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mary_soon_lee's review
This issue of F&SF contains ten stories, five of which I'd classify as science fiction and five as fantasy, and all of which I liked. It's hard to pick a favorite this time, but, for compressing emotion and setting into a bare few pages, I think I'd choose "Breath" by Bruce McAllister, which lets the reader see that abuses are taking place but doesn't paint them simplistically.
Among the other stories, I liked the way Tobias S. Buckell offered a thematically-linked collection of possible dystopic futures in "Apocalypse Considered through a Helix of Semiprecious Foods and Recipes" (and I liked the title's nod to Samuel R. Delany). Rebecca Campbell's story "The Fourth Trimester is the Strangest" moved me with its portrayal of a mother facing postpartum difficulties with an added fantastical edge, the mother's attachment to her baby at once tender, strong, and vulnerable.
I note that there are also two poems included, one by Gretchen Tessmer, which I liked very much, and one that I wrote. And in addition to fiction and poetry, there are book reviews (which I always appreciate), a movie review, and an article about calculating orbits. Another fine issue!
Among the other stories, I liked the way Tobias S. Buckell offered a thematically-linked collection of possible dystopic futures in "Apocalypse Considered through a Helix of Semiprecious Foods and Recipes" (and I liked the title's nod to Samuel R. Delany). Rebecca Campbell's story "The Fourth Trimester is the Strangest" moved me with its portrayal of a mother facing postpartum difficulties with an added fantastical edge, the mother's attachment to her baby at once tender, strong, and vulnerable.
I note that there are also two poems included, one by Gretchen Tessmer, which I liked very much, and one that I wrote. And in addition to fiction and poetry, there are book reviews (which I always appreciate), a movie review, and an article about calculating orbits. Another fine issue!
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