For once I agree with Lois Tilton's review on Locus. This issue is, simply stated, dull.
My question is, what happened to Asimov's? February's issue (not reviewed here) was awful - I wanted to throw the magazine outside of the window. March's issue is slightly better but only thanks to Peter Wood's story which is the only one worthy of being published. The statement is more surprising if its lack of originality is taken into account.
The Plantimal by Ken Liu & Mike Resnick. A very old couple decide to adopt a Plantimal, a sort of plant that might have a similar shape of a baby. Very quickly old sorrows emerge as the two kept secrets from each other. At times touching, this story does not deliver even if the idea is decent.
Drink in a Small Town by Peter Wood. Best of the issue. Would've been unnoticed as it feels of "already seen", but it's narrated quite well and majestically engages the reader.
Solomon's Little Sister by Jay O'Connel. A boring Virtual Reality story where characters can be killed over and over.
The Redemption of Kip Banjeree by Genevieve Williams. A story about a pissed-off teenager. Boring.
Through Portal by Dominica Phetteplace. A girl is lost in a time portal and her parents try to find her at any cost. Will they retrieve the correct girl? Boring.
Walking Gear by Sean Monaghan. Replacing limbs ain't cheap and Den knows it. For this reason he tries to rescue his sister, Jenni, who lost her leg and became a prostitute. Could have been more interesting, but fails to.
All the Pretty Little Mermaids by Cat Rambo. Petra creates toys, in this case mermaids. Boring.
Declaration by James Patrick Kelly. This would've been a good political tale about reality and future virtual worlds if the setting was more serious.
Thanks for your kind words.
ReplyDelete