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Asimov's Science Fiction, March 2014 (2014)

by Sheila Williams(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Dell Magazines

series

Asimov's Science Fiction

review 1: This is a high-quality issue with a balance of stories that should have several that appeal to most readers. While there were a few here that didn't impress themselves strongly upon me, they were all worth reading. Being a biologist rather than a physicist possibly explains why I particularly enjoyed "The Plantimal", "Walking Gear", and "All the Pretty Mermaids". The collaboration by Liu and Resnick on the former works fabulously. I and others have grown an appreciation for Liu's work because of their emotional power. Though I've read Resnick before I haven't noted (or remembered), but I'd be curious to learn what aspects of the tale originate or were developed by which author. Cat Rambo's story is one I'm marking to reread again. It delves both into issues of bioethics ar... moreound biotechnology capabilities, family love, and concepts of beauty and image from a feminist perspective. Beyond the biology, I really enjoyed both "The Redemption of Kip Banjeree" and "Through Portal". James Patrick Kelly is a fine writer, but his "Declaration" just wasn't my thing, I found the voice of the characters hard to get past. Finally, Wood's "Drink in a Small Town" is a quaint anecdote that just left me indifferent.
review 2: This issue was a mixed bag for me. I definitely enjoyed the short stories more than the novelettes.I really enjoyed "The Plantimal", but then it would be big news if Ken Liu wrote something I didn't like. This personal and again emotional story ask questions about "what's human", or at least "what's sentient"."Drink in a Small Town" was quite short but amusing, one of those old-school sci-fi stories that didn't worry over much about character but just had a simple anecdote to tell."Solomon's Little Sister" was also pretty good, a futuristic sci-fi with an ample supply of replacement bodies."The Redemption of Kip Banjeree" was a lot of fun with a futuristic parkour courier service, sort of Mirror's Edge plus cyberpunk hacking.And lastly, "Through Portal" was mostly interesting, though I am not sure I grokked what transpired exactly on the far side of the portal, the near side was good enough.The longer stories, I enjoyed "Declaration" the most, a virtual reality revolution of sorts. (I previously read - or I guess I should say listened to - this is part of the "Rip-Off" audiobook anthology audible gave away as a promo last year.)"Walking Gear" was depressing rather than edifying. So, for that matter, was "All the Pretty Little Mermaids". The latter was especially disappointing because it was the cover article, so I have to feel the editors forwarded a really good story, but at the end it just left me with a puzzled expression on my face wondering what the point of all that was. (Seriously, if you understood the purpose of that story, tack on a comment and clue me in.) less

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