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tpietila's review
3.0
An ok issue, but Analog would, really, really need a science editor. More and more stupid errors seem to creep in issue by issue.
Together, We Can Be More! • novelette by Juliette Wade
A space station is repurposed for several different alien species so that they can learn co-operation, their languages, habits and to make friends. Told in snippets from different (in most cases alien) viewpoints (the aliens having pretty human psyches and even languages which resemble English in structure [two personals pronouns for genders]). A bit of an overlong story with little cohesive plot. **+
This Hard World of Unwanted Beauty • novelette by Evan Marcroft
A human ship has crashed on a world where most life is apparently silicon-based ends horribly sharp and maims and kills when touched. However, somehow there are intelligent creatures, who help humans, carry them around apparently as pets, give them pieces of their flesh to eat, and parts of their skin as “cloth” (I don’t really understand the biochemistry of that). The humans consider this horribly demeaning and try to get to the emergency transmitter to get help. The aliens feel a bit anthropomorphized and chemistry is bizarre. Human behavior and attitudes feel strange, also. ***½
A Purpose for Stars • short story by Brad McNaughton
An altruistic doctor is on an alien planet performing procedures for a condition that affects the faces of the local intelligent species. The colors on faces are used as part of local communication, so the condition which prevents that is socially debilitating. One child has a heart condition that poses a huge risk for the procedure and it is most likely the child will die from it. The mother presses for the operation. What should they do? A pretty good but slightly short story. ***½
Ghost Strike • short story by Brenda Kalt
Down in his luck, asteroid prospector gets an offer he can’t refuse. He is supposed to find an old discarded lump of ore. He doesn’t find that but something more valuable. A problem-solving story with nothing really new. ***
Peaceweaver • short story by Marissa Lingen
An artist joins an alien race to enhance co-operation and friendship between species. How does a composer present his art to a species which has no concept of music? There is something all artists everywhere share. Reading critiques. A short entertaining story. ***
The Polar Bear Sleeps On • short story by M. Bennardo
A polar bear escapes the zoo and has moved into an upper-class apartment. The people there have died. There are food stores but they don’t last long. A well-told postapocalyptic story. I don’t get why the bear was so lethargic, though. ***-
Beloved Toiler • short story by George Zebrowski
Orson Welles’s Magnificant Ambressons is being recreated but the original footage which was thought to be lost is found - or something. The first half of the story is the history of Orson Welles and Citizen Kane and Magnificent Andersson told in more than 100-word-long sentences (no kidding, I counted). A pretty bad story; more of a history lecture and not very well told. **-
Brought Near to Beast • short story by Gregor Hartmann
Pleistocene ecology with mammoths and dire wolves has been created in North America after ChoRen, a group that took global power and eliminated religion and superstition (and most of the humans). A game warden has lived for a long time with animals and when a veterinarian comes to visit, is gone pretty much “native”. The professionalism of them seems to be pretty bad, as the feed rhododendron leas for the mammoths - it is a poisonous plant, after all. The leader of Choren is coming to visit. A pretty clumsy and bad story with a LOT of forced exposition and explaining. **+
Trial and Error • novelette by Grey Rollins
A research group has landed on an alien planet with sentient aliens. The aliens are not at all interested in humans and mostly ignore them. There is a disastrous encounter where both humans and aliens end up dead. The cook of the ship has a plan for a peaceful solution, but some hotheads want revenge at almost any cost. I don’t understand why the members of a research/diplomatic mission would be horribly stupid, bigoted, and violent persons. Wouldn’t there be some sort of vetting process to weed out idiots? Otherwise a very good and well-written story. ****-
Asleep Was the Ship • short story by Eric Del Carlo
