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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 91, April 2014
FICTION
“Passage of Earth” by Michael Swanwick
“Autodidact” by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
“Water in Springtime” by Kali Wallace
“The Cuckoo” by Sean Williams
“Going After Bobo” by Susan Palwick
“Shining Armor” by Dominic Green
NON-FICTION
“Realms of Dark, Deep and Cold” by Julie Novakova
“The Blue Collar Craftsman & the Salesmen on Mars: A Conversation with Ben Tanzer” by Jeremy L. C. Jones
“Another Word: Killing Rage” by Daniel Abraham
“Editor’s Desk: Supporting our Favorites” by Neil Clarke
“Passage of Earth” by Michael Swanwick
“Autodidact” by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
“Water in Springtime” by Kali Wallace
“The Cuckoo” by Sean Williams
“Going After Bobo” by Susan Palwick
“Shining Armor” by Dominic Green
NON-FICTION
“Realms of Dark, Deep and Cold” by Julie Novakova
“The Blue Collar Craftsman & the Salesmen on Mars: A Conversation with Ben Tanzer” by Jeremy L. C. Jones
“Another Word: Killing Rage” by Daniel Abraham
“Editor’s Desk: Supporting our Favorites” by Neil Clarke
130 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
403 books403 followersNeil 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 26, 2015
First encounter story with trademark dark humor. One of the best stories of 2014.
Review on my blog.
Review on my blog.
December 15, 2020
Review solely for Autodidact by Benjanun Sriduangkaew. Read this dream-like space opera/cyberpunk(-ish) short story here
This story through me for a loop. When I was in the middle of it I assumed it we be a 3 star because it was nice, nothing too grand, and the things I love from Sriduangkaew's writing. The story is about Nirapha, a refugee psychologist who wants a child. She is summoned to Srisunthorn Station to help "birth" an AI called Teferizen with help from former soldier Mehaan. The station and Teferizen are made from the materials of former stars, however they need human interaction to be "birthed".
The story started out as your typical space opera, discussing the space station. it got a little more cyberpunk with Teferizen discussing her desires to be birthed and what it's like to be human and interact with other humans. Nirapha occasionally "deep dives" with Teferizen to help her through things. Alongside this, Nirapha forms a sexual relationship with Mehaan and also laments the loss of her home planet destroyed decades ago. Teferizen and Srisunthorn Station synthetically recreate Nirapha's planet which charges her sorrow. Mehaan constantly reminds her that their past lives mean nothing aboard the station.
The story got so dreamy with Nirapha's suppressed sorrow and her discussions with Teferizen, but it is toward the conclusion that the story shines. Sriduangkaew pulls a plot twist that I was not expecting for her writing. Nirapha doesn't fall in love with Mehaan; it's clear Mehaan wants to love her but they are only physical. Nirapha abandons Mehaan and Srisunthorn, she joins Teferizen on her new ship body and watches in the station implode. She is alone with Teferizen. She also reveals to Teferizen that her home planet was the star that made her. Nirapha finally has her home back, in a way; synthetic though. Teferizen finally has herself and purpose. But that ending was half-devastating, half-beautiful.
Sriduangkaew departed from what she usually does in her stories. Yes, the nihilism is there, but I think she used it to its best ability here. 4/5 stars.
This story through me for a loop. When I was in the middle of it I assumed it we be a 3 star because it was nice, nothing too grand, and the things I love from Sriduangkaew's writing. The story is about Nirapha, a refugee psychologist who wants a child. She is summoned to Srisunthorn Station to help "birth" an AI called Teferizen with help from former soldier Mehaan. The station and Teferizen are made from the materials of former stars, however they need human interaction to be "birthed".
The story started out as your typical space opera, discussing the space station. it got a little more cyberpunk with Teferizen discussing her desires to be birthed and what it's like to be human and interact with other humans. Nirapha occasionally "deep dives" with Teferizen to help her through things. Alongside this, Nirapha forms a sexual relationship with Mehaan and also laments the loss of her home planet destroyed decades ago. Teferizen and Srisunthorn Station synthetically recreate Nirapha's planet which charges her sorrow. Mehaan constantly reminds her that their past lives mean nothing aboard the station.
