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Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Vol. 134, No. 12, December 2014
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 2014, Volume CXXXIV No. 12
Trevor Quachri, editor
Cover art by Shutterstock
CONTENT
Novelettes
"The Anomaly" by C. W. Johnson
"Humans First!" by Kyle Kirkland
Short Stories
"Dino Mate" by Rosemary Claire Smith
"Citizen of the Galaxy" by Evan Dicken
"Mammals" by David D. Levine
"Saboteur" by Ken Liu
"Twist of Coil" by Miki Dare
"Racing the Tide" by Craig DeLancey
Poems
"Crash" by John F. Keane
Science Fact
"Speared" by Tom Ligon, Stephanie Osborn, Arlan Andrews Sr
Departments
"Probability Zero: All Too Human" by Paul Carlson
Guest Editorial: "A Choice of Apocalypses" by Howard V. Hendrick
Alternate View: "Hacking the Genome Alphabet" by John G. Cramer
"Biolog: Rosemary Claire Smith" by Richard A. Lovett
Trevor Quachri, editor
Cover art by Shutterstock
CONTENT
Novelettes
"The Anomaly" by C. W. Johnson
"Humans First!" by Kyle Kirkland
Short Stories
"Dino Mate" by Rosemary Claire Smith
"Citizen of the Galaxy" by Evan Dicken
"Mammals" by David D. Levine
"Saboteur" by Ken Liu
"Twist of Coil" by Miki Dare
"Racing the Tide" by Craig DeLancey
Poems
"Crash" by John F. Keane
Science Fact
"Speared" by Tom Ligon, Stephanie Osborn, Arlan Andrews Sr
Departments
"Probability Zero: All Too Human" by Paul Carlson
Guest Editorial: "A Choice of Apocalypses" by Howard V. Hendrick
Alternate View: "Hacking the Genome Alphabet" by John G. Cramer
"Biolog: Rosemary Claire Smith" by Richard A. Lovett
- GenresScience Fiction
113 pages, ebook
First published October 8, 2014
11 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Quachri
99 books26 followersTrevor Quachri (b. 1976) has been the sixth editor of
Analog Science Fiction & Fact
magazine since September 2012.
Previously, he was “a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel.”
Quachri started as an editorial assistant in 1999 at Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog. Former editor of Analog, Ben Bova, was an early influence.
Previously, he was “a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel.”
Quachri started as an editorial assistant in 1999 at Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog. Former editor of Analog, Ben Bova, was an early influence.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 20, 2019
A fairly good issue, clearly above average.
The Anomaly • novelette by C. W. Johnson
A young poor, but brilliant man works himself out from a future ghetto (on an alien planet?). He gets a job mining for “anomalies” which are used for interstellar travel. He gets a chance to return to his birth place, but his family’s and his friend’s expectations aren’t exactly what he wants from the life. A well-written story, which feels more like a beginning of a larger work than a separate novelette. The actual story seems to start from here. ***½
Dino Mate • interior artwork by Andrea Radeck
A couple who dates goes to the past with a time machine to see dinosaurs. Some small drama, a lot of descriptions of dinosaurs and engagement proposal at the end. The writing was ok, but there was little actual plot. ***-
Citizen of the Galaxy • shortstory by Evan Dicken
The aliens have come and everything has changed. A history teacher in Japan tries to connect with her child who has been born to a completely different world. She doesn't really care even talk in human language, but communities by light in the way of the aliens. And the history curriculum is being changed, the emphasis is going to the wider galactic viewpoint rather than provincial earthen things. A short but good story which is able to present different viewpoints very well. The writing is good. ****-
Mammals • shortstory by David D. Levine
The AIs which have destroyed humans might encounter something strange. But will they really notice it? Short and pretty unsurprising, but the writing was interesting. ***
Saboteur • shortstory by Ken Liu
A short story about a trucker who tries to sabotage trucks with AI (without human drivers). He succeeds – with a cost. A very short poignant story. ***
Twist of Coil • shortstory by Miki Dare
The story happens in an alien world - no humans are even mentioned. The aliens have "coils" which contain sensory organs and manipulative appendages. A young female is a fine coil dancer, but her brother is sickly. The don't have money for the operation, but the priests say that if the protagonist lets her coils be cut, the gods will surely grant a miracle. She faces a hard choice. A well written story with moving and very irritating, even frustrating content. Probably too short. ***+
Racing the Tide • shortstory by Craig DeLancey
Sea level is raising and a village is drowning slowly. A mayor’s son is badly sick and needs expensive treatment. There is a plan to save the village which also would give a lot of money, but as often the long term effects might be unknown. The writing was ok, but the story was pretty fragmented- the two plot lines didn't seem to have much to do with each other’s. ***