A human is working as a “breath” on an alien space ship. He stays awake as the alien pilgrims sleep while the ship passes a region of space which for some reason is harmful to the alien minds. He must watch over the sleeping alien during the transit. A few days into the journey he hears steps… is someone else there? A fairly good story, but 40 days at about half food rations (apparently there is no leeway in the food stores at all) isn’t going to kill or even seriously hurt anyone. ***½
Ashes • short story by Mario Milosevic
Hundreds of years' old woman is at her mother’s funeral, who died by suicide when she was 950 years old. They have evolved to live for a long time by conceiving from the last possible egg. The funerals are bittersweet and festive and the won powders on her own life. Otherwise a nice story, but the premise was horribly stupid. EVOLUTION DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY. The genetic set-up of a child doesn’t depend on which order the children are born. The second story with Lamarckian evolution in Analog in a short while. **-
State of Grace • short story by Clancy Weeks
An interstellar spaceship encounters a disaster mid-transit. The automatic systems can’t handle it and the ship AI wakes one passenger, an engineer who can make the repairs. The downside is that repairs will cause radiation damage which will certainly kill him from cancer in a few years. Actually, it doesn’t work like that - after a single radiation dose (which apparently doesn’t even cause severe radiation sickness) the cancer risk goes well up, but cancer is anything but a sure thing. According to the data I found, a single 1000 mSV dose, which will give you pretty bad but usually survivable radiation sickness, gives you a 1:13 risk of cancer due to radiation, and it takes years or decades. In spite of the bit shaky background, the story was very good with a nice development of the characters. ***½
Why Things Work on a Starship • short story by Stephen R. Loftus-Mercer
An engineer in a space ship is very good and is able to improve on the designs on the ship. The captain recognizes that but warns him of two original designs as more or less mediocre other crew wouldn't understand in a dangerous situation, but... A nice, but short story. ***
Winter's Spring • novelette by A. P. Hawkins
A ship that has run from the Earth, which is under an alien attack has arrived at its destination. The planet they are supposed to colonize is cold - very cold. Much colder than it was supposed to be. Is it even possible to establish a colony so that the crew will be able to WAKE up the sleeping colonists? They try to establish farming, but the ground doesn’t seem to warm as it should. As a surprise discovery they find out that the frozen ground acts as a heat sink. No shit. Who would have thought? The energy needed for heating is running out. Using geothermal energy and drilling through 10 meters of frozen ground would be too demanding so they invent another approach: build gigantic wind turbines on the other side of the planet (where it is constantly windy) and use robot tractors to haul loaded batteries from there - that uses so much fewer resources! The writing is average, but the characters are stupid beyond belief. **
Enter the Fungicene • novelette by J. M. Swenson
A small group of clones are working to restore Earth. Most humans are dead; only a few cloned women have been single-mindedly worked towards their goal for thousands of generations. Vivian 2698 is an engineer (as are all her predecessors). She is known for being sometimes unorthodox and behaving in somewhat novel ways, something the other clones, who work as scientists, really don’t understand. The earth is filled with a wide variety of fungal growth. A breakthrough aiming for the reintroduction of normal plants seems to be very near, possibly in a few weeks. Like it has been for the last thousand years or so. Is there a way to turn the biosphere back to what it used to be? Or should it be done? A pretty good story, perhaps some small tightening might have made even better. ***½
Together, We Can Be More! • novelette by Juliette Wade
A space station is repurposed for several different alien species so that they can learn co-operation, their languages, habits and to make friends. Told in snippets from different (in most cases alien) viewpoints (the aliens having pretty human psyches and even languages which resemble English in structure [two personals pronouns for genders]). A bit of an overlong story with little cohesive plot. **+
This Hard World of Unwanted Beauty • novelette by Evan Marcroft
