Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Analog Science Fiction November 1992




Ok issue, all stories at least fairly good.

Embracing the Alien • novelette by Geoffrey A. Landis
Story which is told from a viewpoint of an alien who is partaking a scientific mission aboard a human space station. Plotline is very much Star Trek type. The space station encounters a higher being who lives near a black hole, and the being sends the ship across the space-time to face a hard moral dilemma. There are probably only about 50 Star Trek episodes from all the incarnations of the series with about the same storyline. Anyway, a pretty good story. ****
Steelcollar Worker • shortstory by Vonda N. McIntyre
A worker who is very good in her job is asked to partake an examination. She has avoided it already several times, but at this time she can’t avoid it anymore. A well written story, but it seems that the school system of this future is extremely poor if protagonist’s condition wouldn’t have been recognized and treated in some way. ****-
High On Life • shortstory by Greg Costikyan
All drugs which give pleasure are harmful and dangerous - and forbidden. But if someone gets off with his work… Pretty simple, one-joke, nice story. ***½
P.C. Software • shortstory by G. David Nordley
Political correctness going to the ultimate limits is a pretty American thing, which is not completely unknown elsewhere. Tells about extreme political correctness in a sf-magazine’s editorial office, and how to get around it. Ok, pretty simple but nice. ***½
Naught Again • novelette by John E. Stith
A private investigator and his AI car happen to stumble upon a plot involving murder and cryonics. Nice short story, depends on several coincidences. Writing is ok. ***½

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