REVIEW: “Timothy: An Oral History” by Michael Swanwick

Review of Michael Swanwick, “Timothy: An Oral History”, Clarkesworld Issue 205, October (2023): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A layered piece with a great format; it explores an all-female, utopian society, and what happens when a biological man comes into existence in such a society. An intriguing idea, elevated by the oral history narrative format that was able to incorporate so many different points of view into a short story.

Gender norms and expectations, of course, look different in this society. When a biological male upends the status quo in this utopia, the cracks start to show. An interesting examination of societal norms, and a great way to wrap up this issue.

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REVIEW: “Nirvana or Bust” by Michael Swanwick

Review of Michael Swanwick, “Nirvana or Bust”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact March/April (2022): 49–53 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

Huiling is a woman on the run wearing a sentient exoskeleton she calls Nirvana or Bust. One day she meets her old advisor, Catherine, who informs her that her assassin is on the way. Huiling must protect her revolutionary discovery from bother her human and AI pursuers.

In Nirvana or Bust, the author presents a highly automated world where the joining of natural and artificial intelligence is a massive leap forward – even though neither humans nor AI see it that way. This is by no means a new idea, and I’m not sure if the story adds anything new to it. Still, it is presented well and with immersive prose (particularly the dialogue), even if the ending is perhaps a bit too convenient.

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