A human ship has crashed on a world where most life is apparently silicon-based ends horribly sharp and maims and kills when touched. However, somehow there are intelligent creatures, who help humans, carry them around apparently as pets, give them pieces of their flesh to eat, and parts of their skin as “cloth” (I don’t really understand the biochemistry of that). The humans consider this horribly demeaning and try to get to the emergency transmitter to get help. The aliens feel a bit anthropomorphized and chemistry is bizarre. Human behavior and attitudes feel strange, also. ***½
A Purpose for Stars • short story by Brad McNaughton
An altruistic doctor is on an alien planet performing procedures for a condition that affects the faces of the local intelligent species. The colors on faces are used as part of local communication, so the condition which prevents that is socially debilitating. One child has a heart condition that poses a huge risk for the procedure and it is most likely the child will die from it. The mother presses for the operation. What should they do? A pretty good but slightly short story. ***½
Ghost Strike • short story by Brenda Kalt
Down in his luck, asteroid prospector gets an offer he can’t refuse. He is supposed to find an old discarded lump of ore. He doesn’t find that but something more valuable. A problem-solving story with nothing really new. ***
Peaceweaver • short story by Marissa Lingen
An artist joins an alien race to enhance co-operation and friendship between species. How does a composer present his art to a species which has no concept of music? There is something all artists everywhere share. Reading critiques. A short entertaining story. ***
The Polar Bear Sleeps On • short story by M. Bennardo
A polar bear escapes the zoo and has moved into an upper-class apartment. The people there have died. There are food stores but they don’t last long. A well-told postapocalyptic story. I don’t get why the bear was so lethargic, though. ***-
Beloved Toiler • short story by George Zebrowski
Orson Welles’s Magnificant Ambressons is being recreated but the original footage which was thought to be lost is found - or something. The first half of the story is the history of Orson Welles and Citizen Kane and Magnificent Andersson told in more than 100-word-long sentences (no kidding, I counted). A pretty bad story; more of a history lecture and not very well told. **-
Brought Near to Beast • short story by Gregor Hartmann
Pleistocene ecology with mammoths and dire wolves has been created in North America after ChoRen, a group that took global power and eliminated religion and superstition (and most of the humans). A game warden has lived for a long time with animals and when a veterinarian comes to visit, is gone pretty much “native”. The professionalism of them seems to be pretty bad, as the feed rhododendron leas for the mammoths - it is a poisonous plant, after all. The leader of Choren is coming to visit. A pretty clumsy and bad story with a LOT of forced exposition and explaining. **+
Trial and Error • novelette by Grey Rollins
A research group has landed on an alien planet with sentient aliens. The aliens are not at all interested in humans and mostly ignore them. There is a disastrous encounter where both humans and aliens end up dead. The cook of the ship has a plan for a peaceful solution, but some hotheads want revenge at almost any cost. I don’t understand why the members of a research/diplomatic mission would be horribly stupid, bigoted, and violent persons. Wouldn’t there be some sort of vetting process to weed out idiots? Otherwise a very good and well-written story. ****-
Asleep Was the Ship • short story by Eric Del Carlo
A human is working as a “breath” on an alien space ship. He stays awake as the alien pilgrims sleep while the ship passes a region of space which for some reason is harmful to the alien minds. He must watch over the sleeping alien during the transit. A few days into the journey he hears steps… is someone else there? A fairly good story, but 40 days at about half food rations (apparently there is no leeway in the food stores at all) isn’t going to kill or even seriously hurt anyone. ***½
Ashes • short story by Mario Milosevic
Hundreds of years' old woman is at her mother’s funeral, who died by suicide when she was 950 years old. They have evolved to live for a long time by conceiving from the last possible egg. The funerals are bittersweet and festive and the won powders on her own life. Otherwise a nice story, but the premise was horribly stupid. EVOLUTION DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY. The genetic set-up of a child doesn’t depend on which order the children are born. The second story with Lamarckian evolution in Analog in a short while. **-
State of Grace • short story by Clancy Weeks