Humans First! • novella by Kyle Kirkland
A man who services neural network computers is almost fatally stabbed at his work by a computer advocacy terrorist (I wonder why there should be a terrorist organization for that - the story doesn’t give any good answer. ) He isn’t allowed back to work as a computer analysis predicts that he suffers from a severe posttraumatic stress and is too volatile to return to work. Is there a way he can convince the “black and white” computer algorithms that he is able to work? Or are the algorithms right? And why he, who was repairing the computers, was attacked by a group which is pro-computer? A pretty good story in spite of some illogicalities. ***½
The Anomaly • novelette by C. W. Johnson
A young poor, but brilliant man works himself out from a future ghetto (on an alien planet?). He gets a job mining for “anomalies” which are used for interstellar travel. He gets a chance to return to his birth place, but his family’s and his friend’s expectations aren’t exactly what he wants from the life. A well-written story, which feels more like a beginning of a larger work than a separate novelette. The actual story seems to start from here. ***½
Dino Mate • interior artwork by Andrea Radeck
A couple who dates goes to the past with a time machine to see dinosaurs. Some small drama, a lot of descriptions of dinosaurs and engagement proposal at the end. The writing was ok, but there was little actual plot. ***-
Citizen of the Galaxy • shortstory by Evan Dicken
The aliens have come and everything has changed. A history teacher in Japan tries to connect with her child who has been born to a completely different world. She doesn't really care even talk in human language, but communities by light in the way of the aliens. And the history curriculum is being changed, the emphasis is going to the wider galactic viewpoint rather than provincial earthen things. A short but good story which is able to present different viewpoints very well. The writing is good. ****-
Mammals • shortstory by David D. Levine
The AIs which have destroyed humans might encounter something strange. But will they really notice it? Short and pretty unsurprising, but the writing was interesting. ***
Saboteur • shortstory by Ken Liu
A short story about a trucker who tries to sabotage trucks with AI (without human drivers). He succeeds – with a cost. A very short poignant story. ***
Twist of Coil • shortstory by Miki Dare
The story happens in an alien world - no humans are even mentioned. The aliens have "coils" which contain sensory organs and manipulative appendages. A young female is a fine coil dancer, but her brother is sickly. The don't have money for the operation, but the priests say that if the protagonist lets her coils be cut, the gods will surely grant a miracle. She faces a hard choice. A well written story with moving and very irritating, even frustrating content. Probably too short. ***+
Racing the Tide • shortstory by Craig DeLancey
Sea level is raising and a village is drowning slowly. A mayor’s son is badly sick and needs expensive treatment. There is a plan to save the village which also would give a lot of money, but as often the long term effects might be unknown. The writing was ok, but the story was pretty fragmented- the two plot lines didn't seem to have much to do with each other’s. ***
Humans First! • novella by Kyle Kirkland
A man who services neural network computers is almost fatally stabbed at his work by a computer advocacy terrorist (I wonder why there should be a terrorist organization for that - the story doesn’t give any good answer. ) He isn’t allowed back to work as a computer analysis predicts that he suffers from a severe posttraumatic stress and is too volatile to return to work. Is there a way he can convince the “black and white” computer algorithms that he is able to work? Or are the algorithms right? And why he, who was repairing the computers, was attacked by a group which is pro-computer? A pretty good story in spite of some illogicalities. ***½
January 13, 2015
"The Anomaly" by C. W. Johnson - Hard SF com preocupações sociais é o que está subjacente a este belíssimo conto que abre a Analog. Seguimos a ascensão de um intocável, membro de uma estratificada sociedade de castas em que as classes inferiores habitam os túneis das cidades, sendo autorizadas a sair dos túneis apenas para servir de mão de obra descartável nas fábricas lunares de combustível para naves espaciais. O personagem principal é um jovem curioso, que escapa aos grilhões da tradição e superstição graças à sua enorme vontade de aprender, mas que descobre que numa sociedade inclemente, dominada por forças inflexíveis, não há escape possível às suas raízes. Mas não é por isso que deixa de tentar.
