At most an average issue. Several stories without a real plot – just a single problem which is solved.
Seagulls, Jack-O-Lanterns, and Interstitial Spaces • novelette by Gray Rinehart
A Halloween themed story. First, a low-level employee on a space ship makes a small Halloween prank which slightly backfires, then they must solve a problem with their ship. A pretty mundane story which isn’t too interesting. **
Strobe Effect • novelette by Alastair Mayer and Brad R. Torgersen
A story of how a couple of scientists make an unusual observation and finally develop a groundbreaking invention. A little boring story where there was no real conflict. ***-
The Information in a Dream • novelette by Sarah K. Castle
A woman who takes care of dogs, which are used as a part of some sort of quantum artificial intelligence computer is faced a hard choice: she must ”volunteer" as an interface for the computer or be fired. She is tied up with taking care of her father who is suffering severe Parkinson's. An excellent, well written story. The background was somewhat flimsy, but that didn't hurt too much. The best story in the issue. ***½
Pictures at an Exhibition • shortstory by Robert R. Chase
A picture exhibition involving a Big Foot, in more than one way. A short and simple story, writing was ok. ***½
Tech Support • shortstory by Richard A. Lovett
Phone-lines get slightly crossed and someone trying to call tech support gets Alexander Bell on the phone line. They discuss some future developments when the caller finally figures out who he is talking with. Writing was ok, but there really wasn't much of the plot. The story was more like an anecdote or prologue for a novel of an alternative world where inventions are made earlier than in our world. ***+
Survival in Shades of Orange • shortstory by Patty Jansen
A newlywed couple goes to work on outpost of an alien planet. They are supposed to research strange plants and animals living upon the planet. The husband has a secret mission - to find out what happened to earlier pair of people stationed on the same outpost. It appears that either they went mad or the station AI malfunctioned in some way. There are interesting details in the story, and the writing is pretty good. However, there are immense stupidities in the plot. Why would the husband withhold extremely critical information from his wife? There might be a lunatic AI, which controls every detail, but one member of the team isn't supposed to know? Totally idiotic and ridiculous. And the author seems to imagine that iodine tablets would somehow be useful for a radiation poisoning caused by a powerful extraneous radiation source?! They are useful only against ingested radioactive iodine – there is no whatsoever effect against any other sort of radioactive exposure. ***
Siege Perilous • novelette by Daniel Hatch
An asteroid where a large group of scientists is developing a ubiquitous AI computing system is sieged by a military spaceship. They are losing, when the invading ship makes demands that are totally ridiculous (apparently the invaders didn’t know who they were invading. An ok story which didn’t really grab me for some reason. ***
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