An interstellar spaceship encounters a disaster mid-transit. The automatic systems can’t handle it and the ship AI wakes one passenger, an engineer who can make the repairs. The downside is that repairs will cause radiation damage which will certainly kill him from cancer in a few years. Actually, it doesn’t work like that - after a single radiation dose (which apparently doesn’t even cause severe radiation sickness) the cancer risk goes well up, but cancer is anything but a sure thing. According to the data I found, a single 1000 mSV dose, which will give you pretty bad but usually survivable radiation sickness, gives you a 1:13 risk of cancer due to radiation, and it takes years or decades. In spite of the bit shaky background, the story was very good with a nice development of the characters. ***½
Why Things Work on a Starship • short story by Stephen R. Loftus-Mercer
An engineer in a space ship is very good and is able to improve on the designs on the ship. The captain recognizes that but warns him of two original designs as more or less mediocre other crew wouldn't understand in a dangerous situation, but... A nice, but short story. ***
Winter's Spring • novelette by A. P. Hawkins
A ship that has run from the Earth, which is under an alien attack has arrived at its destination. The planet they are supposed to colonize is cold - very cold. Much colder than it was supposed to be. Is it even possible to establish a colony so that the crew will be able to WAKE up the sleeping colonists? They try to establish farming, but the ground doesn’t seem to warm as it should. As a surprise discovery they find out that the frozen ground acts as a heat sink. No shit. Who would have thought? The energy needed for heating is running out. Using geothermal energy and drilling through 10 meters of frozen ground would be too demanding so they invent another approach: build gigantic wind turbines on the other side of the planet (where it is constantly windy) and use robot tractors to haul loaded batteries from there - that uses so much fewer resources! The writing is average, but the characters are stupid beyond belief. **
Enter the Fungicene • novelette by J. M. Swenson
A small group of clones are working to restore Earth. Most humans are dead; only a few cloned women have been single-mindedly worked towards their goal for thousands of generations. Vivian 2698 is an engineer (as are all her predecessors). She is known for being sometimes unorthodox and behaving in somewhat novel ways, something the other clones, who work as scientists, really don’t understand. The earth is filled with a wide variety of fungal growth. A breakthrough aiming for the reintroduction of normal plants seems to be very near, possibly in a few weeks. Like it has been for the last thousand years or so. Is there a way to turn the biosphere back to what it used to be? Or should it be done? A pretty good story, perhaps some small tightening might have made even better. ***½
oleksandr's review
3.0
This is November-December 2020 issue of Analog. While the stories in this issue are quite good, they aren’t of the wow kind.
Therefore, I Knew Him [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Trevor Quachri This is a usual intro of the magazine, which presents the last reprint related to the magazine’s 90th anniversary and speaks about the US politics, among other thinks calling not to vote for Trump and comparing him to the character in Dickson’s story. 3*
Call Him Lord -1966 novelette by Gordon R. Dickson a prince of human interstellar emire visits Earth, which is held low tech and takes a horse ride with locally appointed bodyguard. The prince is not a very good person.
Together, We Can Be More! novelette by Juliette Wade a nice easy story about gathering several alien species and humans (I guess mostly young ones) on a space station in order to boost communication between them. each small chapter by a different specie and their point of view. Maybe a bit YA but endearing. 3.5*
Big Smart Objects [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Gregory Benford and Larry Niven related to the trilogy by the same authors, discussion of really large artificial objects like a Ringworld or a Dyson’s sphere. What scientific issues arise. 4*
This Hard World of Unwanted Beauty novelette by Evan Marcroft humans crash on a planet where they can suvive only by becoming toys of local low-tech species they call Rabbits. The protagonist initially hates everything in this situation but later sees a fuller picture. Interesting concepts but underdeveloped. 2.5*
So Many Blank Moons poem by Holly Lyn Walrath we paint space. 2*