The story got so dreamy with Nirapha's suppressed sorrow and her discussions with Teferizen, but it is toward the conclusion that the story shines. Sriduangkaew pulls a plot twist that I was not expecting for her writing. Nirapha doesn't fall in love with Mehaan; it's clear Mehaan wants to love her but they are only physical. Nirapha abandons Mehaan and Srisunthorn, she joins Teferizen on her new ship body and watches in the station implode. She is alone with Teferizen. She also reveals to Teferizen that her home planet was the star that made her. Nirapha finally has her home back, in a way; synthetic though. Teferizen finally has herself and purpose. But that ending was half-devastating, half-beautiful.
Sriduangkaew departed from what she usually does in her stories. Yes, the nihilism is there, but I think she used it to its best ability here. 4/5 stars.
April 9, 2014
Clarkesworld is one of my favorite online fantasy and science fiction magazines and always provides an interesting mix of stories. I first became aware of Catherynne M. Valente from its pages. This month’s issue contained six stories stretching from the present day to a future nursery where stars become ships. The two standout stories for me were Autodidact and Water in Springtime and I look forward to reading more of Benjanun Sriduangkaew and Kali Wallace’s work.
Passage of Earth
Michael Swanwick has written what is essentially a character piece taking place during a particular kind of alien invasion, although calling it an invasion is something of a misnomer. Hank is a county coroner with a history in government service, who is recruited by his ex-wife to perform an autopsy on an alien Worm. As the story enfolds Swanwick gradually shows the true nature of both Hank and the Worms. It is this characterization of both an individual and a collective species that is the story’s greatest strength, even if it occasionally seems to veer into Freudian territory.
Autodidact
Benjanun Sriduangkaew’s story is difficult to describe. There is an almost dreamlike feeling to this tale of AIs forged from the corpses of stars and the effort to teach her ethics. The main character, Nirapha, is a survivor of the genocide of Mahakesi and is recruited to teach ethics the most dangerous and powerful ship in the universe. This is largely a three-hander consisting of Nirapha, the AI, and the AI’s ‘mother.’ The tug of war between them forms the meat of the story. I enjoyed it immensely.
Water in Springtime
Kali Wallace’s story of a mother and daughter straddles the line between fantasy and science fiction. There are hints of an ancient war still being fought, but the story focuses on the strained relationship between Alis and her mother. The mother is distant and otherworldly, capable of strange magic, magic that Alis seems to lack. The story traces Alis’ growing understanding of her own powers and subsequently of her mother. The magic in this story follows the water and is unique and well depicted. This is a melancholy story, almost a fairy tale from another world. This is my favorite of the issue.
The Cuckoo
Sean Williams combines future history, April Fools Day, chaos theory, and memes into a short, thought-provoking piece. One of the shortest stories in the issue, it nevertheless, has the densest concentration of ideas and concepts. The late 21st Century is cleverly drawn and the ideas are fascinating. I’ll admit that the concept of self-aware memes has always fascinated me, but is one that I’ve never quite been able to wrap my head around. I also appreciated the almost dry historical tone.
Going After Bobo
Susan Palwick writes about a broken family and a missing cat in the near future. The speculative aspects are less prevalent, but the family dynamics, the shadow of the father’s suicide, and the question of what actually happened to the cat provide ample drama. Sadly, on reflection, I’d say this was my least favorite story here.
Shining Armor
Dominic Green has constructed a future where the Commonwealth of Man is fading and mining combines threaten a small village protected only by a huge armored monstrosity, the Guardian, that requires an operator to function. This is a fairly standard set up, that Green enlivens both by telling through the eyes of a young boy, and through the lively depiction of the village’s personalities.
Passage of Earth
Michael Swanwick has written what is essentially a character piece taking place during a particular kind of alien invasion, although calling it an invasion is something of a misnomer. Hank is a county coroner with a history in government service, who is recruited by his ex-wife to perform an autopsy on an alien Worm. As the story enfolds Swanwick gradually shows the true nature of both Hank and the Worms. It is this characterization of both an individual and a collective species that is the story’s greatest strength, even if it occasionally seems to veer into Freudian territory.
