Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 213, June 2024

by Neil Clarke (Editor), H.H. Pak, Caroline M. Yoachim

Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our June 2024 issue (#213) fiction by H.H. Pak ("Twenty-Four Hours"), Caroline M. Yoachim ("Our Chatbots Said "I Love You," Shall We Meet?"), S.B. Divya ("Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature"), Tan Gang ("The Reflection of Sand"), Carrie Vaughn ("Himalia"), Cat McMahan ("Bodies"), and Luc Diamant ("Off Track").Non-fiction includes an article by Gunnar De Winter, interviews with Suyi Davies Okungbowa and Tobias S. Buckell and Dave Klecha, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

146 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2024

About the author

Neil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine. Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a ten-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form (winning once in 2022), three-time winner of the Chesley Award for Best Art Director, and a recipient of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. In the fifteen years since Clarkesworld Magazine launched, numerous stories that he has published have been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, WSFA Small Press, and Stoker Awards.

Additionally, Neil edits  Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us,  The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.

He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Kaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this issue was pretty solid overall. Favorite stories were:

- "Our Chatbots Said "I Love You," Shall We Meet?" by Caroline M. Yoachim
- "Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature" by S.B. Divya
- "Himalia" by Carrie Vaughn
- "Off Track" by Luc Diamant

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average issue, with interesting stories by H.H. Pak, Caroline M. Yoachim, S.B. Divya and Luc Diamant.

- "Twenty-Four Hours" by H.H. Pak: a mother spends one day with her daughter, who is part of a war effort. As the story progresses, things don't start to add up, but it is only at the end is the true nature of the mother and daughter's connection revealed as the mother bids farewell.

- "Our Chatbots Said "I Love You," Shall We Meet?" by Caroline M. Yoachim: a girl is dreading her first meeting with a potential partner: but their AI chatbots have been having conversations with each other for ages and think they make a good match. It would require her to overcome her 'first date' nerves to learn if what the chatbots say is true.

- "Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature" by S.B. Divya: a graffiti artist and her team plan to get a viral hit by painting a mural (with environmentally neutral paint) in a nature reserve. But their plan gets aborted when an unusual monument springs up in the area. Their decision to go ahead with the mural, but doing on the monument instead, gets the attention of the government, and other artistic beings, when more monuments spring up around the world.

- "The Reflection of Sand" by Tan Gang, translated by Emily Jin: a story about venerated Buddhist caves that have been detached from its geographic location to physically walk the Silk Road and places further. Tied up in the story are discussions on whether the geography, artefacts, etc. in a cultural monument are really what define such places.

- "Himalia" by Carrie Vaughn: on a moon of Jupiter soon to be abandoned by its inhabitants, a returning colonist discovers her best friend is missing. She goes in search of her, hoping to find her before the last ships leave. But by the end, she realizes that her friend may be too attached to the moon to want to abandon it.

- "Bodies" by Cat McMahan: a worker at a factory growing cloned chickens that have been genetically modified for food discovers that some of her co-workers are going missing. As the story progresses, the nature of the people working of the factory is revealed, in this world where only some kind of people can do work.

- "Off Track" by Luc Diamant: a humorous story, told in a series of letters between the school and the parent of an activist student who goes on strike using personal microclimate gear, to help her friend compete in a sports competition.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars! I like this short story collections, but I definitely have to be in the right mood for short stories to hit well.

Overall there was one hit, some misses and some "meh"s. I'll rate them each individually with a short review:

Our Chatbots Said “I Love You,” Shall We Meet? - 3 stars.
This story had an interesting concept but was kinda pointless?? Nothing really happened and the story ended right when things were starting to get interesting. I wish the story had started when the couple met not just following a girl being wishy-washing about meeting this guy irl or not.

Himalia - 2 stars
Again, interesting concept about people living on a dying space station on one of Juptier's moons. But nothing happeneddddd. We just follow a girl walking around in a space suit searching for her best friend the whole time...not exciting.

24 hours - 2 stars.
A sweet, sad concept about mother and daughter relationships. But I feel like it could have been shorter and got the point quicker.

Off Track - 4.5 stars.
Definitely my fav short story. A girl rebels against her school with rain technology for not allowing her friend with a disability to participate in the track and field competition. Told entirely through letters and newspaper clippings. Heartwarming <3.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful issue! There was only one story here that I had issues (ha ha) with.

Twenty-Four Hours by H. H. Pak- there is a war, but there is love too. Very good! 4.8 stars.

Our Chatbots Said ”I love You,” Shall We Meet? by Caroline M. Yoachim - the future of online dating! Fun and humane story. 4.7 stars.

Artistic Encounters of the Monumental Kind by S.B. Divya - street artists have an adventure. Cool! 4.8 stars.

The Reflection of Sand by Tan Gang - future technology, the ideas of artefacts and memories, enlightenment and Buddhism. Very interesting, but there are too many ideas in one story, it felt disjointed. The writing felt strange, maybe it is a translation issue. 3.7 stars.

Himalia by Carrie Vaughn - a story of leaving home, not leaving home, of coming home. Very good! 4.4 stars.

Bodies by Cat McMahan - of cloning and clones. This is a debut short story, and it is excellent! 4.6 stars.

Off Track by Luc Diamant - school shenanigans ensue when students can carry their personal weather around with them. Delightful! 4.8 stars.

[Heni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty-Four Hours BY H.H. PAK
Memories can sustain and torment, so best to just let it go the past, yeah? 3 ⭐

Our Chatbots Said "I Love You," Shall We Meet? BY CAROLINE M. YOACHIM
I can't imagine a situation where this kind of relationship work. 2 ⭐

Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature BY S.B. DIVYA ❌

The Reflection of Sand BY TAN GANG, TRANSLATED BY EMILY JIN ❌

Himalia BY CARRIE VAUGHN
Simple homecoming story, but I like it simple. 4 ⭐

Bodies BY CAT MCMAHA ❌

Off Track BY LUC DIAMANT
Love this! There are always two kinds of people when it comes to progress, and actually both have a little bit of truth in their statement as long as they don't go in the extreme direction. Very relatable in this current situation. 5 ⭐

[Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good issue all around. 3.75 stars!
Stand-outs in this one for me:
- 'Twenty-Four Hours' by H.H. Pak
- 'Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature' by S.B. Divya (favourite ending)
- 'Bodies' by Cat McMahan
- 'Off Track' by Luc Diamant (favourite vibes)

I'm sure 'Himalia' by Carrie Vaughn would have been one too, because it sounded like it was up my alley but I kept getting distracted while listening to it. I'll have to give it a proper re-read sometime soon.

[Elaysee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent issue - I enjoyed the Pak, Yoachim, Vaughn, and McMahan stories, and Klecha and Buckell on collaborating.

[Araya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read - "Our Chat Bots Said 'I Love You', Shall We Meet?"

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For 'Twenty-Four Hours' by H.H. Pak.

[Kathryn Atreides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read "Twenty-Four Hours" by H. H. Pak