Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, July/August 2020

by Sheila Williams (Editor), Ted Kosmatka (Contributor), Richard Schiffman (Contributor)

The long works in Asimov’s July/August 2020 deftly explore the human condition. In his near-future novella, Derek Künsken offers a complex and compassionate account of “Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County.” Humans and AIs have to figure out how to cooperate in Will McIntosh’s refreshing novelette about “Nic and Viv’s Compulsory Courtship.”

Ted Kosmatka proffers a harrowing motive for why “The Beast Adjoins”; Sean Monaghan combines romance, art, and “Marbles”; new to Asimov’s author Hollis Joel Henry encounters “The Last Water Baron” while also new to Asimov’s Janet Stilson meets “Imaginary Children”; “Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World” Benja­min Rosenbaum tells us, and Megan Lindholm explores a legacy passed along through “Generations.” Both these authors are returning to our pages after being absent far too long. In a new military story by Tom Purdom, we discover why “We All Lose if They Take Mizuba”; Ray Nayler continues the military theme in a poignant story about “Father”; and Peter Wood reveals the frustrating truth behind “Why I’ll Never Get Tenure.”

Robert Silverberg’s Reflections spends some time “Rereading Hubbard”; James Patrick Kelly’s On the Net gets “Sporty”; Paul Di Filippo’s On Books considers works by Jane Yolen, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Hugh Howey, Kali Wallace, Lisa Goldstein, and others. Plus we’ll have an array of poetry you’re sure to enjoy.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy, Anthologies, Poetry

211 pages, Unknown Binding

Published July 1, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.

Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.

She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.

Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Reviews

[Gerhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County’ by Derek Künsken *****
‘Imaginary Children’ by Janet Stilson **
‘Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World’ by Benja­min Rosenbaum *
‘Generations’ by Megan Lindholm ****
‘Why I’ll Never Get Tenure’ by Peter Wood **

Standout in this issue is the Künsken novella about the evolution of AIs in Chinese society, where a heartfelt emotional core adds to the sweeping sense of history.

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the July-August 2020 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. I’ve recently read an reviewed several issues of its sister-magazine, Analog and based on this issue alone, I liked this one slightly more.

Here are the contents and my rating of them.


The 2020 Dell Magazines Awards [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams awards to new authors, I hasn’t read any to judge.
Rereading L. Ron Hubbard [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg before becoming the founder of scientology, Hubbard had several good fiction works, including Fear.
Bicameral poem by Herb Kauderer
Sporty [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly are nerds actually like and do sports and sports in SF. 2*
Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship novella by Will McIntosh cities and communities are run by AI and once an AI tried to matchmake two quite different people, who in addition were engaged with others an were about to marry. A nice light story. 4*
Vintage Years poem by Deborah L. Davitt
Father short fiction by Ray Nayler alt-history 1950s written in style of old ‘golden age’ SF. A boy (narrator) lost his father in the war and to replace him VA sent a robot. The robot tries to be a father to a boy but local band of Greasers decided to attack ‘the tin can’. A very nicely done story. 5*
The Last Water Baron short fiction by Hollis Joel Henry after water wars, entrepreneurs, who sold water to thirsty are hiding, while they are pursued by former victims, think a variation of hunt for Nazi after the WW2. It is written from a POV of such a baron. 3.5*
Dog Day Afternoon poem by Adam Ford
We All Lose if They Take Mizuba short fiction by Tom Purdom mil-SF, a space battle and a protagonist, who is biologically immortal but may die – is freedom or death slogan works if you know you can live forever? 3*
The Beast Adjoins novelette by Ted Kosmatka last humans, a boy and his mother are hiding on asteroid from ‘the Beast’. Quite an interesting, even if non-scientific take on Wave function collapse, if an observer by observation determines the result – s/he creates our world, so we are demiurges. 3*
Planets poem by Richard Schiffman
Imaginary Children [Juice] short fiction by Janet Stilson a woman working in media is running out of her child-bearing age (two moths remain!) while most men have damaged sperm. She gets an experimental chip that shows expected kids if she gets around of this or that man, but she cannot find out who is the man, whose presence creates a ghost girl just like her. 2*
Marbles [Shilinka Switalla] novelette by Sean Monaghan a part of series about an artist creating extremely large projects, this time with millions of marbles created on site. 2*
Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World [The Unraveling] short fiction by Benjamin Rosenbaum a part of series about a far future version of Strugatsky’s progressors – people who try to uplift other civilizations. Interesting concepts, but hasn’t worked for me. 2*
Why I'll Never Get Tenure short fiction by Peter Wood a piece of ocean and beach exchange places, a woman scientist investigates, while her superior (a real douche) interferes. 2*
Generations short fiction by Robin Hobb [as by Megan Lindholm] flash fic about a young woman caring for her grandma in a wheelchair who is actually a superhero
The Softness of Impossible Fossils poem by Robert Borski
Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County novella by Derek Künsken a very interesting and unusual piece, set in (quite benevolent) near future (starts in 2020s) China, where AIs are developed to help people, especially poor. The main protagonist is a woman of Miao ethnicity, who was pressured by her professor to sex and later became a fierce activist for women rights, helping to develop AIs that help to prevent harassment and replace HRs, workers and even judges. A minor but important sub-plot is about kids with Down Syndrome who were left by their parents, but with insertion of a chip with AI helper are able to care for themselves and others. While the story is very well written, it overlooks the authoritarian nature of the current Chinese regime, whitewashing it as a benevolent force helping to improve living conditions. I hope it is a honest attempt to show our diverse world and not following Chinese propaganda money. For example, Red Moon is presenting a more complex picture, showing both advances and problems 4.5*
Next Issue (Asimov's, July-August 2020) essay by uncredited
On Books (Asimov's, July-August 2020) [On Books] essay by Paul Di Filippo some interesting new releases
The SF Conventional Calendar (Asimov's, July-August 2020) essay by Erwin S. Strauss