"Dino Mate" by Rosemary Claire Smith - revisita as viagens no tempo numa perspectiva que deve muito a Ray Bradbury. A ida ao passado permite descobrir os hábitos de acasalamento de dinossauros. Um conto simples, optimista e luminoso. Coisa rara, nos tempos que correm.
"Citizen of the Galaxy" by Evan Dicken - talvez o mais fraco dos textos desta edição da Analog. O tema prende-se com ditaduras benevolentes e as mudanças culturais trazidas pelo contacto entre culturas, mas anda às voltas do problema das identidades impostas por forças externas para o resolver com uma suave cedência.
"Mammals" by David D. Levine - um conto de forte ironia. As inteligências artificiais que conquistaram o planeta e provocaram a extinção do homem estão a ser extintas sem saber como. A resposta está nas forças evolucionárias, e nas formas de vida que evoluíram a partir das espécies sobreviventes da hecatombe provocada pelas IAs. Seres que roem as cablagens eléctricas de que as IAs dependem para sobreviver. Uma curiosa reflexão sobre pressupostos evolucionários e os erros de esquecermos a base do que somos. Note-se que os mais poderosos sistemas digitais não sobrevivem sem os humildes cabos eléctricos.
"Probability Zero: All Too Human" by Paul Carlson - a secção de especulação irónica da Analog propõe-nos este mês imaginar o que aconteceria se todas as teorias da conspiração com antigos alienígenas, homens-lagarto e tenebrosas sociedades secretas a puxar os cordelinhos do mundo fossem reais, e recaísse nos ombros de um dos poucos homo sapiens puros a responsabilidade de representar o planeta.
"Saboteur" by Ken Liu - um bom conto, que se debruça sobre as problemáticas laborais trazidas pela automação. O toque moralista com que termina consegue estragar o ambiente de reflexão estabelecido ao longo das páginas.
"Twist of Coil" by Miki Dare - este é o segundo conto da Analog deste mês que olha para os dilemas trazidos pela pobreza, sociedade de castas e superstição. Neste, uma jovem é obrigada a sacrificar tudo a deuses longínquos para que haja uma possibilidade de salvar o irmão de uma doença fatal. Quase diria que a Analog está timidamente a tomar uma posição sobre o impacto das desigualdades, mas não me atrevo a tanto.
"Racing the Tide" by Craig DeLancey - toque de Climate Fiction, com os desafios trazidos pela subida do nível das águas do mar para as comunidades costeiras que, apesar do iminente alagar das suas casas, querem manter os antigos modos de vida. Esta linha narrativa cruza-se com os impactos negativos de método de alteração cerebral sobre o cérebro, que obrigará uma mãe a vender a alma para pagar tratamentos experimentais ao seu filho.
"Humans First!" by Kyle Kirkland - outro conto a olhar para impactos sociais das tecnologias de automação e inteligência artificial. Um técnico de manutenção de sensores dotados de inteligência artificial vê-se no meio de uma guerra entre defensores da humanidade e activistas ecológicos, ambos a usar meios violentos para atingir os seus objectivos. Isto numa sociedade dependente de decisões baseadas em algoritmos computacionais, baseada numa rede de sensores cujas inteligências artificiais locais não são muito inteligentes mas começam mostrar sintomas de interconexão e inteligência distribuída. Conceitos interessantes, mas a história oscila entre um whodoneit e infodumps que no final se tornam atabalhoados.