Autodidact
Benjanun Sriduangkaew’s story is difficult to describe. There is an almost dreamlike feeling to this tale of AIs forged from the corpses of stars and the effort to teach her ethics. The main character, Nirapha, is a survivor of the genocide of Mahakesi and is recruited to teach ethics the most dangerous and powerful ship in the universe. This is largely a three-hander consisting of Nirapha, the AI, and the AI’s ‘mother.’ The tug of war between them forms the meat of the story. I enjoyed it immensely.
Water in Springtime
Kali Wallace’s story of a mother and daughter straddles the line between fantasy and science fiction. There are hints of an ancient war still being fought, but the story focuses on the strained relationship between Alis and her mother. The mother is distant and otherworldly, capable of strange magic, magic that Alis seems to lack. The story traces Alis’ growing understanding of her own powers and subsequently of her mother. The magic in this story follows the water and is unique and well depicted. This is a melancholy story, almost a fairy tale from another world. This is my favorite of the issue.
The Cuckoo
Sean Williams combines future history, April Fools Day, chaos theory, and memes into a short, thought-provoking piece. One of the shortest stories in the issue, it nevertheless, has the densest concentration of ideas and concepts. The late 21st Century is cleverly drawn and the ideas are fascinating. I’ll admit that the concept of self-aware memes has always fascinated me, but is one that I’ve never quite been able to wrap my head around. I also appreciated the almost dry historical tone.
Going After Bobo
Susan Palwick writes about a broken family and a missing cat in the near future. The speculative aspects are less prevalent, but the family dynamics, the shadow of the father’s suicide, and the question of what actually happened to the cat provide ample drama. Sadly, on reflection, I’d say this was my least favorite story here.
Shining Armor
Dominic Green has constructed a future where the Commonwealth of Man is fading and mining combines threaten a small village protected only by a huge armored monstrosity, the Guardian, that requires an operator to function. This is a fairly standard set up, that Green enlivens both by telling through the eyes of a young boy, and through the lively depiction of the village’s personalities.
March 5, 2017
Individual stories reviewed below. Average is 2.8 stars.
Passage of Earth (3 stars)
by MICHAEL SWANWICK
Autodidact (-1 stars)
by BENJANUN SRIDUANGKAEW
Water in Springtime (3 stars)
by KALI WALLACE
The Cuckoo (3 stars)
by SEAN WILLIAMS
Going After Bobo (5 stars)
by SUSAN PALWICK
Shining Armor (4 stars)
by DOMINIC GREEN
Passage of Earth (3 stars)
by MICHAEL SWANWICK
A sentient race of space worms invade Earth. A mortician's ex brings him one to autopsy. A decent short with a unique idea.
Autodidact (-1 stars)
by BENJANUN SRIDUANGKAEW
This one was so bad it hurts the others that are in the same book with it. This story read like a Kurt Vonnegut fever dream of Philip K. Dick hallucinating that he's channeling Lewis Carol. I didn't understand the intended meaning of half of what I read. It was way too verbose with over-flowered prose that was so thick it made me nauseous. I advise skipping this story altogether. Oh yeah, it was about a star turning into a sentient spaceship. That could have been fun if it hadn't been written in the form of an exploding thesaurus on acid. Next.
Water in Springtime (3 stars)
by KALI WALLACE
I was all ready to give this one four stars. And I would have if it hadn't been for that brick wall I smacked into at the point where the story stopped. Not ended...stopped. I hate that! A world had been created...I was IN IT... and it stopped! No answers or explanations for what-the-hell-ever was going on with: Crap! But, I'm still giving it 3 stars for the writing and the story because I got sucked in big-time!
The Cuckoo (3 stars)
by SEAN WILLIAMS
A story about matter transmitters, the evolution of memes and how the combination of the two could result in spontaneous AI... (or almost AI? that was a bit unclear to me.) Some interesting concepts, esp. the trans-d, but the rest was a bit of a stretch for me to accept as plausible. Still a good read.
Going After Bobo (5 stars)
by SUSAN PALWICK
I can't explain why, really, but this story hit me in the feels. A young man with a troubled life looses his pet and best friend, a cat named Bobo, to a hateful act by his older brother. In the course of the story, you find that his troubles, and his brother's and mother's, are related to a tragic event with his father. It has a motif, which is being boxed in. I won't say any more because this one is too good to spoil in any way. Read it. It reminded me of the book It's Like This Cat, that I read way back in Junior High. Excellent Read.