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the stories in this issue use AI as a character/theme. I found most of them quite good, yet each one also seemed to lack a little something, keeping them from achieving greatness. The issue starts off very well from the start with the novella "Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship" by Will McIntosh and the shorter "Father" by Ray Nayler: two stories on complete opposite ends of emotional spectrum.

McIntosh's story features a city-managing AI that decides to test out matchmaking abilities by effectively forcing two people to date that it believes would have best compatibility together. Problem is, they're each already dating another person they feel connected to. The plot reminded me of another recent short story where an AI tried to direct the romantic life of its owner - without her realization, and of a Black Mirror episode on the theme. This goes much happier than those, however, making the story a light-hearted, warm entertainment. There is also an added element of motivation behind this from the AI character that goes the endearing direction, rather than disturbing as AI stories may tend.

Nayler's story exists in an alternate 1950's where a young boy who has been told his father died in war prior to his birth gets a surprise one day when a robot father is delivered by VA services. A story that is both melancholy and touching, it deals both with the child's responses to this 'father', to what extent the robot 'is' his father, and how others respond to the technology appearing in their neighborhood. As you'd imagine even for an alternate '50's - not too well. I do wish the story also dealt with the mother more. The story works very well, but is also in a vein very similar to other tender stories with similar plots.

"The Last Water Baron by Hollis Joel Henry, "Marbles" by Sean Monaghan, and "Why I'll Never Get Tenure" by Peter Wood all fall into a category for me where I found them okay, but really lacking key elements. Henry's takes place in a future Trinidad, where a man is on the run from people hunting him to enact perceived justice for the role he played (among others) in water wars and huge casualties in the human population. The focus could have been action/intrigue, character psychology, or on the setting. Instead the setting seems throw-away, and the action and psychology never feel fully developed/profound for the weight of history.

While Monaghan's story is of average interest in terms of speculation linked to art, the romance aspect of it seems to be too simple/quick, and there is little to no conflict. Wood's story perhaps hit a little too close to home personally in it's title. Aspects of the story though seemed contrived and the 'villain' in particular was far too over-the-top in being a general turd. The story ends of reading with light humor to it and optimism, but that all seemed off to me.

I found little to enjoy in "We All Lose if They Take Mizuba" by Tom Purdom, simply because I don't care much for military stories, and this seemed relatively run-of-the-mill, though written well in terms of its language/style. "Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World" by Benjamin Rosenbaum, however, was an interesting idea with a language/style that simply made it a slog in its poetic vagueness for me. "Imaginary Children" by Janet Stilson represented another great idea for a story, but its execution again came off to me as contrived and unbelievable even in a speculative outlook.

"Generations" by Meghan Lindholm is a short that might even be considered flash fiction, the kind of story you might expect to see in "Daily Science Fiction", built around a simple clever idea. In this case superheroes and what role age may play in their existence. A successful short.

