Flash Mob • novelette by Meg Pontecorvo
A young single mother studies squids. A species that usually lives on the coast of Japan is swarming on the US pacific coast. They use light flashes to communicate. She notices the squid response to light stimulus but doesn’t succeed in recording it. An ok story where science fiction content was very scant. ***½
The Trashpusher of Planet 4 • short story by Brenda Kalt
An alien generation ship is approaching a solar system. The culture and biology of the aliens are based on rigid castes. One individual has been born between castes and is scorned. The ship AI has a task for him, he should repair a partly destroyed shuttle and examine the fourth planet of the system - it might be habitable. A fairly good story from an alien point of view, but I wonder what happens with the inhabitants of the third planet? ****-
It's Cold on Europa • short story by Filip Wiltgren
A woman is living on Europa moon mining ice. As a companion, she has an android version of her wife. The android's memory and personality are updated regularly. After the last update, the android behaves rather coldly towards the main character. It would be easy to hack the personality profile, but would that be ethical. It is a pretty good story, but the ending was worse than the first half of the story and it was too abrupt. ***+
Tail Call Optimization • novelette by Tony Ballantyne
A mechanical construct has a cloned mind. There are other similar constructs with similar minds, or at least they are supposed to be similar. His mind seems to work worse, there is a computer worm eating his processing space and his body is in very poor condition mechanically. He is digging up the remains of a mystical high-level civilization for valuable parts. One day he finds a processing space that contains a human mind. A pretty good story, might have been in a little longer format, the end felt a bit rushed. Also, it took some time to really get what the word ”ve” meant, it was apparently used to replace he/she. ****-
The Acheulean Gift • short story by Matthew Claxton
Children with genes of cavemen have been created by genetic manipulation. There has been a backlash and, apparently, the company that created the children has gone bust. The children have trouble adjusting and are on a summer camp of sorts, where they split flint for arrowheads among other things. They work together very well. A pretty good story but I don’t believe human genes would allow so highly instinctive behavior – up to being an extremely talented stone worker. ***+
If a Tree Doesn't Fall • short story by Jerry Oltion
A man finds a floating tree in a faraway forest. Is he hallucinating? A simply implausible story, pretty subpar for Oltion. (There is an antigravity vest tied to the tree - how to get it to civilization?) ***-
John Henry Was a Steel Driving Man • short story by Shane Halbach
Welders who are building a space station are going to go on strike due to poor work conditions. Just when the strike is starting there is an alarm of a solar storm. Surely that is just the management scheming? (As a worker sabotaged the station, it takes a suicide mission to save all lives. Also, the company is guilty of stupid - far too stupid to believe - cost-cutting.) A fairly ordinary analog-style story about solving a dangerous situation. ***
Damocles • novelette by Sean McMullen
In WW2, a member of a fighter plane crew was ordered on a secret and urgent mission. Apparently, his late grandfather had invented a ray gun of sorts. His daughter (who was presumed dead) has been in captivity for years, and she hasn’t revealed the secret of the weapon. Maybe the main character might have some influence on her aunt? A very good cyberpunkish story about an invention that might be too dangerous to exist. ****
Recollection • short story by Elise Stephens
In a post-apocalyptic, rebuilding world, a government inspector comes to a small village. There is relatively little she can do, but at least something. She can’t help the well that is drying out though. There are rare recordings of the past. The inspector has some and according to a rumor, someone who recently died in the village did have one too. The background was scant, but it was a reasonably good story in spite of that. ***
The Burning Lands • short story by Tom Jolly
A detective examines strange fires. In one of them, several campers were killed, in other dead animals were found on site. Traces of methane were also found locally. Where could it have come from? (Genetically modified methane-producing bugs). A pretty basic story, but told well. ***+
Hillman, Charles Dallas, Age: 35, No Partner, Parents: Deceased • short story by Ron Collins
A man who is hiding from police volunteers for a scientific study where he gets to stay at a faraway hotel for a long time. It turns out that his personality is recorded, and it eventually spreads around the internet. He himself isn’t the same anymore. A pretty good, surprisingly optimistic story. ***½
The Pond Who Sang • short story by Charles Hand
After an extremely unlikely accident mixes neural networks and special chemical switches producing something new. It is a pretty good story, but it is just too short and just a beginning for the real story. ***
Second Hand Destinies • short story by Marie Vibbert
A rundown space station has very rundown inhabitants, one is even dead and inhabited by a parasitic being. A visitor arrives - does she have money to pay for her visit. A decent story, once more a bit too glimpse-like to be really good. ***+
The Shadow of His Wings • short story by Ray Nayler
Guerilla-style fights are still going on somewhere in the Middle East. It is possible to upload one’s personality to the mind of an animal, for example, a falcon. A young boy gets involved with the rescue and capture of one such creature. A pretty good story, once again it was a bit too short. ***
Problem Landing • novelette by Sean Monaghan
A small Martian colony is waiting for the landing of the first colony ship - which has private funding. The landing fails and the ship falls down. There is no communications working to the ship and the landing site a good distance away. A pretty standard ”rescue” story, nothing which hasn't been seen dozens of times before in analog. As such the writing was ok, but there were no surprises of any kind anywhere. ***-
Invasive Species • novella by Catherine Wells
A man lives in a small restricted colony on an alien planet and works in security. The planet has natives, who are very peaceful and calm, but have very strict restrictions: humans are not allowed outside a very limited zone, and all flying reconnaissance is strictly forbidden. The aliens (who have some shape-shifting abilities, like most animals and plants on their planet) work at the base in menial jobs, delivering stuff, cleaning surroundings, and taking care of children. They have been very trustworthy and have never caused any kind of trouble. Inside the zone, humans are allowed to mine minerals. The main character’s wife has disappeared. The human zone has been thoroughly searched without any sight of her. He decides to ask permission to seek outside of the human zone, and to his and everyone else’s surprise, he is granted it. A very well-written and fairly good story. There are some problems with logic and there were some huge coincidences. In fact, I figured out how the wife disappeared a few pages into the story, but dismissed it as far too unbelievable and stupid (alien – human spontaneous hybrids?). In spite of the faults in logic, not a bad story at all. ****-
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