REVIEW: “Ceres 7” by Lorraine Alden

Review of Lorraine Alden, “Ceres 7”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 118–123 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

This review may contain spoilers.

Ceres 7 is on its way to the planet Esperance with a mission to preserve the human race after Earth has presumably suffered nuclear Armageddon. Ruth and Jill, the youngest members of the all-female crew, are uncertain about their chances to survive the whole trip. With the cryogenic module half broken, only some of the members are destined to survive.

Alden’s story reminded me of Tom Godwin’s “The cold equation,” presenting yet another variation on the classic unwinnable scenario in science fiction (albeit far more plausible than Godwin’s version). I appreciated the tight economy of the prose, revealing just enough about the story’s background without drowning it in exposition. The final twist is genuinely surprising, but somewhat Deus-ex-machina for the protagonist. All in all, a great story.

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REVIEW: “Party On” by James Van Pelt

Review of James Van Pelt, “Party on”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 80–87 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

Tribley is jumping between dimensions searching for parties to take his mind off something. Someone is after him, trying to bring him back to reality.

The story does a fantastic job at bringing each location to life. Van Pelt has a gift for description that he puts to great use in this story. The ending is simply heart-breaking.

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REVIEW: “The Warrior Tree” by Chana Kohl

Review of Chana Kohl, “The Warrior Tree,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Born into a remote Amazigh village, Faiza is trapped by the circumstances of her life — born with no fingers, only thumbs; no money to afford an education beyond 8th grade; betrothed young to a much older man. But Faiza is lucky; her elder brother Adil is a carpet-trader in Marrakech, and he’s willing to help when she begs him for a way out.

This was quite an interesting story — really enjoyable in its own right, but given the context in which it was published, I kept reading it thinking “when will the speculative element come in?” The answer to that is: not until the very final few paragraphs. As a result, the ending felt a bit stitched on; nice, but not needed.

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REVIEW: “The Heavenly Dreams of Mechanical Trees” by Wendy Nikel

Review of Wendy Nikel, “The Heavenly Dreams of Mechanical Trees,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Bita is a botanist living in a world where xylem and phloem have been replaced with metal and gears. There are no botanical trees any more, just metal contraptions that serve the same air-purifying purpose. Only these trees aren’t alive enough to reproduce, they have to be replaced when their parts wear out. And they are all relentlessly the same.

Ailanthus lives in a world of repetition and silence, shuttered away from the world fated to perform the same actions over and over with no way to communicate with anyone. Until Bita comes along, and is the first person who can hear what Ailanthus has been dying to say.

This story was a first for me — the first time I’ve reviewed a story for a second time, at SFFReviews! I recognized the title as soon as I saw it, but remembered little of the story itself. It was curious to go back and reread

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REVIEW: “The Area Under the Curve” by Matt McHugh

Review of Matt McHugh, “The Area Under the Curve”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 80–87 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

Emi and Zeika discover that their son Benny is an average boy – plain average – and therefore not qualified to join them in the upcoming mission to the generation ship. They must decide if they will join follow him on earth, or remain in space and continue with their mission.

The drama in the story is absolutely superb. The richness of detail in the fights and arguments between the two parents give the story a certain familiarity that every reader is bound to recognize. Moreover, the source of the tension in the story is wonderfully melancholic. I took some issue with the ending, as it felt like a bit like a cop-out from the original dilemma. Nevertheless, this is still one of the best stories in this issue.

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REVIEW: “Cornflower” by Victoria Navarra

Review of Victoria Navarra, “Cornflower”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 74–79 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

Living in a space station after Earth has been rendered uninhabitable, Reza gets his first job tending the semi-automated garden of the colony. He thinks it’s the worst and most boring job he could have, until a young girl his age, Amelia, changes his mind.

Though short and simple, the author does a great job at going through the characters’ motivations and psychology to move the plot forward. The world building is also excellent, providing the necessary fuel for the story’s themes. All in all, thoroughly enjoyable.

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REVIEW: “A Real Snow Day” by M. Bernardo

Review of M. Bernardo, “A Real Snow Day”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 94–97 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

In the middle of a snowstorm in 1948, Lyria and Kenton decide to spend all day inside, enjoying a the warmth and comfort of their living room. However, nothing is really as it seems in their household.

This story is all about the final reveal, which I must admit that I didn’t see coming. The brevity certainly helps, because the first half is not that interesting — and the author doesn’t do the greatest job at foreshadowing. But in the end, it is a worthy read.

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REVIEW: “Direct Message” by Tom Pike

Review of Tom Pike, “Direct Message”, Analog Science Fiction and Fact January/February (2023): 88–93 (Kindle) – Purchase Here. Reviewed by John Atom.

An alien race starts a Twitter poll about which region of earth to vaporize with their heat ray. The protagonist must negotiate with the aliens to save his hometown.

An amusing and funny story, though the implausibility is at times hard to swallow. Despite the author admitting to the tongue-in-cheek nature of the story (breaking the 4th wall in a manner of speaking), it still leaves a bit to be desired. I’m not sure the author’s final message gets through.

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REVIEW: “Other Stories” by Wang Yuan

Review of Wang Yuan, “Other Stories”, Clarkesworld Issue 183, December (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A fascinating novelette about fiction and time travel and how it comes together in lovely, strange ways. This is a story I read twice, simply because it had so much depth that I had to go back. After the first read, things are revealed, and I immediately started it again, knowing the plot and hence being able to connect the dots better, seeing phrases in a new light.

You can tell that this was quite intricately written, and it’s one of those stories you can keep revisiting. Highly recommend.

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REVIEW: “The Mother Tree” by Elana Gomel

Review of Elana Gomel, “The Mother Tree,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Non-consensual sex, non-consensual pregnancy.

This was definitely not the sort of story I was expecting, veering off from fantasy to flirt with horror — the horror of pregnancy as your child takes over your body and then your life; the horror of losing a mother; the horror of being trapped in one place, unable to speak, unable to escape.

I loved it.

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