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Asimov's Science Fiction, February 2013
CONTENTS
Novella
"The Weight of the Sunrise" by Vylar Kaftan
Novelette
"And Then Some" by Matthew Hughes
Short Stories
"The New Guys Always Work Overtime" by David Erik Nelson
"Outbound from Put-In-Bay" by M. Bennardo
"The Golden Age of Story" by Robert Reed
"Best of All Possible Worlds" by John Chu
Poetry
"Curse of the Procrustean's Wife" by Bruce Boston
"7:17 AM, June 30, 1908, Central Siberia" by Robert Frazier
"How Many" by Ruth Berman
Departments
"Editorial: Perils of Time Travel" by Sheila Williams
"Reflections: Looking for Atlantis" by Robert Silverberg
"On the Net: Mobility" by James Patrick Kelly
"On Books" by Paul Di Filippo
"SF Conventional Calendar" by Erwin S. Strauss
Asimov's Science Fiction, February 2013, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Whole No. 445)
Sheila Williams, editor
Cover art by Mozzyb
Novella
"The Weight of the Sunrise" by Vylar Kaftan
Novelette
"And Then Some" by Matthew Hughes
Short Stories
"The New Guys Always Work Overtime" by David Erik Nelson
"Outbound from Put-In-Bay" by M. Bennardo
"The Golden Age of Story" by Robert Reed
"Best of All Possible Worlds" by John Chu
Poetry
"Curse of the Procrustean's Wife" by Bruce Boston
"7:17 AM, June 30, 1908, Central Siberia" by Robert Frazier
"How Many" by Ruth Berman
Departments
"Editorial: Perils of Time Travel" by Sheila Williams
"Reflections: Looking for Atlantis" by Robert Silverberg
"On the Net: Mobility" by James Patrick Kelly
"On Books" by Paul Di Filippo
"SF Conventional Calendar" by Erwin S. Strauss
Asimov's Science Fiction, February 2013, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Whole No. 445)
Sheila Williams, editor
Cover art by Mozzyb
116 pages, Perfectbound
First published February 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Williams
276 books66 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.
Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.
She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.
Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.
Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.
She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.
Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2022
“The New Guys Always Work Overtime” by David Erik Nelson has been haunting me ever since.
March 5, 2016
Sheila Williams writes an enjoyable essay on the "Perils of Time Travel." I also really enjoyed Robert Silverberg's essay on "Looking For Atlantis" and the native peoples of the Canary Islands, the "Gaunches." He has me convinced that they are/were likely the last remnants of Cro-magnon man. There are also three poems, other columns, and interesting book reviews.
I thought this was a better than average issue, especially with the good non-fiction content this month. For fiction, it has a novella, a novelette and four short stories. The stories are:
And Then Some • novelette by Matthew Hughes
The New Guys Always Work Overtime • shortstory by David Erik Nelson
Outbound from Put-In-Bay • shortstory by M. Bennardo
The Golden Age of Story • shortstory by Robert Reed
Best of All Possible Worlds • shortstory by John Chu
The Weight of the Sunrise • novella by Vylar Kaftan
Some brief comments on the stories:
“And Then Some” is I think the first story I have read by Matthew Hughes. I'll be looking forward to reading more by him. This is a planetary space opera novelette that caught my interest from the start and did not falter. Erm Kaslo is a deputized operative who comes to the planet Cheddle. He contacts the local police who have no interest in helping him arrest the man he is seeking. Instead the stun him and he awakens in a prison camp. Erm is very resourceful and the story goes on from there. Very enjoyable.
I'm not sure what to make of “The New Guys Always Work Overtime” by David Erik Nelson. Factories in the future bring workers from the past through a time portal to work for minimum wage. For one day only. I didn't like it at first and then I did. It started funny and then got very serious.
