F & SF - January 2006
Novellas
“Planet of Mystery” – Terry Bisson
My Grade: B (first half)
Summary: An expedition to Venus crash lands on the planet and finds forests, water, centaurs, Amazons, and a sentient, communicative, witty robotic probe. One member of the expedition becomes “power-mad”, the other tries to figure out how to escape the planet while conversing with the third member still in orbit around Venus.
Comment: This story felt to me like an episode of a 60s/70s science fiction television show, which I think was very intentional. It was certainly interesting, and fun to read, and not much more than that – but it also didn’t pretend to be anything more than that.
Novelettes
“Less Than Nothing” – Robert Reed
My Grade: B
Summary: A young man, apparently a Native American, is banished from his village because he is haunted by the spirit of the man he killed. He ends up on a farm with a couple who have a stronger connection to him than he would think. They learn to understand the situation form a plan for the young man’s future.
Comment: I liked the world in which the story was set, and the strong sense of character. However, I wasn’t quite sure, in the end, what exactly the story was supposed to mean or signify so I wasn’t sure how much it was supposed to mean to me.
“The Boy in Zaquitos” – Bruce McAllister
My Grade: B-
Summary: A man who worked for the military as a human disease vector is haunted by his actions and relates the tale of how he saved a family from the destruction he brought to their country.
Comment: I thought this was a very interesting concept and a nice look at a man’s reaction to his very questionable actions, but I felt like the actual story itself lacked something, perhaps a more touching connection – things felt very distant to me. I also thought the framing mechanism of a speech to a class didn’t add anything and actually seemed unrealistic in terms of his being able to speak out his experience.
Short Stories
“Shadow Man” – Matthew Hughes
My Grade: C+
Summary: Damien, a young man with very dark thoughts catches a spirit that has been “haunting” him and makes an interesting discovery about the man and his own future.
Comment: Stylistically, this story was well done but the subject (serial killers) was rather creepy and I wasn’t really sure about the point of the story beyond being creepy.
“Horse-Year Women” – Michaela Roessner
My Grade: C+
Summary: A woman becomes acquainted with another woman who is a “horse-year” woman (born in the Chinese year of the horse). “Horse-Year Women” have certain personality characteristics which the narrator learns about, along with legends about “horse-year women”. The story has a tragic ending for the “horse-year woman”.
Comment: This story felt like a “paint by numbers” plotline containing a subgroup with a special characteristics and an outsider who experiences the subgroup, with what I felt was a stock ending.
“A Daze in the Life” – Tony Sarowitz
My Grade: B-
Summary: A man who rents “brain processing time” to the government gets a proposition from a man and a woman to allow them to spy on the data stream that passes through his head. He declines and reports them to the authorities, but also warns them so they can escape.
Comment: I found this an interesting concept for a story, but thought that the story itself was a little too easy – I never really got a sense of why the main character does the things he ends up doing.
“Journey to Gantica” – Matthew Corradi
My Grade: C
Summary: A young woman, Adelia, literally outgrows her village and sets off on a journey through magical lands. She ends up in the land of giants helping to repair pocket watches but eventually leaves to return home.
Comment: I thought this was a cute concept but that the story itself didn’t really have much to recommend it – I felt it was concept and some style but not much more.
“Planet of Mystery” – Terry Bisson
My Grade: B (first half)
Summary: An expedition to Venus crash lands on the planet and finds forests, water, centaurs, Amazons, and a sentient, communicative, witty robotic probe. One member of the expedition becomes “power-mad”, the other tries to figure out how to escape the planet while conversing with the third member still in orbit around Venus.
Comment: This story felt to me like an episode of a 60s/70s science fiction television show, which I think was very intentional. It was certainly interesting, and fun to read, and not much more than that – but it also didn’t pretend to be anything more than that.
Novelettes
“Less Than Nothing” – Robert Reed
My Grade: B
Summary: A young man, apparently a Native American, is banished from his village because he is haunted by the spirit of the man he killed. He ends up on a farm with a couple who have a stronger connection to him than he would think. They learn to understand the situation form a plan for the young man’s future.
Comment: I liked the world in which the story was set, and the strong sense of character. However, I wasn’t quite sure, in the end, what exactly the story was supposed to mean or signify so I wasn’t sure how much it was supposed to mean to me.
“The Boy in Zaquitos” – Bruce McAllister
My Grade: B-
Summary: A man who worked for the military as a human disease vector is haunted by his actions and relates the tale of how he saved a family from the destruction he brought to their country.
Comment: I thought this was a very interesting concept and a nice look at a man’s reaction to his very questionable actions, but I felt like the actual story itself lacked something, perhaps a more touching connection – things felt very distant to me. I also thought the framing mechanism of a speech to a class didn’t add anything and actually seemed unrealistic in terms of his being able to speak out his experience.
Short Stories
“Shadow Man” – Matthew Hughes
My Grade: C+
Summary: Damien, a young man with very dark thoughts catches a spirit that has been “haunting” him and makes an interesting discovery about the man and his own future.
Comment: Stylistically, this story was well done but the subject (serial killers) was rather creepy and I wasn’t really sure about the point of the story beyond being creepy.
“Horse-Year Women” – Michaela Roessner
My Grade: C+
Summary: A woman becomes acquainted with another woman who is a “horse-year” woman (born in the Chinese year of the horse). “Horse-Year Women” have certain personality characteristics which the narrator learns about, along with legends about “horse-year women”. The story has a tragic ending for the “horse-year woman”.
Comment: This story felt like a “paint by numbers” plotline containing a subgroup with a special characteristics and an outsider who experiences the subgroup, with what I felt was a stock ending.
“A Daze in the Life” – Tony Sarowitz
My Grade: B-
Summary: A man who rents “brain processing time” to the government gets a proposition from a man and a woman to allow them to spy on the data stream that passes through his head. He declines and reports them to the authorities, but also warns them so they can escape.
Comment: I found this an interesting concept for a story, but thought that the story itself was a little too easy – I never really got a sense of why the main character does the things he ends up doing.
“Journey to Gantica” – Matthew Corradi
My Grade: C
Summary: A young woman, Adelia, literally outgrows her village and sets off on a journey through magical lands. She ends up in the land of giants helping to repair pocket watches but eventually leaves to return home.
Comment: I thought this was a cute concept but that the story itself didn’t really have much to recommend it – I felt it was concept and some style but not much more.
posted by yeff at 2:26 PM
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