"The Beast Adjoins" by Ted Kosmatka takes place in a far future where AIs have nearly exterminated humanity, yet also needs certain aspects of humanity due to quantum reasons of how the universe works and consciousness/choice. Some humans are trying to find a way to survive and stop the AI/human component monsters that threaten them. This story is a great example of subtle world building done well across its pages, while keeping engaging characters even in its 'weirdness'. Though I understood the quantum physics argument enough to just say 'okay' and follow the plot, I can't speak to how realistic the speculation/philosophy of it is.

Finally, the ending novella "Tool Use by the Humans of Dhanzai County" by Derek Künsken gave me mixed feelings. It grew on me as I read it, but with it's many characters, long time-span, and multiple themes, I would have enjoyed it vastly more as a novel. Set in (mostly near-future) rural China among the ethnic Miao people, it concerns a talented engineer/AI creator who overcomes poverty and sexism to become the highly influential Miao Punk Princess whose AI creations change aspects of society and people's lives. Meanwhile, the powerful father she doesn't know about, who left her and her mother as she was in utero, watches her life alongside her rising success. In terms of speculation the novella explores in what ways AI can be a tool for humanity comparable to the past tools we have created as our species evolved. Or is AI different? A good ending to the issue as a story that would not work any shorter.

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sempre originale nei suoi punti di vista inattesi sulla storia della fantascienza, Silverberg ricorda che importante scrittore fu Ron Hubbard negli anni ’30 e ’40: e non solo per i noti romanzi di fantascienza, ma prima per i racconti di avventura e western, poi per i fantasy-horror che lo resero una delle colonne di “Unknown”, rivista gemella di “Astounding” voluta da Campbell per proporre un horror più raffinato di quello un po’ trucido di “Weird Tales”. Hubbard gli era stato imposto dalla proprietà contro la sua volontà, ma si rivelò un grande successo: in particolare il racconto “Fear” è considerato un classico intramontabile anche da Stephen King.
“Nic’s and Viv’s compulsory courtship” (4/5) è una simpaticissima commedia brillante, che indaga come le IA potranno pianificare con grande intelligenza una migliore vita urbana.. ma quanto a fondo possiamo tollerare che si spingano nel pianificare la nostra vita privata? Contiene divertenti e non banali confronti fra gli strati sociali di questa metropoli perfezionata, e confronti un po’ meno divertenti con le comunità che, invece, ne rimangono escluse.
Ray Nayler riesce a essere prolifico mantenendo una qualità molto alta. Meno complesso ma più godibile dei suoi precedenti racconti ambientati in una Istanbul futuristica e cyberpunk, “Father” (4/5) è comunque una riflessione sul confine tra uomo e androide, sull’odio per questi ultimi e soprattutto su cosa costituisca un’identità paterna.
In un’America alternativa, dove la caduta di un disco volante nel ’38 ha portato grandi progressi nella scienza (siamo nel ’57, ma tutti si spostano con aeromobili; a parte questo, l’atmosfera è esattamente quela del telefilm “Happy Days”, con meccanici bulli che seducono le “ragazze bene” portandole a una “soda fountain” su un mezzo truccato..), la II Guerra Mondiale è durata più che da noi, perché gli Alleati si sono uniti alla Germania sconfitta per “ricacciare i comunisti a Mosca e liberare l’Europa Orientale”; il che ha comportato che molte famiglie perdessero il capofamiglia, e che l’ufficio per i Veterans Affairs sorteggiasse androidi per fare da padri ai bambini rimasti orfani. Davvero godibile perché raccontato dal punto di vista di un ragazzino.
Interessante anche vedere come Hedy Lamarr, fascinosa attrice degli anni ’30 di origini cecoslovacche ma anche inventiva ingegnera elettrotecnica, stia diventando un personaggio pop al pari di Nikola Tesla: l’ho appena incontrata in un racconto di Egan che apparirà a breve in Biblioteca di un Sole Lontano, e qui è la responsabile del Corpo Tecnico dell’Esercito USA!
The last water baron (3/5) di Hollis Joel Henry, esordiente proveniente da Trinidad e Tobago, propone il racconto in prima persona di un fuggiasco: uno degli industriali che hanno contribuito a monopolizzare l’acqua in Africa, causando guerre, carestie e la morte di milioni di persone. Ora quegli industriali sono perseguitati da un’organizzazione che li uccide per vendetta: l’io narrante è l’unico rimasto. Con una falsa identità e il viso modificato, si è rifugiato in un albergo appunto di Trinidad e Tobago. Il racconto ha in realtà il fascino dei romanzi di spionaggio alla Segretissimo, dove chiunque incontri (la donna che ti sorride in piscina [vuota perché ormai l’acqua costa più della benzina], il compagno monco delle partite a “all man four”, tipico gioco di carte “trinbaghese”) può essere il tuo sicario: il tutto arricchito da un discreto sapore tropicale.
Tom Purdom è una colonna di ASFM: un valido veterano che pubblicò i suoi primi Ace Double negli anni ’60. Stranamente poco pubblicato in Italia: sebbene abbia esordito già nel ’60 sulla Galaxy nostrana, in tutti i decenni successivi è apparsa da noi solo una manciata di racconti.
Esperto di fantascienza militare, scrive storie molto ben costruite, che siano almeno ipoteticamente realistiche (per esempio ha affermato che preferisce trattare di viaggio interstellare a bordo di navi generazionali anzichè tramite un mirabolante iperspazio). We All Lose if They Take Mizuba (4/5) è una storia senza fronzoli che entusiasmerà chiunque ami una battaglia spaziale descritta con intelligenza e un uso moderno delle IA (ormai onnipresenti anche in questo numero..) e un finale sobrio e drammatico.
Sean Managhan, con le sue Marbles (4/5), continua a esplorare l’arte del futuro: Shilinka Switalla, grande artista e donna generosa, realizza opere di “landscape art” su scala planetaria. La sua agente Gabrielle Carpenter, incaricata delle necessarie relative prospezioni, teme di non essere all’altezza ed è intimidita da un incontro diretto, ma sarà ammaliata dalla signorilità di lei e soprattutto dall’avvenenza del tutto fare James Grayson. L’immensa opera d’arte verrà costruita, e servirà anche da sfondo a un sentimento travagliato.. Una storia brillante e intelligente.
Il brevissimo e simpatico intermezzo di Generations ci porta alla storia di copertina, “Tool use by the humans in Danzhai County” (3/5) che purtroppo non riesco ad apprezzare quanto forse dovrei: un po’ per la lunghezza, un po’ per la poca dimestichezza con i nomi cinesi (ma va detto che l’autore dimostra buona conoscenza della cultura cinese, e non solo della maggioranza Han ma anche di varie minoranze che ignoravo, in primis i Miao Rossi e Neri), soprattutto penso per la scelta di narrare attraverso una lunghissima serie di brevi quadri ambientati nell’arco di alcuni decenni, lasciando al lettore l’integrazione tra ognuno e il successivo. Indubbiamente contiene ottime idee sull’uso delle IA nell’industria del futuro, ma soprattutto per eliminare la piaga delle molestie sessuali aggirando gli ostacoli che normalmente impediscono le denunce. Nell’arco di decenni, descritti da una serie di brevi capitoli simili a schede che documentano la vita dei protagonisti, con una certa “poetic justice” (l’imprenditore egoista che finisce con il farsi clonare, la “principessa punk” molestata che diventa a sua volta imprenditrice di successo realizzando anche giustizia sociale, i ragazzini Down che trovano un loro posto nella società); il finale è davvero originale e toccante.
Sconcertante invece “Bereft, I come to a nameless world” (2/5): interessante tentativo di descrivere gli effetti psicologici quando una data personalità viene travasata in un corpo o struttura diversa o anche una molteplicità di corpi contemporaneamente, il tutto su un pianeta alieno dopo essere stati separati per secoli da un viaggio.. se il tema non fosse sufficientemente complesso, il linguaggio poetico-oracolare ci mette del suo. Forse un coraggioso tentativo, ma di una leggibilità così bassa da riportare ai tempi della new-wave più sperimentale.
Vero gioiello di questo numero è a mio parere The beast adjoins (5/5) di Ted Kosmatka: ambientato in un cimitero di astronavi, quanto resta della Flotta Terrestre distrutta dalle IA ribelli, descrive i tentativi di sopravvivenza di una madre e suo figlio rifugiati in un relitto e braccati dalla Bestia (una IA dedita alla caccia all’uomo); una serie di flashback racconta l’ascesa delle IA. Il racconto è notevole non solo per la tesa angoscia, ma anche per alcune idee degne della miglior fantascienza tecnologica: i limiti “quantistici-esistenziali” contro cui si scontreranno le IA nel vedere il mondo; il modo biologico con cui li supereranno (chi non sapesse bene cos’è un mitocondrio lo imparerà con un esempio lampante e davvero cogente..).
Completano il numero due piacevoli racconti: “Imaginary children” (3/5), storia rosa un po’ alla Cosmopolitan dove una donna in carriera cerca di sfruttare le sue ultime settimane fertili per concepire con “l’uomo giusto”, grazie a una app che proietta l’immagine estrapolata del nascituro (ma senza chiarire quale degli uomini circostanti ne dovrebbe essere il padre..), ma intrighi lavorativi le complicano la vita; “Why I’ll never get tenure” (3/5) intrigo universitario-amoroso, con una brillante idea sulla manipolazione della gravità, da sfruttare meglio per un romanzo catastrofico.
Sempre deliziose le recensioni, in questo numero redatte da Paul DiFilippo, che aprono squarci sul mondo editoriale americano. Ignoravo che Jane Yolen, di cui leggo le poesie su Asimov’s, avesse scritto o editato 350 libri in 50 anni, vincerndo anche un Nebula per un romanzo breve.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ratings for this issue:

A (excellent):

Father by Ray Nayler
Reflections: Rereading L. Ron Hubbard (non-fiction) by Robert Silverberg
On the Net: Sporty (non-fiction) by James Patrick Kelly

B (very good):

Nic & Viv's Compulsory Courtship by Will McIntosh
Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County by Derek Kunsken
The Beast Adjoins by Ted Kosmatka
We All Lose if they Take Mizuba by Tom Purdom

C (average):

Marbles by Sean Monaghan
The Last Water Baron by Hollis Joel Henry
Imaginary Children by Janet Stilson
Why I'll Never Get Tenure by Peter Wood
Generations by Megan Lindholm

D (poor):

Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World by Benjamin Rosenbaum

[Anita]

Listened to ““Imaginary Children,” read and written by Janet Stilson.

I really liked this one. Listened to it on Asimov’s Spotlight podcast.

It was a gripping listen and the holographic children that the narrator describes are both precious and haunting. I was hooked the whole way. The suspense and pacing were right on target! I also think the characters--their motivations, behaviors and the emotional heft--were really well conceived. The narrator was flawed but salty, ambitious and vividly drawn.

5/5

Didn’t get to read the other stories in this issue yet.

[Anthony Brigano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty fantastic almost all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed “Nic and Vic’s Compulsory Courtship” is lighthearted but thoughtful and “Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County” is touching. Both look at machine assisted society building. “Father” is also enjoyable and thematically similar. The novelette “The Beast Adjoins” had a neat take on a quantum concept that I’ve been learning about recently. Finally, “The Last Water Baron” was a fun read and very memorable.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally rate the issues of any of the sci-fi magazines I subscribe to on Goodreads, but I thought that "Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County" was very good and I didn't want to forget about it.

[Elijah Allensworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first issue of the magazine and I loved it. It's pretty heavy on artificial intelligence but it was great to see all the approaches. My favorite by far is The Beast Adjoins; it brings together philosophical questions on sentience, centuries of world building, horror, and tragedy in a small setting with only three characters.

[Rebecca Crunden]

⚜ poetry review ⚜

I quite liked 'Planets' by Richard Schiffman.

As if the future, while not quite visible to the naked eye,
was not light-years away either
but something a child could almost reach up
and pluck

It feels like a coming of age poem, centred around the space race.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and rating are solely for "Father," an outstanding short story by Ray Nayler, set in his (un-named) series in an alternate WW2/Cold War. This one 'happened' in 1956 in Albuquerque. Here's the opening:

"I had a father for six months.

I met him when I was seven years old. There was a knock on the door of our prefab house. My mom, who had been in the kitchen throwing mushrooms into a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce, smiled down at me and said, “Who could that be? Why don’t you go and see, baby?”
She knew who it was, of course.

It was June 5, 1956. The man who my mom called “your dad” had been dead since before I was born. His face squinted into the sun and his uniform buttons gleamed in a photograph on the mantle.

He’d never been real to me. He was that photo, and a folded flag in a wooden frame. Pictures are just shapes on paper. Flags are just cloth.
I threw the door open.

The robot was very tall, and silver, and polished to a high shine. His eyes were perfectly round. They had a dark orange light in them, like the light of a candle. His mouth was a wire mesh speaker. He held a bunch of daisies in one hand, wrapped in cheap green cellophane and with the price tag still on them. He had a baseball glove in his other hand. . . ."

Online copy at https://www.raynayler.net/father.html
Most highly recommended: 4.5 stars! This was a second reading, and this time the story really connected for me. Nayler knows Albuquerque, and his alternate 1956 is nearly pitch-perfect. Not to be missed, if you are a Nayler fan.

Also recommended: "Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County" by Derek Künsken. I read this in this collection: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Outstanding story, 4.5 stars. The Miao Punk Princess!

[Alex Zoubine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've generally tried to leave out spoilers, but if you do not want any hint of what is in this issue, please don't read my reviews below.

Overall issue rating (as an average of rated stories: 3
Favorite story in this issue: It's probably a tie between "The Beast Adjoins" and "Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County." The latter is probably the more technically and culturally challenging of the two but both are excellent.

NOVELLA
"Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship" 4
What happens when an AI decides two people simply must be right for each other? We find out in this delightful story. The first portion of the story is told well, with a solid grasp on the story but one that I felt wasn't too surprising, once you had gotten past the novel aspect of an AI playing match-maker.
What really made this piece stand out was the last third or so when some unexpected elements come together for a conclusion that feels worth it in the end.
Spoiler: the girl and the guy do end up together - but maybe no exactly in the way you'd expect.

"Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County" 4.5
I teared up several times while reading this story.
It's incredibly impressive how Kunsken is able to go through entire lifetimes of several different characters within such a compressed space and weave them all together in a story that isn't just logical and compelling, but emotionally resonant.
I would highly, highly recommend reading this particular story. My only thought is that the beginning is a bit hard to grasp at first, and the piece feels like 2 stories glued together. One provides the "how" - the other provides the "why" or the "heart" of the story.

NOVELETTES
"The Beast Adjoins" 4.5/5
What an incredible story! I love the interpretation of the collapsing wave function in this story and I especially love what the implication could be for robots and AI. Long have I pondered "What is the weakness of AI? What could stop it?" and the uncollapsed wave is a brilliant and potentially valid way to address this question!
Additionally - the image of pieces of something human being kept captive by the machines is a deeply nightmarish twist on imagery The Matrix had previously popularized.
I also liked the fact that there was a clear and connectable narrative that wove in with what was otherwise fairly exposition-heavy story. The combination of close and wide lenses was compelling and provided just enough (and not too much) context to make the story suspenseful and interesting. And the end of the story - heartbreaking.

"Marbles" 2.5
The elements of this story seem solid but the story itself never made a lot of sense to me. The main character isn't an artist, exactly - she is a scout working on behalf of a wealthy benefactor - who is also a famous artist. She helps create a large, public piece of "living" art - and even adds her own element to the piece. All the while, she develops a romantic relationship with the assistant.
For me though, the relationship with the assistant feels just a little more strained than I think I might have enjoyed - and their separation felt forced. Additionally, the excursion to the marble-making machine, while showing how/why the main character has the idea that leads to her adding to the overall work of art, doesn't do as much work as I might have wanted.

SHORT STORIES
"Father" 4.5/5
I certainly enjoyed this piece.
I felt like it was well-written and had a very strong voice. Additionally, although it was alternate-history, it didn't harp on that fact, didn't lean on it too heavily. The characters lived in the world rather than just remark about how strange the world was.
The pieces of the story also fit together very nicely. Very enjoyable.

"The Last Water Baron" 4/5
This piece felt more about the atmosphere of things rather than pure action and it achieved that quite well. The main character is a hunted man - paranoid, although in a certain sense, he has already accepted his destiny. He knows his end is likely just a matter of time.
In this story, readers see the world he inhabits and the author does a great job of making him approachable despite the fact that he is likely both dangerous and deeply morally deficient. A great example of an unreliable narrator.

"We all lose if they take Mizuba" 0/5
Something called the verani are attacking somewhere called Mizuba. For some reason, this is important. The main character doesn't want to die. Do any of us?

"Imaginary Children" 3/5
This is a story about a successful woman in a corporate world who is informed her fertility is nearly at an end. Her co-worker has experimental technology, however, that is like a dating app on steroids: it lets you see what kids you may have with people around you.
I thought the main character was interesting and compelling, but there were pieces of the story that didn't totally fit together for me and felt like they came a bit out of nowhere. Perhaps this is because this is a novel excerpt?

