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A review by thereadingoutlaw
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 112 by Kate Baker, Sofia Siren, Neil Clarke, Robert Reed, E. Catherine Tobler, Robert Silverberg, Ken Liu, Bao Shu, Megan Lindholm, Chris Urie, Rich Larson
3.0
For my first go-round with Clarkesworld magazine, I thought that I came out the other side no worse for wear!
Of all the stories, "Old Paint" was definitely my favorite. A light science fiction story about what happens to old cars in the world of future vehicles (and written by Megan Lindholm aka Robin Hobb, no less!) this story did such a wonderful job personifying the car that I found myself in tears by the end. Not many, but still, there were tears. I really didn't care for the other re-print, which was a commentary on art and forgery and value, but got lost in the lack of quick world-building that I feel helps stories like this one so, so much in short format.
In terms of the newly published fiction, I think my two favorites were "Algorithms of Value", which looked at AI, intelligence, contribution, and how we truly define when or whether a life has 'value'; and "Everybody Loves Charles", the story of a lonely Korean boy who spends his day live-casting into the mind and consciousness of another person - Charles - who just happens to be a famous spaceship racer. This entire universe is one in which the lifestyle vlogging of today's YouTube has blended with VR technology to the point where not only can you watch your favorite celebrities, you can actually nerologically experience their life. The story was sad on the one hand, but also largely empowering and a really, really sharp commentary on today's celebrity culture!
And, as per usual, the non-fiction articles that Clarkesworld included were short little think-piece bits, this time about AI and the developments of AI and VR technology.
After this, my first ever Clarkesworld experience, and I'm really really happy with my subscription!
Of all the stories, "Old Paint" was definitely my favorite. A light science fiction story about what happens to old cars in the world of future vehicles (and written by Megan Lindholm aka Robin Hobb, no less!) this story did such a wonderful job personifying the car that I found myself in tears by the end. Not many, but still, there were tears. I really didn't care for the other re-print, which was a commentary on art and forgery and value, but got lost in the lack of quick world-building that I feel helps stories like this one so, so much in short format.
In terms of the newly published fiction, I think my two favorites were "Algorithms of Value", which looked at AI, intelligence, contribution, and how we truly define when or whether a life has 'value'; and "Everybody Loves Charles", the story of a lonely Korean boy who spends his day live-casting into the mind and consciousness of another person - Charles - who just happens to be a famous spaceship racer. This entire universe is one in which the lifestyle vlogging of today's YouTube has blended with VR technology to the point where not only can you watch your favorite celebrities, you can actually nerologically experience their life. The story was sad on the one hand, but also largely empowering and a really, really sharp commentary on today's celebrity culture!
And, as per usual, the non-fiction articles that Clarkesworld included were short little think-piece bits, this time about AI and the developments of AI and VR technology.
After this, my first ever Clarkesworld experience, and I'm really really happy with my subscription!