A review by oleksandr
Analog Science Fiction and Fact May/June 2020 by Trevor Quachri
3.0
This is the review of May-June 2020 issue of Analog. There was nothing strikingly awesome, but quite a few solid works.
Fiction and Essays in the issue:
Here There Be Women [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Emily Hockaday A short intro to the 90th anniversary selected story, this time by a woman, plus a few musings about women in SF over time.
Weyr Search [Dragonriders of Pern short fiction] -1967 novella by Anne McCaffrey it may sound strange, but this is my first taste of [a:Anne McCaffrey|26|Anne McCaffrey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1599324585p2/26.jpg] works – I have heard of Pern, but never have tried any of the books. This is a fine ‘SF masquerading as fantasy’ story, with a woman hair to the hold, who managed to escape, when their hold was attacked, grew up and managed a revenge when Dragonriders visited the hold. A good quality 60s SF, which sounds a bit old today. 3*
Miles to Go Before We Rest poem by G. O. Clark I am quite weak in poetry and I don’t get this one.
Moral Biology [Polity Universe] novella by Neal Asher a planet with an orbital attack/defense grid, which goal seems not to defend from outside, but to hold what is inside from escaping. A team of a human, golem and AI, with a platoon of solders is sent to investigate. It was hard for me to follow all characters but the final reveal is quite interesting. 3*
Space Dust: How an Asteroid Altered Life on Earth...Millions of Years Before the Dinosaurs [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett there was a mutual disintegration of two non-iron asteroids (one about 150 km in diameter), so even now 1/3 of all asteroids that fall are from that calamity. 3*
A Breath of Air novelette by Tom Jolly colonists on Mars make it habitable one greenhouse at a time. Someone tries to kill them, why? A nice exploration/terraforming/mystery story. 3*
The New Planet poem by Sarah Gallien a short piece supposedly about a joint project of terraforming together with aliens (?)
Candida Eve short story by Dominica Phetteplace a mission on Mars dies on flight, all but one woman. The pandemics havocs the Earth, so no way back for the survivor in near future. 2*
Is the Universe a Hypersphere? [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer another piece re the discrepancy in the Hubble constant (as discussed last issue). 2*
To Persist, However Changed short story by Aimee Ogden a short piece that describes something similar to a living thinking planet, too short IMHO. 1*
Net Loss short story by James Sallis a criminal got snitched by smart TV, another flash fiction. 2*
A Compass in the Dark short story by Phoebe Barton a girl on a Moon colony, her father makes compasses for spirits of the dead to travel safe. She rebels against his views. 2*
In Times to Come (Analog, May-June 2020) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited what the next issue will bring.
It Was a Tradition When You Turned 16 short story by Eric Cline a nice story – a father tries to teach his teenage daughter to manually drive in age when all cars are driven by AI. 4*
Calm Face of the Storm novelette by Ramona Louise Wheeler some kind of flying narrator (a bat variant?) gets behind ‘known land’ to find that some tales are true. 3*
The House of Styx (part 2 of 3) [Venus Ascendant 1] serial by Derek Künsken? a continuation of the story. The family prepares to go dark and live in tunnels on Venus, but they lack expertise, so invite other people. So far a very nice read. 4*
The Reference Library (Analog, May-June 2020) [The Reference Library] essay by Don Sakers some new SF
Fiction and Essays in the issue:
Here There Be Women [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Emily Hockaday A short intro to the 90th anniversary selected story, this time by a woman, plus a few musings about women in SF over time.
Weyr Search [Dragonriders of Pern short fiction] -1967 novella by Anne McCaffrey it may sound strange, but this is my first taste of [a:Anne McCaffrey|26|Anne McCaffrey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1599324585p2/26.jpg] works – I have heard of Pern, but never have tried any of the books. This is a fine ‘SF masquerading as fantasy’ story, with a woman hair to the hold, who managed to escape, when their hold was attacked, grew up and managed a revenge when Dragonriders visited the hold. A good quality 60s SF, which sounds a bit old today. 3*
Miles to Go Before We Rest poem by G. O. Clark I am quite weak in poetry and I don’t get this one.
Moral Biology [Polity Universe] novella by Neal Asher a planet with an orbital attack/defense grid, which goal seems not to defend from outside, but to hold what is inside from escaping. A team of a human, golem and AI, with a platoon of solders is sent to investigate. It was hard for me to follow all characters but the final reveal is quite interesting. 3*
Space Dust: How an Asteroid Altered Life on Earth...Millions of Years Before the Dinosaurs [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett there was a mutual disintegration of two non-iron asteroids (one about 150 km in diameter), so even now 1/3 of all asteroids that fall are from that calamity. 3*
A Breath of Air novelette by Tom Jolly colonists on Mars make it habitable one greenhouse at a time. Someone tries to kill them, why? A nice exploration/terraforming/mystery story. 3*
The New Planet poem by Sarah Gallien a short piece supposedly about a joint project of terraforming together with aliens (?)
Candida Eve short story by Dominica Phetteplace a mission on Mars dies on flight, all but one woman. The pandemics havocs the Earth, so no way back for the survivor in near future. 2*
Is the Universe a Hypersphere? [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer another piece re the discrepancy in the Hubble constant (as discussed last issue). 2*
To Persist, However Changed short story by Aimee Ogden a short piece that describes something similar to a living thinking planet, too short IMHO. 1*
Net Loss short story by James Sallis a criminal got snitched by smart TV, another flash fiction. 2*
A Compass in the Dark short story by Phoebe Barton a girl on a Moon colony, her father makes compasses for spirits of the dead to travel safe. She rebels against his views. 2*
In Times to Come (Analog, May-June 2020) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited what the next issue will bring.
It Was a Tradition When You Turned 16 short story by Eric Cline a nice story – a father tries to teach his teenage daughter to manually drive in age when all cars are driven by AI. 4*
Calm Face of the Storm novelette by Ramona Louise Wheeler some kind of flying narrator (a bat variant?) gets behind ‘known land’ to find that some tales are true. 3*
The House of Styx (part 2 of 3) [Venus Ascendant 1] serial by Derek Künsken? a continuation of the story. The family prepares to go dark and live in tunnels on Venus, but they lack expertise, so invite other people. So far a very nice read. 4*
The Reference Library (Analog, May-June 2020) [The Reference Library] essay by Don Sakers some new SF