The Man Who Bridged the Mist by Kij Johnson – the second novella in this edition, more of a fantasy story but without heavy fantastical themes. I found myself really drawn in by the writing – this isn’t an action story by any stretch of the imagination, but I found it quite compelling.
Free Dog by Jack Skillingstead is an interesting short story that postulates an extension of the internet to include the ability to create 3D copies of things.
For a light hearted piece, I wouldn’t go past To Live and Die in Gibbontown by Derek Kunsken. Set in some alternative timeline where sentient apes/chimpanzees rule the world, it tells of an attempt by a macaque businessman who provides surprise euthanasia services to the elderly. Amusingly written – I liked the premise and the voice of Reggie the protagonist. Probably my favourite story in the magazine.
Other stories included in this edition were:
- The Outside Event by Kit Read
- My Husband Steinn by Eleanor Arnason
- The Cult of Whale Worship by Dominica Phetteplace
- This Petty Pace by Jason K. Chapman
- The Pastry Chef, the Nanotechnologist, the Aerobics Instructor and the Plumber by Eugene Mirabelli
- A Hundred Hundred Daisies by Nancy Kress
There are also several poems:
- Being One With Your Broom by Ruth Berman
- Extended Family by Bruce Boston
- The Music of Werewolves by Bruce Boston
- Galileo’s Ink Spots Fade Into Twilight by Geoffrey A. Landis
- Vampire Politics by Ruth Berman
As always there was also various articles, including the editorial by Sheila Williams, the Reflections article by Robert Silverberg and a discussion of Steampunk by James Patrick Kelly.
Norman Spinrad reviews Anathem by Neal Stephenson, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shtenygart – with a theme running through the reviews of “when are books that are not SF actually SF”. He sounds quite cranky about it.