A Purpose for Stars short story by Brad McNaughton a surgeon on a mission at newly discovered planet with a medieval tech civilization. Locals have a signal system based on the getting their faces showing different colors based on underskin blood pressure. There are some who are unable to do it, ‘mutes’ and the surgeon operates to restore the function. One local patient has a heart defect and an operation quite likely will kill him. What to do? 4*
Ghost Strike short story by Brenda Kalt a debt-ridden asteroid miner is offered a forgiveness of his debts if he gets a chache of mined materials in space. He however, finds not minerals but a derelict human ship, which is even better, but how to transport it to the base? 3*
Peaceweaver short story by Marissa Lingen a pianist visits aliens to find a new and unexpected way of art. 2.5*
The Polar Bear Sleeps On short story by M. Bennardo a polar bear leaves zoo and lives in a rich human house after due to some disaster all humans died. 2.5*
The Lentz Soliton FTL Drive [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer a possible warp drive. Above my knowledge. 3*
Event short story by Timons Esaias flash fic about humans failing to see a calamity that destroyed them. 3*
Courtship FTL short story by Mary E. Lowd if ships are sentienty, you don’t buy one but partner with it. 3*
Beloved Toiler short story by George Zebrowski a homage to Citizen Kane and its creators. Not my interest. 1*
The Women We Can See in Analog essay by Marie Vibbert attempt to check the share of women contributors over years and problems (pen names, initials, etc) that complicate the problem. 3.5*
Brought Near to Beast short story by Gregor Hartmann two men, young and old follow a herd of mammoths, which were re-introduced by aliens, who now control Earth. The younger wants to show himself to be taken as an alien’s helper. Potentially interesting but undeveloped world. 2.5*
Trial and Error novelette by Grey Rollins a cook of a mission to an alien world was earlier taught by other aliens that his decisions should be long term intervenes when due to a misunderstanding several humans and aliens kill each other and hot headed leader of human team wants revenge. A nice idea but how on Earth a bully can be sent as a leader of a diplomatic mission is a gaping plot hole. 3.5*
Asleep Was the Ship short story by Eric Del Carlo aliens cannot be active when a ship is a hyperspace, so they hire a human to be woke during the voyage. However, he soon finds out that he is not alone. 2.5*
Just the Facts: How Articles Came to Astounding essay by Edward M. Wysocki, Jr. who wrote fact articles for he magazine, history of it. 3*
State of Grace short story by Clancy Weeks a ship’s drive is damaged and AI wakes a crew member from cold sleep to do repairs. The mission is under heavy radiation that will kill that member and they both are aware of it. Whil they prepare they became friends. 3.5*
Lazarus, Unbound short story by Liam Hogan far future AI collects cryo-sleeping bodies of undesirable people to set them on a mission 2*
In Times to Come (Analog, November-December 2020) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited what to wait for next issue
Ashes short story by Mario Milosevic long-living human woman says goodbye to her even longer living mother. 2*
The Return poem by G. O. Clark
Why Things Work on a Starship short story by Stephen R. Loftus-Mercer a nice story why rules matter written as a dialogue between a smart engineer and ship’s captain, who shows who not only geniuses should be allowed to be engineers. 3.5*
Winter's Spring novelette by A. P. Hawkins a colonization of a very cold planet. 2.5*
Enter the Fungicene novelette by J. M. Swenson for over 5000 years a group of clones of several women work to restore Earth biosphere, where mushrooms are the dominant species. The project was initially planned for a century, but there is no end in sight, why? 3*
The Reference Library (Analog, November-December 2020) [The Reference Library] essay by Don Sakers reviews, mostly BAEN books
Therefore, I Knew Him [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Trevor Quachri This is a usual intro of the magazine, which presents the last reprint related to the magazine’s 90th anniversary and speaks about the US politics, among other thinks calling not to vote for Trump and comparing him to the character in Dickson’s story. 3*
Call Him Lord -1966 novelette by Gordon R. Dickson a prince of human interstellar emire visits Earth, which is held low tech and takes a horse ride with locally appointed bodyguard. The prince is not a very good person.
