Analog Science Fiction and Fact July 1978

At best average issue, nothing really special, a few pretty bad ones.

To Bring in the Steel • novelette by Donald Kingsbury
A important leader of an asteroid mining colony wants to bring his daughter to the colony after his ex-wife dies. The people of the colony don't consider him as good enough father, and demand that he'll get someone else to take care of her. For some pretty poorly defined reason he hires a paris hilton type of girl, beautiful and famous courtesan. Some pretty inevitable things happen and everyone finds joy. Overlong story which takes a lot of time to careful explain background and objects which aren't even related to the plot in anyway. It is pretty funny when two or three paragraphs are used to explain how a typewriter of the future works when the said typewriter isn't even used in any way later. ***+
What Really Caused the Energy Crisis • shortstory by Paul J. Nahin
Tall tale about the reason of the energy crisis of 70s. Fairly stupid. **1/2
Kinsman to Lizards • novelette by Jack Williamson
Another part of Jack Williamson's novel (?) he apparently wasn't able to sell in thirties :-) and dumped to Analog in seventies. Pretty bad writing, really feels like something written in 1933. I honestly tried for a few pages, but I had to give up. *
In the Wilderness • shortstory by Jack L. Chalker
A previously unknown alien species is destroying whole planets while saving others from environmental catastrophes. A galactic federation of sorts tries to find out why. Feels like a segment. Motivation of the said species is pretty poorly defined.
Bounded in a Nutshell • shortstory by Charles Sheffield
One company succeeds just too well in auctions. It is almost like they could read minds. Or possibly they might have a some sort of new technology. Ok story, but some details or implications seem to be very similar to Kate Wilhelm's writings .***+
The Paradigmatic Dragon-Slayers • shortstory by James O. Farlow
Dragon slaying and time travel. Dragons are what you probably suspect. Nothing very surprising. **½
Viewpoint Critical • shortstory by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Clueless ursine historians debate if the strange bipedal creatures were ancestors of real ursinoid civilization, and if they really had any civilization of their own worth mentioning. Ok, nothing especially special. ***-
The Man Who Drove to Work • shortstory by Arsen Darnay
Midlife crises, robot, economic planning? I honestly didn't understand this story at all. Strange writing, not my taste. *+