A review by thesffreader
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 143 by Neil Clarke
3.0
A very mixed bag.
The Veilonaut’s Dream by Henry Szabranski 3.5/5
Sad story of a troup of scientists studying an another dimension searching for the remnants of their old friends.
The Anchorite Waits by R.S.A. Garcia 2.5/5
A story that starts off as a fantasy tale but that end up being science fiction based. The writing was quite nice but overall, it left me underwhelmed.
The Privilege of the Happy Ending by Kij Johnson 5/5
Definitely the gem of the issue, it's not my first Kij Johnson story but so far it's my favorite. I loved how Johnson repeatdly broke the fourth wall and the pacing and the prose was on point. I'm very impressed by this one, especially because I usually prefer my short fiction to be SF and not fantasy.
It follows a little girl and a hen as they try to survive humanity and other monsters.
Kingfisher by Robert Reed DNF
Oh no this one definitely wasn't for me, I usually tend to like Reed's fiction but I tried to read this three times and I was completely bored. It felt tedious and longwinded and absolutely not for me.
The Loneliest Ward Hao Jingfan 3.5/5
I still have yet to read Folding Beijing so that was my first Jingfan work and I liked it however, I wished it had been a tad longer. But it's definitely a nice and sharp view on social media.
Yukui! by James Patrick Kelly 3.5/5
An artificial intelligence is given freedom when it doesn't want it at first. It's nice and very readable but a bit overdone and I didn't see any elements particularly original or different from the dozens of stories I read based on this trope. Still, it had its moments and I enjoyed it but it's a bit forgettable.
I haven't read the excerpt from Annex by Rich Larson because I already intend to read the novel later.
The Veilonaut’s Dream by Henry Szabranski 3.5/5
Sad story of a troup of scientists studying an another dimension searching for the remnants of their old friends.
The Anchorite Waits by R.S.A. Garcia 2.5/5
A story that starts off as a fantasy tale but that end up being science fiction based. The writing was quite nice but overall, it left me underwhelmed.
The Privilege of the Happy Ending by Kij Johnson 5/5
Definitely the gem of the issue, it's not my first Kij Johnson story but so far it's my favorite. I loved how Johnson repeatdly broke the fourth wall and the pacing and the prose was on point. I'm very impressed by this one, especially because I usually prefer my short fiction to be SF and not fantasy.
It follows a little girl and a hen as they try to survive humanity and other monsters.
Kingfisher by Robert Reed DNF
Oh no this one definitely wasn't for me, I usually tend to like Reed's fiction but I tried to read this three times and I was completely bored. It felt tedious and longwinded and absolutely not for me.
The Loneliest Ward Hao Jingfan 3.5/5
I still have yet to read Folding Beijing so that was my first Jingfan work and I liked it however, I wished it had been a tad longer. But it's definitely a nice and sharp view on social media.
Yukui! by James Patrick Kelly 3.5/5
An artificial intelligence is given freedom when it doesn't want it at first. It's nice and very readable but a bit overdone and I didn't see any elements particularly original or different from the dozens of stories I read based on this trope. Still, it had its moments and I enjoyed it but it's a bit forgettable.
I haven't read the excerpt from Annex by Rich Larson because I already intend to read the novel later.