"Dino Mate" by Rosemary Claire Smith - revisita as viagens no tempo numa perspectiva que deve muito a Ray Bradbury. A ida ao passado permite descobrir os hábitos de acasalamento de dinossauros. Um conto simples, optimista e luminoso. Coisa rara, nos tempos que correm.
"Citizen of the Galaxy" by Evan Dicken - talvez o mais fraco dos textos desta edição da Analog. O tema prende-se com ditaduras benevolentes e as mudanças culturais trazidas pelo contacto entre culturas, mas anda às voltas do problema das identidades impostas por forças externas para o resolver com uma suave cedência.
"Mammals" by David D. Levine - um conto de forte ironia. As inteligências artificiais que conquistaram o planeta e provocaram a extinção do homem estão a ser extintas sem saber como. A resposta está nas forças evolucionárias, e nas formas de vida que evoluíram a partir das espécies sobreviventes da hecatombe provocada pelas IAs. Seres que roem as cablagens eléctricas de que as IAs dependem para sobreviver. Uma curiosa reflexão sobre pressupostos evolucionários e os erros de esquecermos a base do que somos. Note-se que os mais poderosos sistemas digitais não sobrevivem sem os humildes cabos eléctricos.
"Probability Zero: All Too Human" by Paul Carlson - a secção de especulação irónica da Analog propõe-nos este mês imaginar o que aconteceria se todas as teorias da conspiração com antigos alienígenas, homens-lagarto e tenebrosas sociedades secretas a puxar os cordelinhos do mundo fossem reais, e recaísse nos ombros de um dos poucos homo sapiens puros a responsabilidade de representar o planeta.
"Saboteur" by Ken Liu - um bom conto, que se debruça sobre as problemáticas laborais trazidas pela automação. O toque moralista com que termina consegue estragar o ambiente de reflexão estabelecido ao longo das páginas.
"Twist of Coil" by Miki Dare - este é o segundo conto da Analog deste mês que olha para os dilemas trazidos pela pobreza, sociedade de castas e superstição. Neste, uma jovem é obrigada a sacrificar tudo a deuses longínquos para que haja uma possibilidade de salvar o irmão de uma doença fatal. Quase diria que a Analog está timidamente a tomar uma posição sobre o impacto das desigualdades, mas não me atrevo a tanto.
"Racing the Tide" by Craig DeLancey - toque de Climate Fiction, com os desafios trazidos pela subida do nível das águas do mar para as comunidades costeiras que, apesar do iminente alagar das suas casas, querem manter os antigos modos de vida. Esta linha narrativa cruza-se com os impactos negativos de método de alteração cerebral sobre o cérebro, que obrigará uma mãe a vender a alma para pagar tratamentos experimentais ao seu filho.
"Humans First!" by Kyle Kirkland - outro conto a olhar para impactos sociais das tecnologias de automação e inteligência artificial. Um técnico de manutenção de sensores dotados de inteligência artificial vê-se no meio de uma guerra entre defensores da humanidade e activistas ecológicos, ambos a usar meios violentos para atingir os seus objectivos. Isto numa sociedade dependente de decisões baseadas em algoritmos computacionais, baseada numa rede de sensores cujas inteligências artificiais locais não são muito inteligentes mas começam mostrar sintomas de interconexão e inteligência distribuída. Conceitos interessantes, mas a história oscila entre um whodoneit e infodumps que no final se tornam atabalhoados.
Read
May 2, 20178 • The Anomaly • 17 pages by C. W. Johnson
Good. Ketkam is a boy born into the lower class, but he is very smart. He becomes a fix-it guy. Makes enough of an impression to get assigned to a job mining the anomaly on the moon. A lot is going on, family member gets sick, friends on the moon, etc.
38 • Dino-Mate • 10 pages by Rosemary Claire Smith
Very good. Marty is going to time travel back to the Jurassic with Julianna, but she gets held up by picketers and misses the launch window, so Marty goes back alone. Only to find that his nemesis Derek Dill has a souped up model of time machine and has been there for a week. With Julianna! The character dynamics are excellent, but the dinosaur plot was only so-so.
52 • Citizen of the Galaxy • 6 pages by Evan Dicken
Fair/good. Earth has joined the Sapient Milieu and school teacher Ms. Mizoguchi is having trouble adjusting.
58 • Mammals • 5 pages by David D. Levine
Fair/good. Machine intelligences are now the dominant lifeform, but something is causing damage to the environment. Prime has made copies of itself to investigate. One of these copies narrates the story to us.
68 • Saboteur • 3 pages by Ken Liu
Very good/good. Truck drivers are losing there jobs to automated trucks that drive themselves. This truck driver has a plan.
72 • Twist of Coil • 6 pages by Miki Dare
Very good/excellent. Jesethay is a coil dancer, but her brother is sick and the priest says the only way to save her brother's life is for her to have all but two of her coils cut off. I think we are supposed to read between the lines, and that these aliens are motivated pretty much like humans.
78 • Racing the Tide • 8 pages by Craig DeLancey
Very good/good. Tara lives in a community that is losing the battle to rising sea levels. Tara supports a plan to put the houses on piers, when a counter offer comes in to dredge and build an island. We learn that Tara's son is not doing well. When he was young he took a drug that would increase his brain power to help him compete for a job. That didn't work and had side effects. On an individual level he made the same sort of short sighted and detrimental decisions that at a societal level had led to the rising tides.
86 • Humans First • 18 pages by Kyle Kirkland
Excellent. Arlin is an ANN (artificial neural network) maintenance technician. While servicing an ANN he is attacked and almost killed. As he is recovering he learns that he has to take a psych eval to make sure the post traumatic stress hasn't turned him violent. Turns into a good detective story.
Good. Ketkam is a boy born into the lower class, but he is very smart. He becomes a fix-it guy. Makes enough of an impression to get assigned to a job mining the anomaly on the moon. A lot is going on, family member gets sick, friends on the moon, etc.
38 • Dino-Mate • 10 pages by Rosemary Claire Smith
Very good. Marty is going to time travel back to the Jurassic with Julianna, but she gets held up by picketers and misses the launch window, so Marty goes back alone. Only to find that his nemesis Derek Dill has a souped up model of time machine and has been there for a week. With Julianna! The character dynamics are excellent, but the dinosaur plot was only so-so.
52 • Citizen of the Galaxy • 6 pages by Evan Dicken
Fair/good. Earth has joined the Sapient Milieu and school teacher Ms. Mizoguchi is having trouble adjusting.
58 • Mammals • 5 pages by David D. Levine
Fair/good. Machine intelligences are now the dominant lifeform, but something is causing damage to the environment. Prime has made copies of itself to investigate. One of these copies narrates the story to us.
68 • Saboteur • 3 pages by Ken Liu
Very good/good. Truck drivers are losing there jobs to automated trucks that drive themselves. This truck driver has a plan.
72 • Twist of Coil • 6 pages by Miki Dare
Very good/excellent. Jesethay is a coil dancer, but her brother is sick and the priest says the only way to save her brother's life is for her to have all but two of her coils cut off. I think we are supposed to read between the lines, and that these aliens are motivated pretty much like humans.
78 • Racing the Tide • 8 pages by Craig DeLancey
Very good/good. Tara lives in a community that is losing the battle to rising sea levels. Tara supports a plan to put the houses on piers, when a counter offer comes in to dredge and build an island. We learn that Tara's son is not doing well. When he was young he took a drug that would increase his brain power to help him compete for a job. That didn't work and had side effects. On an individual level he made the same sort of short sighted and detrimental decisions that at a societal level had led to the rising tides.
86 • Humans First • 18 pages by Kyle Kirkland
Excellent. Arlin is an ANN (artificial neural network) maintenance technician. While servicing an ANN he is attacked and almost killed. As he is recovering he learns that he has to take a psych eval to make sure the post traumatic stress hasn't turned him violent. Turns into a good detective story.
October 16, 2014
Above average issue.
December 26, 2014
Good issue, good stories.
February 22, 2015
This volume contains a lot of enjoyable short stories, as well as two top notch novelettes. The most consistently enjoyable issue I have read in a while.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews