Review: Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 130
By EricMesa
- 3 minutes read - 474 words
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 130 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another awesome series of stories compiled by Mr. Neil Clarke. I loved all but the last fiction story and enjoyed the non-fiction. Here’s what I thought of each story/article:
An Age of Ice (a translated story): A story involving a multi-generational family and a world in which cryonics are realistic. About how the world changes because this exists. It’s a very short story, but quite poignant.
Travelers: Another cryro story. This one seems to be starting with the trope of being awakened too early on a spaceship. I was wondering if it was going to end up being horror or not. Don’t want to spoil, but Mr. Larson does some really good plotting.
The Significance of Significance: The way that discovering that the universe is a simulation affects various people in the world. Written in a quirky and fun prose that is a delight to read. Pretty much a perfect ending.
The Bridgegroom: On a visit back to his village, Alois finds himself saddled with a job he doesn’t quite understand, but is of utmost importance. Because so much of what makes this story great is in its unfolding, I don’t want to say more. But I *DO* want to read more in this universe.
Last Chance: OH MAN, SO AMAZING! A Post-apocalyse story told from the point of view of someone a little too young to understand a lot of what’s going on, but old enough that its not too annoying to read from that POV. I WANT MORE IN THIS UNIVERSE!
Forever Bound: Haldeman doing what Haldeman does best - military SF and awesome world-building that makes you wonder at how the world got to that point. Also, always slightly reminding the reader of the untrustworthiness of the military aparatus. I really, really enjoyed this story.
The Oracle: A story that jumps back and forth in time and is a bit confusing at first. The origins of an AI society and the fringes of how their existence has affeected the world.
Non-Fiction
Impossible Colors of an Infinite Universe: A discussion of the colors we can and can’t perceive in reality and how authors of SFF use that metephorically.
Dystopian Muder Mysteries…: A look at how Carrie Vaughn decided to create the world in Bannerless.
Another Word: Invisible and Visible: Engineering in Science Fiction: Where are the engineers in SF? For most writers they are in the background, not even supporting characters. The author does mention a few stories that feature engineers. But modern SF does not have too many. (The article doesn’t mention it, but I think they were more common in Golden Age SF)
Editor’s Desk: Listening to the Universe: Five years from his heart attack, looking back at what Neil Clarke has accomplished.