M. Bennardo's “Outbound from Put-in-Bay” seems to be an alternate history piece with the underlying divergance occurring about 100 years ago when a new ice age began with a vengeance. The United States has fractured, Canada has joined with the UK, and the action centers on what was once Lake Erie but is now just a minor remnant. Smuggling is the main occupation it seems since there is an oppresive export tax from Canada. A very strong female main character and narrator gives us a view on this dystopian landscape. Very well done.
“The Golden Age of Story” is by Robert Reed. I've read quite a few of his stories over the years. He is incredibly prolific. I generally like them although some get just a bit too strange for me. This one is almost in the "too strange" category. Very inventive idea for a story of 5 chained stories within, but for me it wasn't successful. Or maybe I just really dislike liars.
John Chu's “Best of All Possible Worlds” seems aimed at a niche audience those who love science fiction AND musicals - in this case the operetta "Candide." I suppose if you had seen Leonard Bernstein put it on nearly half a century ago or played in a high school musical you might squee with delight. Otherwise, there is some interesting stuff in here but it did not make any sense to
me. Since I couldn't understand why the strangeness was happening this story was a definite miss for me.
By far the outstanding piece for me in this issue was the novella “The Weight of the Sunrise” by Vylar Kaftan. What a tale. This is an alternate history story that reimagines the Incas. It is a story told by an old man to his grandson, recounting an experience that began in 1806. I found it very immersive and well told. In this story the Incan Empire was not conquered and vanquished by the spanish; they persevered and rebuilt their empire over two hundred years. Yet they still suffer from smallpox.
Americans come with a smallpox vaccine which they offer to trade - the price of the trade is very high. The old man telling this story was the translator for the Incan God-Emperor to the American delegation. An excellent story.
3 1/2+ stars read January 2014
I thought this was a better than average issue, especially with the good non-fiction content this month. For fiction, it has a novella, a novelette and four short stories. The stories are:
And Then Some • novelette by Matthew Hughes
The New Guys Always Work Overtime • shortstory by David Erik Nelson
Outbound from Put-In-Bay • shortstory by M. Bennardo
The Golden Age of Story • shortstory by Robert Reed
Best of All Possible Worlds • shortstory by John Chu
The Weight of the Sunrise • novella by Vylar Kaftan
Some brief comments on the stories:
“And Then Some” is I think the first story I have read by Matthew Hughes. I'll be looking forward to reading more by him. This is a planetary space opera novelette that caught my interest from the start and did not falter. Erm Kaslo is a deputized operative who comes to the planet Cheddle. He contacts the local police who have no interest in helping him arrest the man he is seeking. Instead the stun him and he awakens in a prison camp. Erm is very resourceful and the story goes on from there. Very enjoyable.
I'm not sure what to make of “The New Guys Always Work Overtime” by David Erik Nelson. Factories in the future bring workers from the past through a time portal to work for minimum wage. For one day only. I didn't like it at first and then I did. It started funny and then got very serious.
M. Bennardo's “Outbound from Put-in-Bay” seems to be an alternate history piece with the underlying divergance occurring about 100 years ago when a new ice age began with a vengeance. The United States has fractured, Canada has joined with the UK, and the action centers on what was once Lake Erie but is now just a minor remnant. Smuggling is the main occupation it seems since there is an oppresive export tax from Canada. A very strong female main character and narrator gives us a view on this dystopian landscape. Very well done.
“The Golden Age of Story” is by Robert Reed. I've read quite a few of his stories over the years. He is incredibly prolific. I generally like them although some get just a bit too strange for me. This one is almost in the "too strange" category. Very inventive idea for a story of 5 chained stories within, but for me it wasn't successful. Or maybe I just really dislike liars.
John Chu's “Best of All Possible Worlds” seems aimed at a niche audience those who love science fiction AND musicals - in this case the operetta "Candide." I suppose if you had seen Leonard Bernstein put it on nearly half a century ago or played in a high school musical you might squee with delight. Otherwise, there is some interesting stuff in here but it did not make any sense to
me. Since I couldn't understand why the strangeness was happening this story was a definite miss for me.
By far the outstanding piece for me in this issue was the novella “The Weight of the Sunrise” by Vylar Kaftan. What a tale. This is an alternate history story that reimagines the Incas. It is a story told by an old man to his grandson, recounting an experience that began in 1806. I found it very immersive and well told. In this story the Incan Empire was not conquered and vanquished by the spanish; they persevered and rebuilt their empire over two hundred years. Yet they still suffer from smallpox.
Americans come with a smallpox vaccine which they offer to trade - the price of the trade is very high. The old man telling this story was the translator for the Incan God-Emperor to the American delegation. An excellent story.
3 1/2+ stars read January 2014
February 13, 2013
A slightly above average issue with a fascinating 'alternative history of the Inca Empire' story by Vylar Kaftan and a 'story about stories' by the always fun-to-read Robert Reed.
- "The Weight of Sunrise" by Vylar Kaftan: an interesting tale set in an alternative Earth where the Inca Empire repelled Pizarro and the Spaniards but at a huge cost: smallpox ravages the Inca Empire and the only known way to stop a smallpox outbreak from spreading is quarantine. This story is told by an Incan interpreter whose services are needed one day when visitors from the American Colonies arrive. The 'gift' they bring is a smallpox vaccine. But the price to pay to get it may be too much, even for the Incas.
- "And Then Some" by Matthew Hughes: what starts out as a story of a man fulfilling a bounty on a wanted fugitive on a distant planet turns into another story when he is tasked with guarding said fugitive instead as they dig and refine a mineral that may well change the future of the entire universe. The story end abruptly and it would have been interesting to see more of what happens when the mineral is put into use.
- "The New Guys Always Work Overtime" by David Erik Nelson: so you want to manufacture made-in-America goods? Why not open a time portal to the American past and hire workers from there? Good deal, you might think; until the time portal reveals a disturbing set of workers that make the supervisor reconsider.
- "Outbound from Put-In-Bay" by M. Bennardo: in a future where climate change has frozen much of North America, a woman tries to make a living around the drying Lake Eire. Then, she is offered a very risky job; to infiltrate what used to be Canada to pass a package, not knowing that the job would affect her future and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
- "The Golden Age of Story" by Robert Reed: another fascinating story by Robert Reed, set in a future where a drug has given people the ability to tell really good stories; so good that people will accept them at face value. How will people know what is true and what is not from the stories told?
- "Best of All Possible Worlds" by John Chu: a post-graduate student is preparing to defend her research before examiners and has an unusual guardian whose presence makes her hear the music from the operetta, "Candide". Suddenly, an event catapults her into a world where Candide is real and her life is in danger. Can she control the events happening, while her guardian attempts to rescue her, so she can successfully defend her research? An unusual, vivid, story.
- "The Weight of Sunrise" by Vylar Kaftan: an interesting tale set in an alternative Earth where the Inca Empire repelled Pizarro and the Spaniards but at a huge cost: smallpox ravages the Inca Empire and the only known way to stop a smallpox outbreak from spreading is quarantine. This story is told by an Incan interpreter whose services are needed one day when visitors from the American Colonies arrive. The 'gift' they bring is a smallpox vaccine. But the price to pay to get it may be too much, even for the Incas.
- "And Then Some" by Matthew Hughes: what starts out as a story of a man fulfilling a bounty on a wanted fugitive on a distant planet turns into another story when he is tasked with guarding said fugitive instead as they dig and refine a mineral that may well change the future of the entire universe. The story end abruptly and it would have been interesting to see more of what happens when the mineral is put into use.
- "The New Guys Always Work Overtime" by David Erik Nelson: so you want to manufacture made-in-America goods? Why not open a time portal to the American past and hire workers from there? Good deal, you might think; until the time portal reveals a disturbing set of workers that make the supervisor reconsider.
- "Outbound from Put-In-Bay" by M. Bennardo: in a future where climate change has frozen much of North America, a woman tries to make a living around the drying Lake Eire. Then, she is offered a very risky job; to infiltrate what used to be Canada to pass a package, not knowing that the job would affect her future and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
- "The Golden Age of Story" by Robert Reed: another fascinating story by Robert Reed, set in a future where a drug has given people the ability to tell really good stories; so good that people will accept them at face value. How will people know what is true and what is not from the stories told?
