Sunday, January 19, 2014

Review: Clarkesworld, January 2014, Issue 88

I did not enjoy this issue, very underwhelming. Quick review.

"The Clockwork Soldier" by Ken Liu. A story about automation, ethics and bounty hunting. I have never been a great fan of Ken Liu (not that I read many of his works), but this one is quite boring. The only thing I liked is the small homage to P.K. Dick when the "PKD androids" are discussed.

"Grave of the Fireflies" by Cheng Gingbo. A strange piece about stars and time. Interesting enough.

Wine" by Yoon Ha Lee wins the trophy as best story of this issue. Nasteng is a recluse planet under siege and its inhabitants want to avoid complete doom. Although apparently peaceful, Nasteng is a planet with a disturbing secret. Somehow this story reminded me of "Torchwood - Children of Earth", although the connection is really not immediate.

The other two stories, "Ship's Brother" by A. De Bodard and "Utriusque Cosmi" by R. C. Wilson are reprints.

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