Shining Armor (4 stars)
by DOMINIC GREEN
Written in a 'Kung-Fu' type dialogue, this one felt like a cross between an old western movie and Japanese robotech anime. It is set on a another planet where the greedy robber barons are trying to destroy the local village for their own profit. A very fun read.
May 10, 2014
A solid collection of stories again this month, they run a gamut from obvious science fiction to fantasy to non-genre. "The Autodidact" was the only story I found difficult to slog through, from the combination of its style and its plot, it wasn't for me.
The opening story by Swanwick is a great varied ride unto its own. Starting with clinical tones of dry anatomic observation the excitement of the character's curiosity builds as does the reader's interest as expectations regarding where the story is going veer into new directions. A story about relationships, conquering, assimilation, and the various properties life can have, this was a great way to open the issue.
"Water in Springtime" is an emotionally moving story of a mother training her daughter, ultimately to release her on her own, in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world where the rules of fantasy or magic seem to hold greater sway than science or technology. Or perhaps the difference between the two only lies in our language. This complex story is one I've marked to read again as I know I will glean more from the subtle depths of its streams upon a return.
"The Cuckoo" is a humorous, though dry, take on an April Fool's prank going viral. Including commentary on how society gets news and reactions to it, as well as on the culture of academia, made this enjoyable.
Palwick's "Going After Bobo" was a refreshing addition, a story focused squarely on the protagonist and the emotions aroused through a lost pet. Not really containing many elements of genre at all, this is a far more classical literary tale, but fit as a welcome variation from the other stories in the issue. Simple and seemingly straight-forward, it is still well-done.
The final story "Shining Armor" isn't exceptional, but it is an interesting story, almost a science fiction version of a folk tale where technology and old-time smarts are used by the oppressed to outwit the 'overlords'.
Along with a decent smattering of non-fiction, particularly the lead article by Novakova, this was a high quality, though nicely varied, issue.
The opening story by Swanwick is a great varied ride unto its own. Starting with clinical tones of dry anatomic observation the excitement of the character's curiosity builds as does the reader's interest as expectations regarding where the story is going veer into new directions. A story about relationships, conquering, assimilation, and the various properties life can have, this was a great way to open the issue.
"Water in Springtime" is an emotionally moving story of a mother training her daughter, ultimately to release her on her own, in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world where the rules of fantasy or magic seem to hold greater sway than science or technology. Or perhaps the difference between the two only lies in our language. This complex story is one I've marked to read again as I know I will glean more from the subtle depths of its streams upon a return.
"The Cuckoo" is a humorous, though dry, take on an April Fool's prank going viral. Including commentary on how society gets news and reactions to it, as well as on the culture of academia, made this enjoyable.
Palwick's "Going After Bobo" was a refreshing addition, a story focused squarely on the protagonist and the emotions aroused through a lost pet. Not really containing many elements of genre at all, this is a far more classical literary tale, but fit as a welcome variation from the other stories in the issue. Simple and seemingly straight-forward, it is still well-done.
The final story "Shining Armor" isn't exceptional, but it is an interesting story, almost a science fiction version of a folk tale where technology and old-time smarts are used by the oppressed to outwit the 'overlords'.
Along with a decent smattering of non-fiction, particularly the lead article by Novakova, this was a high quality, though nicely varied, issue.
April 11, 2014
Yet another solid issue.
Original Fiction:
"Passage of Earth" by Michael Swanwick - a creepy alien invasion/abduction tale. The "passage" part isn't what you think.
"Autodidact" by Benjanun Sriduangkaew - didn't quite top her last space opera story (Silent Bridge, Pale Cascade) for me but still a great read. It's about a woman parenting/teaching a sentient starship.
"Water in Springtime" by Kali Wallace - loved this fantasy, which has magic and metal machines both. My fave of the issue. A girl and her mother journey across a poisoned land as the mother teaches her to send her consciousness down streams and rivers. I'd love to read a novel in this setting.
"The Cuckoo" by Sean Williams - a grimly funny little story about April Fool's pranks getting out of hand in the future.
Non-fiction:
Julie Novakova writes about subsurface oceans (like those on Europa and Enceladus) and their possibilities for life. Cool stuff.
Jeremy L. C. Jones interviews Ben Tanzer, who I'd never heard of before.
Daniel Abraham does his column on anger and conflict resolution.