"Bereft, I come to a nameless world" 4/5
I really enjoyed the first half of this piece - of Siob and the way he comes to the nameless world to see his friend. As someone who has existed for many tens of thousands of years, Siob is clearly broken and needs healing. In a way, it feels like he needs to undergo de-fragmentation. My interpretation of the second half of the piece is that it is an experience of that de-fragmentation process. While it didn't resonate with me especially strongly, the first part of the story was easily compelling enough for me to give this piece a high rating.

"Why I'll never get tenure" 1/5
I had a hard time enjoying the tone of this story and did not find the science believable.
Essentially, a scientist has a device that changes the resonances in particles but a jealous colleague hijacks her experiment and turns the land into sea and vice versa.
Through sub-atomic trickery, the scientist is able to reverse time and have her trusty robot prevent the whole mishap.

"Generations" 3.5/5
An ultra-short, cute superhero story. Grandma is a kickass and is training her granddaughter to be the same.

[Michael Frasca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here are my favorite stories in this issue:

- Nic and Viv’s Compulsory Courtship by Will McIntosh. A shadchan’s job would be much easier if they had the powers of an artificial intelligence AND a city manager. Mazel Tov!

- Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County by Derek Künsken. Tools have evolved from a shaped rock to the microprocessor. Will there be justice in the use of A.I.s as the next tool? Pairs well with Kosmatka’s story.

- The Beast Adjoins by Ted Kosmatka. What happens when your tools start using you? Pairs well with Künsken’s story.

- Father by Ray Nayler. As a retired VA doc, I was pleased to see that the VA serves the needs of our vets and their families…even in the SF world. A touching and poignant story.

- The Last Water Baron by Hollis Joel Henry. He is just this guy, you know? Making his way in the world, taking it as it comes and ‘doing his job.’

- Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World by Benjamin Rosenbaum. Do guardian angels suffer from burnout and PTSD? Pairs well with Wim Wender’s 1987 film “Wings of Desire.”

[Jeppe Larsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Merely an okay issue. Some decent stories but nothing spectacular. Lots of stories about AI - almost like a theme anthology.

"Father" by Ray Nayler has an interesting setting with an alternative 1950s with intelligent robots. Good story but a little heavy-handed with its message.

"We All Lose if they Take Mizuba" by Tom Purdom was a good military sf story with intelligent combat drones. Some cool world building.

Most noteworthy is "Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County" by Derek Künsken. We follow the development of a Chinese county and its AI industry along a 100 year period. Maybe a bit too long but interesting ideas and well developed characters.

[George Heintzelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent issue with all the stories at least very good. A lot of AI the,Ed stories in this one. I particularly liked:
“Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County”, by Derek Künsken, an excellent extrapolation of AI and a nicely optimistic take on technological and cultural change.
“Marbles”, by Sean Monaghan, an exploration of art and who gets credit for it
“Nic and Viv’s Compulsory Courtship”, by Will McIntosh, exploring ways AIs might get their noses in our business, and what happens when AIs start to feel like their job is threatened.
“Father”, an alternate history exploration of fatherhood, again bringing in AI

[Patrick Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The standouts in this were Ted Kosmatka's “The Beast Adjoins"--which was fascinating on several levels, Hollis Joel Henry's “The Last Water Baron”--which was gripping, and “Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World” by Benja­min Rosenbaum--which blew my mind and made me want to write Dr. Who fan fiction. Both Megan Lindholm's “Generations" and Ray Nayler's “Father” were heartfelt and the latter reminded me a bit of Stephen King.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship 3/5
Tool Use by the Humans of Danzhai County 4/5
The Beast Adjoins 4/5
Marbles 2/5
Father 3/5
The Last Water Baron 2/5
We All Lose if They Take Mizuba 2/5
Imaginary Children 2/5
Bereft, I Come to a Nameless World 3/5
Why I'll Never Get Tenure 2/5
Generations 2/5

[Monica]

Includes Generations, by Meghan Lindholm

[Marie Valenzuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will McIntosh's novella, Nic and Viv's Compulsory Courtship, is a fun look at dating in the near future when helpful AI gets involved.

[Mark Catalfano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked "Father" by Ray Nayler and "The Last Water Baron" by Hollis Joel Henry