Special ”Women’s Issue” where most things were written by women authors - including editorial and the Reference Library. Some of the stories are very well written.
Eyes of Amber • novelette by Joan D. Vinge
Humans communicate with aliens living in Titan using a probe which landed there. Light speed delay causes some problems. Little happens, but observation has an effect to the observed, and vice versa. Very well and stylistically written, but fairly boring story. Aliens are not alien enough, they are carbon copies of some medieval assassins or highway robbers or royalty (not much difference between those…) ***-
The Screwfly Solution • novelette by James Tiptree, Jr. [as by Raccoona Sheldon ]
Cults which want to kill all the women are forming everywhere around the world. Story follows a man working away from his wife, exchanging letters with her, and ultimately journeying back to visit her. But is he able to resist all more common hatred against women? Very well written story, but the ending is too clearly spelled out. Also, that kind of alien invasion scheme seems overtly complicated - why alter human behavior when a fast spreading disease might have faster and more sure? ****
The Ax • shortfiction by Jayge Carr
Courtroom drama. Is it legal to kill a clone, or something what might be considered a clone? Story depends on legal points which are far too silly and/or improbable for even American courts. **½
Salamander • shortstory by Leigh Kennedy
Workers working in a lunar colony have some trouble with each others, with their leaders, and with the command on earth. Pretty boring, pretty conventional story without many surprises. I had to struggle through it, might have missed something, but was wondering what was the real point of writing this. **
Lord of All It Surveys • shortstory by Alison Tellure
Story follows the evolution of sentient, sea living, life form on an another planet. It evolves to single huge brain. Writing ok, ending anticlimactic. The really interesting part of the story would happen _after_ this ending - this story reads like a bit boring prologue to the _real_, more interesting story. ***
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