Together, We Can Be More! novelette by Juliette Wade a nice easy story about gathering several alien species and humans (I guess mostly young ones) on a space station in order to boost communication between them. each small chapter by a different specie and their point of view. Maybe a bit YA but endearing. 3.5*
Big Smart Objects [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Gregory Benford and Larry Niven related to the trilogy by the same authors, discussion of really large artificial objects like a Ringworld or a Dyson’s sphere. What scientific issues arise. 4*
This Hard World of Unwanted Beauty novelette by Evan Marcroft humans crash on a planet where they can suvive only by becoming toys of local low-tech species they call Rabbits. The protagonist initially hates everything in this situation but later sees a fuller picture
Spoiler
humans are taught that aliens attacked and destroyed the Earth, but actually its humans who made in uninhabitable andnow they spread like plague polluting other worldsSo Many Blank Moons poem by Holly Lyn Walrath we paint space. 2*
A Purpose for Stars short story by Brad McNaughton a surgeon on a mission at newly discovered planet with a medieval tech civilization. Locals have a signal system based on the getting their faces showing different colors based on underskin blood pressure. There are some who are unable to do it, ‘mutes’ and the surgeon operates to restore the function. One local patient has a heart defect and an operation quite likely will kill him. What to do? 4*
Ghost Strike short story by Brenda Kalt a debt-ridden asteroid miner is offered a forgiveness of his debts if he gets a chache of mined materials in space. He however, finds not minerals but a derelict human ship, which is even better, but how to transport it to the base? 3*
Peaceweaver short story by Marissa Lingen a pianist visits aliens to find a new and unexpected way of art. 2.5*
The Polar Bear Sleeps On short story by M. Bennardo a polar bear leaves zoo and lives in a rich human house after due to some disaster all humans died. 2.5*
The Lentz Soliton FTL Drive [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer a possible warp drive. Above my knowledge. 3*
Event short story by Timons Esaias flash fic about humans failing to see a calamity that destroyed them. 3*
Courtship FTL short story by Mary E. Lowd if ships are sentienty, you don’t buy one but partner with it. 3*
Beloved Toiler short story by George Zebrowski a homage to Citizen Kane and its creators. Not my interest. 1*
The Women We Can See in Analog essay by Marie Vibbert attempt to check the share of women contributors over years and problems (pen names, initials, etc) that complicate the problem. 3.5*
Brought Near to Beast short story by Gregor Hartmann two men, young and old follow a herd of mammoths, which were re-introduced by aliens, who now control Earth. The younger wants to show himself to be taken as an alien’s helper. Potentially interesting but undeveloped world. 2.5*
Trial and Error novelette by Grey Rollins a cook of a mission to an alien world was earlier taught by other aliens that his decisions should be long term intervenes when due to a misunderstanding several humans and aliens kill each other and hot headed leader of human team wants revenge. A nice idea but how on Earth a bully can be sent as a leader of a diplomatic mission is a gaping plot hole. 3.5*
Asleep Was the Ship short story by Eric Del Carlo aliens cannot be active when a ship is a hyperspace, so they hire a human to be woke during the voyage. However, he soon finds out that he is not alone. 2.5*
Just the Facts: How Articles Came to Astounding essay by Edward M. Wysocki, Jr. who wrote fact articles for he magazine, history of it. 3*
State of Grace short story by Clancy Weeks a ship’s drive is damaged and AI wakes a crew member from cold sleep to do repairs. The mission is under heavy radiation that will kill that member and they both are aware of it. Whil they prepare they became friends. 3.5*
Lazarus, Unbound short story by Liam Hogan far future AI collects cryo-sleeping bodies of undesirable people to set them on a mission 2*
In Times to Come (Analog, November-December 2020) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited what to wait for next issue
Ashes short story by Mario Milosevic long-living human woman says goodbye to her even longer living mother. 2*
The Return poem by G. O. Clark
Why Things Work on a Starship short story by Stephen R. Loftus-Mercer a nice story why rules matter written as a dialogue between a smart engineer and ship’s captain, who shows who not only geniuses should be allowed to be engineers. 3.5*
Winter's Spring novelette by A. P. Hawkins a colonization of a very cold planet. 2.5*
Enter the Fungicene novelette by J. M. Swenson for over 5000 years a group of clones of several women work to restore Earth biosphere, where mushrooms are the dominant species. The project was initially planned for a century, but there is no end in sight, why? 3*
The Reference Library (Analog, November-December 2020) [The Reference Library] essay by Don Sakers reviews, mostly BAEN books
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