- "Best of All Possible Worlds" by John Chu: a post-graduate student is preparing to defend her research before examiners and has an unusual guardian whose presence makes her hear the music from the operetta, "Candide". Suddenly, an event catapults her into a world where Candide is real and her life is in danger. Can she control the events happening, while her guardian attempts to rescue her, so she can successfully defend her research? An unusual, vivid, story.
February 17, 2013
A little bit of this; a little bit of that. A novella, a novellette, a couples of short stories, some poems. "The Weight of Sunrise" was a surprising alternate history, told from the perspective that the Incas had managed to survive Pizarro and rebuild their society. "The New Guys Always Work Overtime" is a "genie-escapes-the-bottle" short story. "The Golden Age of Story" is about what might happen if we could expand our brain's elasticity back to when we were six.
There are more, including James Patrick Kelly's column about the "cross-pollination" of technology and science fiction, especially in design. Kind of cool to watch Star Trek: TOS episodes and realize our smart phones do so much more than their communicators.
And the next issue is already here and waiting!
There are more, including James Patrick Kelly's column about the "cross-pollination" of technology and science fiction, especially in design. Kind of cool to watch Star Trek: TOS episodes and realize our smart phones do so much more than their communicators.
And the next issue is already here and waiting!
November 22, 2015
Overall an average plus issue.
Really enjoyed "And Then Some", by Matthew Hughes, an interesting noir-ish tale in space with some interesting twists.
The short stories were run of the mill, enjoyable but nothing special. The highlight of the issue was the novella "The Weight of the Sunrise", by Vylar Kaftan. It is a great story of an alternate history Incan Empire ravaged by smallpox but somehow still around. Weaving in colonialism, Incan culture, medicine, language, culture, and giving hints at a faux American history just outside the story itself, it's a really great piece of imagination. Highly recommended. Apparently this story later won the 2013 Nebula, and I can see why.
Really enjoyed "And Then Some", by Matthew Hughes, an interesting noir-ish tale in space with some interesting twists.
The short stories were run of the mill, enjoyable but nothing special. The highlight of the issue was the novella "The Weight of the Sunrise", by Vylar Kaftan. It is a great story of an alternate history Incan Empire ravaged by smallpox but somehow still around. Weaving in colonialism, Incan culture, medicine, language, culture, and giving hints at a faux American history just outside the story itself, it's a really great piece of imagination. Highly recommended. Apparently this story later won the 2013 Nebula, and I can see why.
February 12, 2013
While this issue had a lot of fantastic stories in it, it was seriously lacking in the "sci-fi" part. Many of the stories were just fiction, with no technology involved or even hinted at. There was even a poem about domestic abuse. It seems that while Asimov's is still setting a high enough bar for the quality of the stories, they have strayed form the sci-fi roots of the magazine.
May 29, 2015
Novella:
The Weight of Sunrise by Vylar Kaftan ***
Novelette:
And Then Some by Matthew Hughes ****
Short Stories:
The New Guys Always Work Overtime by David Erik Nelson ***1/2
Outbound from Put-In-Bay by M. Bennardo ****
The Golden Age of Story by Robert Reed ****
Best of All Possible Worlds by John Chu ***1/2
The Weight of Sunrise by Vylar Kaftan ***
Novelette:
And Then Some by Matthew Hughes ****
Short Stories:
The New Guys Always Work Overtime by David Erik Nelson ***1/2
Outbound from Put-In-Bay by M. Bennardo ****
The Golden Age of Story by Robert Reed ****
Best of All Possible Worlds by John Chu ***1/2
March 31, 2014
Excellent novella by Vylar Kaftan, set in an alternate Inca empire. I'm impressed with the research and world-building that must have gone into that in order to keep those things from distracting from the story at hand.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews