new meaning. In this tale, Morgan is living on the coast again after years of living away from it, having sacrificed her research and career for her husband’s. She begins to make local friends through her daughter as she realises that some of the local grey seals were in her seal study group years before, including one she named Murphy. As the story unfolds, will Morgan call on the power of the four sisters and take control of her life again? An excellent tale about emancipation, with a touch of wild magic with bite.
“Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” by Stephanie Feldman follows three girls celebrating a bachelorettes’ weekend somewhere in Germany. On the last night, they go to a local festival and follow a stranger to his village. A banal horror story, the most interesting thing being the suggestion that each girl is trapped in a role: bride, jealous sister, best friend.
The protagonist of “An Unplanned Hold” by Zohar Jacobs is a ghost. He doesn’t know why he’s stuck in this world: “Being a ghost is like being an insomniac all hours, awake while others slumber.” He haunts places where he lived and the place where he worked, NASA Mission Control. But maybe, just maybe, he has one thing left to do before he can move on. Read this story to find out what and see if you recognise the wink at a famous quote at the end.
In “Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai” by Anita Vijayakumar, Saanvi is flying back to India to see her grandmother. Generations of her family have let a mystical ginger plant decide their fate when choosing a marriage partner. She feels the pressure to continue the family tradition and make her beloved grandmother happy: “she knows it’s ridiculous to assume another person can determine her happiness. That thinking comes from a generation where women weren’t allowed to work or think or desire. It was an antediluvian surrender of self. A relic.” A chance encounter on the plane may change everything. The style is a little too flowery for me and the tale barely counts as fantasy but it is well written and psychologically complex.
“In the Dark” by James Patrick Kelly is not action packed. It’s more about the interplay between the characters. We follow the simple fireman Zee on a night out, where dating gets really complicated. You can see that the story wants to be an analysis of relationships in a world full of social media fame and complex gender roles. In the end, it all feels too superficial, with no character growth, especially the growth that comes from truly listening and absorbing other points of view. But it’s perhaps not surprising that there is no real debate here, as true debate means being honest about the good, the bad and the ugly. The author wants to come across as subtle but, to me, the characters didn’t truly engage with their own analysis.
“Lost Recall” by Robert R. Chase postulates that there is a separate branch of the genus homo that has protected itself down the ages by being completely forgettable. However, this protection is not infallible, especially when faced by new AI developments. The story starts off with a fascinating idea, which then, sadly, fizzles out.
“Eternity Is Moments” by R.P. Sand is a touching, reflective tale about a scientist who is working towards designing an “ecodome” in a future where the earth’s environment has been ravaged. The story also recounts her relationship with her grandfather and the repetition of the words “I met my grandfather today” turn into a litany, a rhythm. The narrator learns the true value of “abundance” in her private and professional life. It is good to read an author who understands how to create a melody that stays with you when the tale is done.
In “And to Their Shining Palaces Go” by Betsy Aoki, Mayumi lives in a conquered and occupied Earth. Educated by her parents to survive a world turned into an experiment lab by the alien overlords, Mayumi finds herself part of the rebellion. She finds unlikely allies in an overlord, the Relic Evanio and in First Robot, who shows remarkable signs of sentience. Together, they set about proving that humans are capable of “swarm” behaviour in the hopes that the overlords will consider their experiment successful and leave. It is a good examination of the psychology of occupation and rebellion, with many shades of grey.
In “Project Fafnir” by Susan Shwartz, WWII meets mythology. Alberich Moyer is part of a team sent to deal with the German’s latest weapon, a real-life dragon.
“A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler is a sad tale about loneliness and feeling disconnected. The protagonist is a woman who is dying and finds solace in small things, whilst conversing with an AI projection.
“All the Homes of Terror” by Robert Reed is well-written and pleasantly odd. We follow the many lives of the Machine who becomes Samite. Most of its lives are spent on the Great Ship, with a world at its heart. It is a difficult tale to connect to, as it’s impossible to relate to Samite. Perhaps that’s the point but it did feel like a bit of a toil to get to the not-particularly-satisfying end.