Original Fiction:
"Passage of Earth" by Michael Swanwick - a creepy alien invasion/abduction tale. The "passage" part isn't what you think.
"Autodidact" by Benjanun Sriduangkaew - didn't quite top her last space opera story (Silent Bridge, Pale Cascade) for me but still a great read. It's about a woman parenting/teaching a sentient starship.
"Water in Springtime" by Kali Wallace - loved this fantasy, which has magic and metal machines both. My fave of the issue. A girl and her mother journey across a poisoned land as the mother teaches her to send her consciousness down streams and rivers. I'd love to read a novel in this setting.
"The Cuckoo" by Sean Williams - a grimly funny little story about April Fool's pranks getting out of hand in the future.
Non-fiction:
Julie Novakova writes about subsurface oceans (like those on Europa and Enceladus) and their possibilities for life. Cool stuff.
Jeremy L. C. Jones interviews Ben Tanzer, who I'd never heard of before.
Daniel Abraham does his column on anger and conflict resolution.
Read
May 3, 2014Issue 91 of Clarkesworld opens with “Passage of Earth” by Michael Swanwick. Swanwick is one of my favorite authors when he’s not writing about talking dogs, and this is not a Darger and Surplus story, so I was already inclined to like it. Hank, the protagonist, is the county coroner in a small rural community. One morning, in the wee small hours, an ambulance brings a Worm to his morgue, and Evelyn, a member of the (unidentified) Agency who also happens to be his ex-wife, instructs him to perform an autopsy. The anatomy of the creature, a member of the only other intelligent species in the universe that humans have yet encountered, is so completely different from that of humans that humans don’t know how to combat them — assuming combat is necessary, and the humans appear to be spoiling for war. It’s a tale of interspecies conflict writ small, but with such imagination that the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/maga...
June 11, 2014
It's my second Clarkesworld and I've enjoyed it even more than Issue 90. My favourites have been “Passage of Earth” by Swanwick (but hey, he's one of my favourite writers anyway), “Water in Sprintime” by Kali Wallace (I'd really love to read a full novel in the same setting) and “Shining Armor” by Dominic Green. “Going after Bobo” too was very good but I'm a cat lover and then... I've really enjoyed the other stories (otherwise why 5 stars?) and the non fiction too... sure I'll soon get another issue :-)
January 18, 2015
Wallace's greatest talent is creating vivid words with very spare, almost brutal prose. In a way, it's also her greatest downfall (at least in her short stories; I'm still waiting on her novel), because I always find myself wanting more, to immerse deeper, to get more to chew on and, because of the story's length and the constraints that come with that, I never quite get it. On the other hand, it's a pretty pleasing flaw for a writer to have. This was definitely my favorite of the shorts I've read so far, one I'll be thinking about and chewing over for a time to come.
March 17, 2015
Eeew, an alien autopsy! This is going to take a lot of pairs of rubber
gloves. Michael Swanwick's "Passage of Earth" leads us on a merry
journey down the alimentary canal of a giant, vermiform alien found
after a crash land into the Pacific. Ah, the smell of fresh-turned
mud. But is it earth, or the castings of a superintelligent species
that composts the universe? When the coroner pops a bit into his mouth
a la Cuchulain's Salmon of Knowledge, isn't that going a bit too far? Daa Daa Daaaa, diDaaaaaa!!! Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom... My God, it's full
of stars!
gloves. Michael Swanwick's "Passage of Earth" leads us on a merry
journey down the alimentary canal of a giant, vermiform alien found
after a crash land into the Pacific. Ah, the smell of fresh-turned
mud. But is it earth, or the castings of a superintelligent species
that composts the universe? When the coroner pops a bit into his mouth
a la Cuchulain's Salmon of Knowledge, isn't that going a bit too far? Daa Daa Daaaa, diDaaaaaa!!! Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom... My God, it's full
of stars!
April 26, 2014
Read my full review here: http://wp.me/p40HVI-oh
April 30, 2014
Some really imaginative and well-written stories. Loved "Water in Springtime."
Read
July 30, 2015Působivé mezidruhové setkání, kterému věřím. Líbí se mi i psychologie postav i trochu zvláštní zakončení.
May 2, 2016
I liked this one - it's a little humorous and a little disturbing.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews