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Astounding/Analog
Analog Science Fiction & Fact, May/June 2025
Vol. XCV No. 5 & 6
Novella:
• BLUEBEARD’S WOMB, M.G. Wills
Novelettes:
• ISOLATE, Tom R. Pike
• AND SO GREENPEACE INVENTED THE DEATH RAY . . ., C. Stuart Hardwick
• THE SCIENTIST’S BOOK OF THE DEAD, Gregor Hartmann
• INTERCONNECTIONS AND POROUS BOUNDARIES, Lance Robinson
Short stories:
• THE ROBOT AND THE WINDING WOODS, Brenda Cooper
• OUTSIDE THE ROBLES LINE, Raymund Eich
• RETAIL IS DYING, David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler
• GROUNDLING, Shane Tourtellotte
• NORTH AMERICAN UNION V. EXERGY-PETROLINE CORPORATION, Tiffany Fritz
• SHORT SELLING THE STATISTICAL LIFE, C.H. Irons
• MOMENTUM EXCHANGE, Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt
• MNEMONOMIE, Mark W. Tiedemann
• METHODS OF REMEDIATION IN NEARSHORE ECOLOGIES, Joanne Rixon
• SIEGFRIED HOWLS AGAINST THE VOID, Erik Johnson
• THE ICEBERG, Michael Capobianco
Flash fiction:
• AMTECH DEEP SEA INSTITUTE THANKS YOU FOR YOUR DONATION, Kelsey Hutton
• THE NEW SHAPE OF CARE, Lynne Sargent
• FIRST CONTACT, ALREADY SEEN, Howard V. Hendrix
Science fact:
• THE DAY SEEMS AS LONG AS A YEAR, Kevin Walsh
Poetry:
• DATA CORRUPTED, Bruce Boston
• HOMECOMING, Brian Hugenbruch
Reader's departments:
• GUEST EDITORIAL: Our Lost Earth Days, Howard V. Hendrix
• THE ALTERNATE VIEW, John G. Cramer
• GUEST ALTERNATE VIEW, Richard A. Lovett
• IN TIMES TO COME
• THE REFERENCE LIBRARY, Sean CW Korsgaard
• BRASS TACKS
【 PREVIOUS ISSUE ← May/June 2025 → NEXT ISSUE 】
Novella:
• BLUEBEARD’S WOMB, M.G. Wills
Novelettes:
• ISOLATE, Tom R. Pike
• AND SO GREENPEACE INVENTED THE DEATH RAY . . ., C. Stuart Hardwick
• THE SCIENTIST’S BOOK OF THE DEAD, Gregor Hartmann
• INTERCONNECTIONS AND POROUS BOUNDARIES, Lance Robinson
Short stories:
• THE ROBOT AND THE WINDING WOODS, Brenda Cooper
• OUTSIDE THE ROBLES LINE, Raymund Eich
• RETAIL IS DYING, David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler
• GROUNDLING, Shane Tourtellotte
• NORTH AMERICAN UNION V. EXERGY-PETROLINE CORPORATION, Tiffany Fritz
• SHORT SELLING THE STATISTICAL LIFE, C.H. Irons
• MOMENTUM EXCHANGE, Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt
• MNEMONOMIE, Mark W. Tiedemann
• METHODS OF REMEDIATION IN NEARSHORE ECOLOGIES, Joanne Rixon
• SIEGFRIED HOWLS AGAINST THE VOID, Erik Johnson
• THE ICEBERG, Michael Capobianco
Flash fiction:
• AMTECH DEEP SEA INSTITUTE THANKS YOU FOR YOUR DONATION, Kelsey Hutton
• THE NEW SHAPE OF CARE, Lynne Sargent
• FIRST CONTACT, ALREADY SEEN, Howard V. Hendrix
Science fact:
• THE DAY SEEMS AS LONG AS A YEAR, Kevin Walsh
Poetry:
• DATA CORRUPTED, Bruce Boston
• HOMECOMING, Brian Hugenbruch
Reader's departments:
• GUEST EDITORIAL: Our Lost Earth Days, Howard V. Hendrix
• THE ALTERNATE VIEW, John G. Cramer
• GUEST ALTERNATE VIEW, Richard A. Lovett
• IN TIMES TO COME
• THE REFERENCE LIBRARY, Sean CW Korsgaard
• BRASS TACKS
【 PREVIOUS ISSUE ← May/June 2025 → NEXT ISSUE 】
- GenresScience Fiction
206 pages, digest magazine
Published April 8, 2025
4 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Quachri
101 books27 followersTrevor Quachri (b. 1976) has been the sixth editor of
Analog Science Fiction & Fact
magazine since September 2012.
Previously, he was “a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel.”
Quachri started as an editorial assistant in 1999 at Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog. Former editor of Analog, Ben Bova, was an early influence.
Previously, he was “a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel.”
Quachri started as an editorial assistant in 1999 at Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog. Former editor of Analog, Ben Bova, was an early influence.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 27, 2025
This is May/June 2025 issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact. As always, a few solod pieces and a few weaker ones. I read and discussed it at ORBIT – Otherworldly Reads, Bold Ideas, and Tales. SF & F Short Stories and Novelettes group.
Contents:
Our Lost Earth Days [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Howard V. Hendrix a discussion of ideas of once popular The Population Bomb, nothing really new. 3*
Isolate novelette by Tom R. Pike a setting that can be described as peaceful Wh40k: there is an empire, its god-emperor and Adepta Sororitas of Dialogous order. Arzhaana is the holy sister in question and she came to the world where people speak Gaskanni. She should determine whether their tongue emerged from one of the Golden Languages. If not, it should be forgotten and replaced with a kind of imperial basic. . There are more details with spoilers in her essay at the astounding analog companion site. 3*
The Day Seems as Long as a Year [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Kevin Walsh non-fic musings on simulation of Earth with different tilt and rotation speed, how will it affect the climate. 3*
The Robot and the Winding Woods short story by Brenda Cooper an elderly couple (she is 77, he is 83) are rangers in a park. The world went through a mild apocalypse previously, so they live from the ground and don't know what happens in the outside world. A robot drives to them to inform them that they will be relocated and the park restored to wilderness. A bittersweet tale. 3.5*
Outside the Robles Line short story by Raymund Eich Barin lives at an asteroid belt roughly a millennium from now. He presents an alternative power source for a new O’Neill (habitat). Instead of solar panels, he suggests nuclear fusion. However, the council of elders says that such a source is depletable even if in 1000 years, so it should be avoided. An interesting story 3.5*
Retail Is Dying short story by David Lee Zweifler and Ronan Zweifler a man aged 104 years, with a wheeler and AI assistant based on a slightly younger version of himself, enters the giant mall. The place is almost empty and from his comments, like “It’s not like I’m going to have to worry about sore legs tomorrow,” it seems that he is hugely dissatisfied with the changed world, and he plans to leave it. There is something in the moll to change his plans 3.25*
Data Corrupted poem by Bruce Boston fantasy beats recollection, thus we are better than machines. 3*
Groundling short story by Shane Tourtellotte Arturo as well as his parents were born on a generation ship, so he never saw anything else. Now they arrived at their destination and he volunteers for a ground mission because he has a strange desire to be there. A moody piece, well-written. 3*
Banishing the "Inflation" from the Early Universe [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer non-fic from how Big Bang became the dominant theory of early universe, problems with accelerated expansion... a little over my head but interesting 3*
Homecoming poem by Brian Hugenbruch a trope used in a lot of SF, a spacer returns to Earth to find how it changed. 3*
North American Union v. Exergy-Petroline Corporation short story by Tiffany Fritz a simple plot: a court decision on compensation from an oil company whose spills exacerbated a hurricane that caused death and damage. However, all is in how it is written: with multiple footnotes and links to other trials. I'd say that novelty factor is high, so 4*
Short Selling the Statistical Life short story by C. H. Irons after a financial crisis in our near future, (average) life is valued by the market and is traded. A doctor is an underfinanced hospital gets a message on how to short the Statistical Life Index to get money for the hospital. A lot of background from economics on what the monetary value of life is. A nice thought experiment, even if some things are more a political message. 3.5*
Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation short story by Kelsey Hutton a short piece told from POV of a deep-sea octopus, who recalls something from her human life... the final reveal the reason, even if it is hinted in the title. 3*
Momentum Exchange short story by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt Jeraka and Cerule are tugged in a millennia-long war on a planet settled by (re-created?) Homo Denisians. Cerule wants to leave the planet (is she a criminal in a planet-prison?), while Jeraka thwarts her attempts, which turn to ever higher tech. Interesting but weird. 3*
And so Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray ... novelette by C. Stuart Hardwick a classic Analog story: a woman-astronaut and her family; a group of satellites, which beams microwave energy down from space to a power generator in the Rockies. Someone captures satellite's management and the woman should fly to disable them in space. An interesting title but a boring story. 2.5*
Mnemonomie short story by Mark W. Tiedemann Olin is a teen (?) boy, only caring about playing group sports. In this world, boys, when they mature, are taken away to reappear as productive adult members of society. For years they are paired to a person who studies while they play, in the case of Olin he bis paired with Winston, who studies accounting and Olin is so illiterate that thisks that's about keeping score. However, Olin gets a head trauma and is forced to learn how his world operates... a strange tale. 3.25*
Methods of Remediation in Nearshore Ecologies short story by Joanne Rixon it is 2075 and the protagonist is kayaking over the drowned city of Tacoma, collecting data on water pollution after the storm. She talks with dumb AI of her tester and collects stuff for handicraft. a day-in-life kind of story, I rarely like them. 2.75*
The New Shape of Care short story by Lynne Sargent flash fic about last hours of life in a hospice, where the narrator meets her daughter but prefers her caring bot... 3*
How Glaciers on Mercury (and Eris) are Redefining the Habitable Zone [The Alternate View] essay by Richard A. Lovett there are a lot of glaciers on other planets. The main idea: we should search for habitable niches not just planets in Goldilocks zone. 4*
Multifaceted [Unknowns (puzzle)] essay by Todd McClary yet to solve
First Contact, Already Seen short story by Howard V. Hendrix repetition of a story - invaders come, declare locals unhuman, destroy them, rinse repeat. Hardly original. 2.75*
The Scientist's Book of the Dead novelette by Gregor Hartmann a near future, where a group of scietists-activists destroyed Earth of nation states, replacing it with the technocratic world gov't, which restores wilderness across the globe. During their campaign, planet's population dropped from 9 bn to 200 mn. The main plot of this story is a discussion between a mildly gene-modified general of their Roughnecks and highly gene-modified woman named Raven, who calls for further reduction to 20 mn of post-humans. 3.25*
In Times to Come (Analog, May-June 2025) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited maybe Marie Vibbert is the only one I can expect to have something good, the rest we'll see
Siegfried Howls Against the Void short story by Erik Johnson a long story of a robotic spaceship and its life. Its goal was to map a part of our galaxy. A newer ship Eurydice sometimes sends him messages regarding her travel. Centuries pass by... I guess i'd prefer a much shorter version. 2.75*
The Iceberg short story by Michael Capobianco entries from a diary of a researcher, who witnessed the destruction of Antarctic ice. A poignant story. 3*
Interconnections and Porous Boundaries novelette by Lance Robinson three rival colonies (US, China, India) are established at the asteroid belt. They have to be self-sufficient, but it is hard to create a sustainable bio-environment for just a hundred persons. The story starts with the bad news that molybdenum deficiency can kill colonists. They create a biote that stores the element to supplement their diet, but it escapes its niche... as can be expected, the colonies will try to communicate because they are hours away while Earth is 17 months away, so it is an open secret that they'll do something, despite The USA and PRC are on the bring of a nuclear war back home... 3.5*
Bluebeard's Womb novella by M. G. Wills the way to fight misogyny is to change men, so they can bear children. The whole story is based on the idea, with a lot of science and conflict. 3*
The Reference Library (Analog, May-June 2025) [The Reference Library] essay by Sean C. W. Korsgaard I'm interested in the mentioned old and new Afro-American writers, with books to check Sweep of Stars and The Martian Trilogy: John P. Moore, Amazing Stories, Black Science Fiction, and The Illustrated Feature Section plus Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend
Brass Tacks (Analog, May-June 2025) [Brass Tacks] essay by various an interesting discussion that postmodernism killed objecftive truth
Contents:
Our Lost Earth Days [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Howard V. Hendrix a discussion of ideas of once popular The Population Bomb, nothing really new. 3*
Isolate novelette by Tom R. Pike a setting that can be described as peaceful Wh40k: there is an empire, its god-emperor and Adepta Sororitas of Dialogous order. Arzhaana is the holy sister in question and she came to the world where people speak Gaskanni. She should determine whether their tongue emerged from one of the Golden Languages. If not, it should be forgotten and replaced with a kind of imperial basic. . There are more details with spoilers in her essay at the astounding analog companion site. 3*
The Day Seems as Long as a Year [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Kevin Walsh non-fic musings on simulation of Earth with different tilt and rotation speed, how will it affect the climate. 3*
The Robot and the Winding Woods short story by Brenda Cooper an elderly couple (she is 77, he is 83) are rangers in a park. The world went through a mild apocalypse previously, so they live from the ground and don't know what happens in the outside world. A robot drives to them to inform them that they will be relocated and the park restored to wilderness. A bittersweet tale. 3.5*
Outside the Robles Line short story by Raymund Eich Barin lives at an asteroid belt roughly a millennium from now. He presents an alternative power source for a new O’Neill (habitat). Instead of solar panels, he suggests nuclear fusion. However, the council of elders says that such a source is depletable even if in 1000 years, so it should be avoided. An interesting story 3.5*
Retail Is Dying short story by David Lee Zweifler and Ronan Zweifler a man aged 104 years, with a wheeler and AI assistant based on a slightly younger version of himself, enters the giant mall. The place is almost empty and from his comments, like “It’s not like I’m going to have to worry about sore legs tomorrow,” it seems that he is hugely dissatisfied with the changed world, and he plans to leave it. There is something in the moll to change his plans 3.25*
Data Corrupted poem by Bruce Boston fantasy beats recollection, thus we are better than machines. 3*
Groundling short story by Shane Tourtellotte Arturo as well as his parents were born on a generation ship, so he never saw anything else. Now they arrived at their destination and he volunteers for a ground mission because he has a strange desire to be there. A moody piece, well-written. 3*
Banishing the "Inflation" from the Early Universe [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer non-fic from how Big Bang became the dominant theory of early universe, problems with accelerated expansion... a little over my head but interesting 3*
Homecoming poem by Brian Hugenbruch a trope used in a lot of SF, a spacer returns to Earth to find how it changed. 3*
North American Union v. Exergy-Petroline Corporation short story by Tiffany Fritz a simple plot: a court decision on compensation from an oil company whose spills exacerbated a hurricane that caused death and damage. However, all is in how it is written: with multiple footnotes and links to other trials. I'd say that novelty factor is high, so 4*
Short Selling the Statistical Life short story by C. H. Irons after a financial crisis in our near future, (average) life is valued by the market and is traded. A doctor is an underfinanced hospital gets a message on how to short the Statistical Life Index to get money for the hospital. A lot of background from economics on what the monetary value of life is. A nice thought experiment, even if some things are more a political message. 3.5*
Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation short story by Kelsey Hutton a short piece told from POV of a deep-sea octopus, who recalls something from her human life... the final reveal the reason, even if it is hinted in the title. 3*
Momentum Exchange short story by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt Jeraka and Cerule are tugged in a millennia-long war on a planet settled by (re-created?) Homo Denisians. Cerule wants to leave the planet (is she a criminal in a planet-prison?), while Jeraka thwarts her attempts, which turn to ever higher tech. Interesting but weird. 3*
And so Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray ... novelette by C. Stuart Hardwick a classic Analog story: a woman-astronaut and her family; a group of satellites, which beams microwave energy down from space to a power generator in the Rockies. Someone captures satellite's management and the woman should fly to disable them in space. An interesting title but a boring story. 2.5*
Mnemonomie short story by Mark W. Tiedemann Olin is a teen (?) boy, only caring about playing group sports. In this world, boys, when they mature, are taken away to reappear as productive adult members of society. For years they are paired to a person who studies while they play, in the case of Olin he bis paired with Winston, who studies accounting and Olin is so illiterate that thisks that's about keeping score. However, Olin gets a head trauma and is forced to learn how his world operates... a strange tale. 3.25*
Methods of Remediation in Nearshore Ecologies short story by Joanne Rixon it is 2075 and the protagonist is kayaking over the drowned city of Tacoma, collecting data on water pollution after the storm. She talks with dumb AI of her tester and collects stuff for handicraft. a day-in-life kind of story, I rarely like them. 2.75*
The New Shape of Care short story by Lynne Sargent flash fic about last hours of life in a hospice, where the narrator meets her daughter but prefers her caring bot... 3*
How Glaciers on Mercury (and Eris) are Redefining the Habitable Zone [The Alternate View] essay by Richard A. Lovett there are a lot of glaciers on other planets. The main idea: we should search for habitable niches not just planets in Goldilocks zone. 4*
Multifaceted [Unknowns (puzzle)] essay by Todd McClary yet to solve
First Contact, Already Seen short story by Howard V. Hendrix repetition of a story - invaders come, declare locals unhuman, destroy them, rinse repeat. Hardly original. 2.75*
The Scientist's Book of the Dead novelette by Gregor Hartmann a near future, where a group of scietists-activists destroyed Earth of nation states, replacing it with the technocratic world gov't, which restores wilderness across the globe. During their campaign, planet's population dropped from 9 bn to 200 mn. The main plot of this story is a discussion between a mildly gene-modified general of their Roughnecks and highly gene-modified woman named Raven, who calls for further reduction to 20 mn of post-humans. 3.25*
In Times to Come (Analog, May-June 2025) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited maybe Marie Vibbert is the only one I can expect to have something good, the rest we'll see
Siegfried Howls Against the Void short story by Erik Johnson a long story of a robotic spaceship and its life. Its goal was to map a part of our galaxy. A newer ship Eurydice sometimes sends him messages regarding her travel. Centuries pass by... I guess i'd prefer a much shorter version. 2.75*
The Iceberg short story by Michael Capobianco entries from a diary of a researcher, who witnessed the destruction of Antarctic ice. A poignant story. 3*
Interconnections and Porous Boundaries novelette by Lance Robinson three rival colonies (US, China, India) are established at the asteroid belt. They have to be self-sufficient, but it is hard to create a sustainable bio-environment for just a hundred persons. The story starts with the bad news that molybdenum deficiency can kill colonists. They create a biote that stores the element to supplement their diet, but it escapes its niche... as can be expected, the colonies will try to communicate because they are hours away while Earth is 17 months away, so it is an open secret that they'll do something, despite The USA and PRC are on the bring of a nuclear war back home... 3.5*
Bluebeard's Womb novella by M. G. Wills the way to fight misogyny is to change men, so they can bear children. The whole story is based on the idea, with a lot of science and conflict. 3*
The Reference Library (Analog, May-June 2025) [The Reference Library] essay by Sean C. W. Korsgaard I'm interested in the mentioned old and new Afro-American writers, with books to check Sweep of Stars and The Martian Trilogy: John P. Moore, Amazing Stories, Black Science Fiction, and The Illustrated Feature Section plus Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend
Brass Tacks (Analog, May-June 2025) [Brass Tacks] essay by various an interesting discussion that postmodernism killed objecftive truth
May 22, 2025
8 • Isolate • 20 pages by Tom R. Pike
Good/VG. Arzhaana is sent to Gaskanni to learn the language. And to determine if it is an offshoot of a Golden Tongue and allowed to remain. The Emperor assimilates worlds and makes them conform to their beliefs. In return there is a rise in the standard of living, in this case geothermal and solar panel heating, and access to fresh fruit are noted. Any ritual that interferes with worshiping the Emperor must go. The focus here is on the language, and whether than can keep it or will it be lost.
34 • The Robot and the Winding Woods • 10 pages by Brenda Cooper
Good+. Grace and John were caretakers of a campground when people just stopped coming. Their equipment failed and they’ve had no news for decades, but they enjoy their life, certainly better than the unknown.
44 • Outside the Robles Line • 10 pages by Raymund Eich
Good. Barin tries to use economics to prove that a change from solar array to fusion, especially at their distance from the sun, is the way to go.
54 • Retail Is Dying • 6 pages by David Lee Zweifler, Ronan Zweifler
Good/OK. Bill is walking around the mall noticing all the closed stores, the ones open having a proliferation of massage chairs. He opens his tablet to converse with his AI assistant William. The current state of the mall not quite ruining the nostalgia, but putting a dent in it.
60 • Groundling • 4 pages by Shane Tourtellotte
Good. Arturo was born in space on the generation ship. Now the ship is in orbit and he’s crew. The colonists all came from hibernation. Unlike the other crew that dread going to the surface, he dreams of it.
64 • Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation • 2 pages by Kelsey Hutton
OK. A human volunteer relays the experience of a deep sea squid.
70 • North American Union V. Exergy-Petroline Corporation • 6 pages by Tiffany Fritz
Snooze/Gimmicky. Written in legalese, the EPA denies an exemption. The company gets a court to allow them. Environmental damage ensued.
76 • Short Selling the Statistical Life • 8 pages by C. H. Irons
Good/OK. A group is able to predict the stock market value of a particular commodity and gives the information to homeless shelters and free clinics and such. The commodity being statistical life. Insider trading doesn’t feel right, compounded with they are trading against what they really want valued higher. If nothing else a nice explanation of statistical life.
84 • Momentum Exchange • 10 pages by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt
Fair/OK. The Cluster exiles Cerule to one planet, Jeraka is stationed there to make sure she doesn’t leave. Several times she builds a space program to attempt to leave. The action was fine, it took a while to figure out what was happening. But really, why? Why allow Cerule the ability to lead an entire nation into spacefaring?
94 • And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray • 12 pages by C. Stuart Hardwick
Good. Six Satellites capturing power with the ability to beam it to Earth with microwaves have been hijacked. They’re locked out. An emergency launch sends Kylie there.
106 • Mnemonomie • 9 pages by Mark W. Tiedemann
Good/VG. Olin loves Scramble to the point where he pretty much neglects his studies. No worries he’ll soon matriculate. Until he walks out after an appointment and is accosted by a rival Scramble team looking to beat up someone.
115 • Methods of Redemption in Nearshore Ecologies • 5 pages by Joanne Rixon
OK/Fair. Ethel takes samples from the water indicating pollutants at a higher level and thinks about remediation. Also about her family’s holiday where she forgot to bring her assigned dish.
120 • The New Shape of Care • 2 pages by Lynne Sargent
OK+. As robotic care becomes better and more prevalent, the attitude toward receiving that care also changes.
126 • First Contact, Already Seen • 2 pages by Howard V. Hendrix
Fair. Species see other similar species and declare them not human and plan to take over the valley (or whatever). Another species in ships has the same idea. I couldn’t keep the groups straight.
128 • The Scientist's Book of the Dead • 14 pages by Gregor Hartmann
Good. After a global die off, Kim has lead a revolution to an ecotopia. They are restoring the environment, keeping the human population stable. Kim has now brought the leaders on a retreat. His chief of staff has a new idea, one of improving humanity. Robert is leery of the plan. He thinks the concept has merit, but the means is distasteful.
142 • Siegfried Howls against the Void • 9 pages by Erik M. Johnson
Fair/pointless. Siegfried is a ship exploring space. First Proxima and then beyond. Always behind Eurydice. They have been exchanging messages over the centuries. The purpose seeming to be only to wander, albeit conserving energy where possible to last longer, and die.
151 • The Iceberg • 7 pages by Michael Capobianco
Fair/Documentary-ish. The narrator is stuck on an iceberg. We are reading his log he made ten years ago. He stayed behind to do some final studies and soon after he lost communication. The satellites failed not both of his phones.
158 • Interconnections and Porous Boundaries • 12 pages by Lance Robinson
OK/Good. An asteroid community is having trouble. It’s supposed to be self sufficient, but it appears now they are losing a trace element, molybdenum, and there is none on the asteroid to replace it. The start was one problem after another. The last three pages were more exciting.
170 • Bluebeard's Womb • 30 pages by M. G. Wills
OK. Jay wants to end misogyny. She started working on Secret of Life, a way to grow a womb in men and eventually have them give birth. Tom epitomizes misogyny, secretly. He tries sabotaging Jay’s work, when she gets funding and a new lab he puts in an application for the first human trial, thinking of how he’ll sabotage it.
Good/VG. Arzhaana is sent to Gaskanni to learn the language. And to determine if it is an offshoot of a Golden Tongue and allowed to remain. The Emperor assimilates worlds and makes them conform to their beliefs. In return there is a rise in the standard of living, in this case geothermal and solar panel heating, and access to fresh fruit are noted. Any ritual that interferes with worshiping the Emperor must go. The focus here is on the language, and whether than can keep it or will it be lost.
34 • The Robot and the Winding Woods • 10 pages by Brenda Cooper
Good+. Grace and John were caretakers of a campground when people just stopped coming. Their equipment failed and they’ve had no news for decades, but they enjoy their life, certainly better than the unknown.
44 • Outside the Robles Line • 10 pages by Raymund Eich
Good. Barin tries to use economics to prove that a change from solar array to fusion, especially at their distance from the sun, is the way to go.
54 • Retail Is Dying • 6 pages by David Lee Zweifler, Ronan Zweifler
Good/OK. Bill is walking around the mall noticing all the closed stores, the ones open having a proliferation of massage chairs. He opens his tablet to converse with his AI assistant William. The current state of the mall not quite ruining the nostalgia, but putting a dent in it.
60 • Groundling • 4 pages by Shane Tourtellotte
Good. Arturo was born in space on the generation ship. Now the ship is in orbit and he’s crew. The colonists all came from hibernation. Unlike the other crew that dread going to the surface, he dreams of it.
64 • Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation • 2 pages by Kelsey Hutton
OK. A human volunteer relays the experience of a deep sea squid.
70 • North American Union V. Exergy-Petroline Corporation • 6 pages by Tiffany Fritz
Snooze/Gimmicky. Written in legalese, the EPA denies an exemption. The company gets a court to allow them. Environmental damage ensued.
76 • Short Selling the Statistical Life • 8 pages by C. H. Irons
Good/OK. A group is able to predict the stock market value of a particular commodity and gives the information to homeless shelters and free clinics and such. The commodity being statistical life. Insider trading doesn’t feel right, compounded with they are trading against what they really want valued higher. If nothing else a nice explanation of statistical life.
84 • Momentum Exchange • 10 pages by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt
Fair/OK. The Cluster exiles Cerule to one planet, Jeraka is stationed there to make sure she doesn’t leave. Several times she builds a space program to attempt to leave. The action was fine, it took a while to figure out what was happening. But really, why? Why allow Cerule the ability to lead an entire nation into spacefaring?
94 • And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray • 12 pages by C. Stuart Hardwick
Good. Six Satellites capturing power with the ability to beam it to Earth with microwaves have been hijacked. They’re locked out. An emergency launch sends Kylie there.
106 • Mnemonomie • 9 pages by Mark W. Tiedemann
Good/VG. Olin loves Scramble to the point where he pretty much neglects his studies. No worries he’ll soon matriculate. Until he walks out after an appointment and is accosted by a rival Scramble team looking to beat up someone.
115 • Methods of Redemption in Nearshore Ecologies • 5 pages by Joanne Rixon
OK/Fair. Ethel takes samples from the water indicating pollutants at a higher level and thinks about remediation. Also about her family’s holiday where she forgot to bring her assigned dish.
120 • The New Shape of Care • 2 pages by Lynne Sargent
OK+. As robotic care becomes better and more prevalent, the attitude toward receiving that care also changes.
126 • First Contact, Already Seen • 2 pages by Howard V. Hendrix
Fair. Species see other similar species and declare them not human and plan to take over the valley (or whatever). Another species in ships has the same idea. I couldn’t keep the groups straight.
128 • The Scientist's Book of the Dead • 14 pages by Gregor Hartmann
Good. After a global die off, Kim has lead a revolution to an ecotopia. They are restoring the environment, keeping the human population stable. Kim has now brought the leaders on a retreat. His chief of staff has a new idea, one of improving humanity. Robert is leery of the plan. He thinks the concept has merit, but the means is distasteful.
142 • Siegfried Howls against the Void • 9 pages by Erik M. Johnson
Fair/pointless. Siegfried is a ship exploring space. First Proxima and then beyond. Always behind Eurydice. They have been exchanging messages over the centuries. The purpose seeming to be only to wander, albeit conserving energy where possible to last longer, and die.
151 • The Iceberg • 7 pages by Michael Capobianco
Fair/Documentary-ish. The narrator is stuck on an iceberg. We are reading his log he made ten years ago. He stayed behind to do some final studies and soon after he lost communication. The satellites failed not both of his phones.
158 • Interconnections and Porous Boundaries • 12 pages by Lance Robinson
OK/Good. An asteroid community is having trouble. It’s supposed to be self sufficient, but it appears now they are losing a trace element, molybdenum, and there is none on the asteroid to replace it. The start was one problem after another. The last three pages were more exciting.
170 • Bluebeard's Womb • 30 pages by M. G. Wills
OK. Jay wants to end misogyny. She started working on Secret of Life, a way to grow a womb in men and eventually have them give birth. Tom epitomizes misogyny, secretly. He tries sabotaging Jay’s work, when she gets funding and a new lab he puts in an application for the first human trial, thinking of how he’ll sabotage it.
June 28, 2025
Originally published at myreadinglife.com.
Here are my brief summaries and ratings for the latest issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine.
"Isolate" by Tom R. Pike — A monk with training in linguistics comes to a newly colonized planet to evaluate their language. I really loved how this story treats language and language learning. (My rating: 5/5)
"The Robot and the Winding Wood" by Brenda Cooper — An elderly couple maintaining a campground by themselves with no visitors for years is visited by a robot. A sweet story about the end of the world. (My rating: 5/5)
"Outside the Robles Line" by Raymund Eich — A young man makes a proposal to an older board of the Wise on an asteroid. This one felt like a non-fiction piece forced into a fiction wrapper. (My rating: 3/3)
"Retail Is Dying" by David Lee Zweifler and Ronan Zweifler — An old man wandering an old empty mall encounters a man with a dog he needs to adopt out. Perfect for dog lovers. (My rating: 4/5)
"Groundling" by Shane Tourtellotte — A mechanical engineer born on a generation ship enjoys a tour of duty planetside so much that he angles to be assigned to a new longer tour. This was one of those stories that I wanted to keep going so I could see what happens next. (My rating: 5/5)
"Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation" by Kelsey Hutton — Scientists record the consciousness of a deep sea squid in its natural environment. An interesting piece of flash fiction. (My rating: 4/5)
"North American Union v. Exergy-Petroline Corporation" by TIffany Fritz — A legal finding from a future Supreme Court. The author uses a clever storytelling method, but it got in the way. Legal decisions are not entertaining stories. (My rating: 2/5)
"Momentum Exchange" by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt — Two immortals struggle against one another, one trying to keep the other on the planet. This one was good but didn't really grab me. (My rating: 3/5)
"And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray..." by C. Stuart Hardwick — Satellites designed to beam energy to earth are compromised. This one had a thriller vibe. (My rating: 4/5)
"Mnemonomie" by Mark N. Tiedemann — A man wakes up feeling different after almost being beaten to death. A fascinating story of memory and coming-of-age. (My rating:4/5)
"Methods of Remediation in Nearshore Ecologies" by Joanne Rixon — A scientist kayaks the bay testing chemical levels in the soil. Interesting, but not much happens. (My rating: 3/5)
"First Contact, Already Seen" by Howard V. Hendrix — A series of vignettes outlining willful "othering" and personally enthrowning one's own people. (My rating: 3/5)
"The New Shape of Care" by Lynne Sargent — A woman in hospice care run by robots is held by her daughter in her dying moments. An unexpected and slightly disturbing ending. (My rating: 5/5)
"The Scientist's Book of the Dead" by Gregor Hartmann — After a revolution by scientists and a war that lowered the human population, those scientists debate lowering population even further. An interesting look at a society run by scientists. (My rating: 5/5)
"Siegried Howls Against the Void" by Erik Johnson — Siegfried, a slow, lumbering spacecraft communicates with Eurydice across the void of space. A metaphor for human relationships and aging. (My rating: 3/5)
"The Iceberg" by Michael Capobianco — A found-footage story of a man surviving on an iceberg near Antarctica after some sort of cataclysm. Meh. (My rating: 3/5)
"Bluebeard's Womb" by M.G. Wills — A scientist experiments with men having babies as a way to address misogyny. Unexpected things happen in this well-told novella. (My rating: 4/5)
Average rating for a story in this issue: 3.82/5
Here are my brief summaries and ratings for the latest issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine.
"Isolate" by Tom R. Pike — A monk with training in linguistics comes to a newly colonized planet to evaluate their language. I really loved how this story treats language and language learning. (My rating: 5/5)
"The Robot and the Winding Wood" by Brenda Cooper — An elderly couple maintaining a campground by themselves with no visitors for years is visited by a robot. A sweet story about the end of the world. (My rating: 5/5)
"Outside the Robles Line" by Raymund Eich — A young man makes a proposal to an older board of the Wise on an asteroid. This one felt like a non-fiction piece forced into a fiction wrapper. (My rating: 3/3)
"Retail Is Dying" by David Lee Zweifler and Ronan Zweifler — An old man wandering an old empty mall encounters a man with a dog he needs to adopt out. Perfect for dog lovers. (My rating: 4/5)
"Groundling" by Shane Tourtellotte — A mechanical engineer born on a generation ship enjoys a tour of duty planetside so much that he angles to be assigned to a new longer tour. This was one of those stories that I wanted to keep going so I could see what happens next. (My rating: 5/5)
"Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You for Your Donation" by Kelsey Hutton — Scientists record the consciousness of a deep sea squid in its natural environment. An interesting piece of flash fiction. (My rating: 4/5)
"North American Union v. Exergy-Petroline Corporation" by TIffany Fritz — A legal finding from a future Supreme Court. The author uses a clever storytelling method, but it got in the way. Legal decisions are not entertaining stories. (My rating: 2/5)
"Momentum Exchange" by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt — Two immortals struggle against one another, one trying to keep the other on the planet. This one was good but didn't really grab me. (My rating: 3/5)
"And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray..." by C. Stuart Hardwick — Satellites designed to beam energy to earth are compromised. This one had a thriller vibe. (My rating: 4/5)
"Mnemonomie" by Mark N. Tiedemann — A man wakes up feeling different after almost being beaten to death. A fascinating story of memory and coming-of-age. (My rating:4/5)
"Methods of Remediation in Nearshore Ecologies" by Joanne Rixon — A scientist kayaks the bay testing chemical levels in the soil. Interesting, but not much happens. (My rating: 3/5)
"First Contact, Already Seen" by Howard V. Hendrix — A series of vignettes outlining willful "othering" and personally enthrowning one's own people. (My rating: 3/5)
"The New Shape of Care" by Lynne Sargent — A woman in hospice care run by robots is held by her daughter in her dying moments. An unexpected and slightly disturbing ending. (My rating: 5/5)
"The Scientist's Book of the Dead" by Gregor Hartmann — After a revolution by scientists and a war that lowered the human population, those scientists debate lowering population even further. An interesting look at a society run by scientists. (My rating: 5/5)
"Siegried Howls Against the Void" by Erik Johnson — Siegfried, a slow, lumbering spacecraft communicates with Eurydice across the void of space. A metaphor for human relationships and aging. (My rating: 3/5)
"The Iceberg" by Michael Capobianco — A found-footage story of a man surviving on an iceberg near Antarctica after some sort of cataclysm. Meh. (My rating: 3/5)
"Bluebeard's Womb" by M.G. Wills — A scientist experiments with men having babies as a way to address misogyny. Unexpected things happen in this well-told novella. (My rating: 4/5)
Average rating for a story in this issue: 3.82/5
May 21, 2025
Arzhaana is a linguist in the Emperor’s employ, surveying planets as they come back under the Empire’s rule, for heretical or idolatrous words in the local languages. Those deemed related to the Golden Tongue will be allowed to persist while the remainder will be made extinct. But Arzhaana finds that words carry more than literal meaning in “Isolate” by Tom R. Pike. An elderly couple, once rangers in a now-closed wilderness park, are surprised to find a robot ranger about to evict them but the new robots may not just be heartless machines in “The Robot And The Winding Woods” by Brenda Cooper. An elderly man finds a reason for continuing his life in a run-down strip mall in “Retail Is Dying” by David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler, while a crewman born on board a generation ship finds that being a “Groundling” isn’t all bad in Shane Tortelotte’s tale. In a future where the value of a human life has been indexed and floated on the stock market a group of manipulators is fighting for the underprivileged in “Short Selling The Statistical Life” by C. H. Irons. C. Stuart Hardwick takes us into orbit where a microwave power satellite has been hacked and the illegal operators plan some serious blackmail or destruction in “And So Greenpeace Invented The Death Ray…” In the future shown by Mark W. Tiedemann, adolescents graduate into adulthood by Matriculation, a process which overlays pre-existing knowledge onto the target brain. The source of this knowledge is both disturbing and ethically suspect in “Mnemonomie”. Gregor Hartmann’s future of Gaia restoration seems bucolic and successful, having trimmed the human population to 200 million, but a proposal to further decimate it based on eugenic grounds by a modified human triggers warning bells for natural human Bobby in “The Scientist’s Book Of The Dead”. In a trinary asteroid system the United States, China and India have set up separate bases to mine for rare earth elements and even rarer superheavy elements. But a biosphere collapse and a molybdenum deficiency imperils the US base, but an even larger disaster for China leads to a forbidden cooperative effort in “Interconnections And Porous Boundaries” by Lance Robinson. M. G. Wills closes things with “Bluebeard’s Womb”, where a biological researcher creates a male uterus in her attempt to cure misogyny. When an alpha male with serious antipathy to women is accepted into the program, it will test the experiment. OK issue.
July 11, 2025
Although there is a great variety of stories in this issue of Analog, from space-fare to introspective reflections, the current state of the world is omnipresent in most of them. For better or worse. A lot of them feel like they were written in a naive bubble, either with a weird utopian mindset or just giving superficial solutions, that feel like a child imagined them; see “Methods of Remediation in Nearshore Ecologies” or “Interconnections and Porous Boundaries”, although the latter has a great sense for suspense out of daily tasks. “The Scientist’s Book of the Dead” goes so far as to euphemize a fascist government because one could have a watchful eye on them. Sadly, the worst of the bunch is the only novella in the issue, “Bluebeard’s Womb”, that not only annoys with its on-the-nose and childish feminism (let's eradicate misogyny through genetic science, sure), but is also so badly written it should have no place in a professionally published magazine. I wouldn't rule out that it's AI-written.
So, as much as I would like to read well-written sci-fi reflections on current affairs, the best stories in this issue are the classical ones, mixing world-building with great characters and metaphors for or life.
“Isolate” by Tom R. Pike is the outstanding example for this. A, despite its sophisticated topic of language analysis, character-driven story that celebrates cultural differences and the connection that humans have across all cultures.
“Momentum Exchange” by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt shows us a fascinating world of two planets with interchanging orbits and still manages to connect it with the empathic story of two characters that are mingled into a dictated feud, both would rather overcome. The world-building here is flawless. Seriously, look up the author. He has a world-building blog that I struggle to understand in its complexity.
“Siegfried Howls Against the Void” by Erik Johnson borders on space opera, just without humans present. With its anthropomorphic spaceships, it tells a story of love, longing, and family. Never in my life did I shed a tear for a piece of metal. So, thank you for this new experience, Erik.
So, as much as I would like to read well-written sci-fi reflections on current affairs, the best stories in this issue are the classical ones, mixing world-building with great characters and metaphors for or life.
“Isolate” by Tom R. Pike is the outstanding example for this. A, despite its sophisticated topic of language analysis, character-driven story that celebrates cultural differences and the connection that humans have across all cultures.
“Momentum Exchange” by Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt shows us a fascinating world of two planets with interchanging orbits and still manages to connect it with the empathic story of two characters that are mingled into a dictated feud, both would rather overcome. The world-building here is flawless. Seriously, look up the author. He has a world-building blog that I struggle to understand in its complexity.
“Siegfried Howls Against the Void” by Erik Johnson borders on space opera, just without humans present. With its anthropomorphic spaceships, it tells a story of love, longing, and family. Never in my life did I shed a tear for a piece of metal. So, thank you for this new experience, Erik.
July 1, 2025
Outstanding Stories
“Isolate,” Tom R. Pike (5 stars). Anthropological tale about language and cultural imperialism. Perhaps because of the locale’s cold climate, I was somewhat reminded of Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, but I liked the scholarly nature of the protagonist.
“The Robot and The Winding Woods,” Brenda Cooper (5 stars). Haunting story of aging, time, and grief.
Very Good Stories
• “The Scientist’s Book of the Dead,” Gregor Hartmann (4 stars)
• “Interconnections and Porous Boundaries,” Lance Robinson (4½ stars)
• “Groundling,” Shane Tourtellotte (4 stars)
• “Short Selling The Statistical Life,” C.H. Irons (4 stars)
• “Methods Of Remediation In Nearshore Ecologies,” Joanne Rixon (4½ stars)
• “Siegfried Howls Against The Void,” Erik Johnson (4 stars)
• “The Iceberg,” Michael Capobianco (4 stars)
• “The New Shape of Care,” Lynne Sargent (4 stars)
Average Stories
• “Bluebeard’s Womb,” M.G. Wills (2 stars)
• “And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray . . .,” C. Stuart Hardwick (3½ stars)
• “Outside the Robles Line,” Raymund Eich (3 stars)
• “Retail is Dying,” David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler (3½ stars)
• “North American Union V. Exergy-Petroline Corporation,” Tiffany Fritz (3½ stars)
• “Momentum Exchange,” Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt (2 stars)
• “Mnemonomie,” Mark W. Tiedemann (3 stars)
• “Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You For Your Donation,” Kelsey Hutton (3 stars)
• “First Contact, Already Seen,” Howard V. Hendrix (3 stars)
“Isolate,” Tom R. Pike (5 stars). Anthropological tale about language and cultural imperialism. Perhaps because of the locale’s cold climate, I was somewhat reminded of Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, but I liked the scholarly nature of the protagonist.
“The Robot and The Winding Woods,” Brenda Cooper (5 stars). Haunting story of aging, time, and grief.
Very Good Stories
• “The Scientist’s Book of the Dead,” Gregor Hartmann (4 stars)
• “Interconnections and Porous Boundaries,” Lance Robinson (4½ stars)
• “Groundling,” Shane Tourtellotte (4 stars)
• “Short Selling The Statistical Life,” C.H. Irons (4 stars)
• “Methods Of Remediation In Nearshore Ecologies,” Joanne Rixon (4½ stars)
• “Siegfried Howls Against The Void,” Erik Johnson (4 stars)
• “The Iceberg,” Michael Capobianco (4 stars)
• “The New Shape of Care,” Lynne Sargent (4 stars)
Average Stories
• “Bluebeard’s Womb,” M.G. Wills (2 stars)
• “And So Greenpeace Invented the Death Ray . . .,” C. Stuart Hardwick (3½ stars)
• “Outside the Robles Line,” Raymund Eich (3 stars)
• “Retail is Dying,” David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler (3½ stars)
• “North American Union V. Exergy-Petroline Corporation,” Tiffany Fritz (3½ stars)
• “Momentum Exchange,” Nikolai Lofving Hersfeldt (2 stars)
• “Mnemonomie,” Mark W. Tiedemann (3 stars)
• “Amtech Deep Sea Institute Thanks You For Your Donation,” Kelsey Hutton (3 stars)
• “First Contact, Already Seen,” Howard V. Hendrix (3 stars)
August 19, 2025
This is a somewhat below average issue of Analog, but there are a few good stories clustered near the beginning. I liked:
"Isolate" by Tom R. Pike. It's about a linguist sent to the fringes of the empire to determine whether a local language is worth preserving.
"The Robot and the Winding Woods" by Brenda Cooper. It's a sentimental story about an elderly couple serving as caretakers for a campground long after the campers have stopped coming.
"Retail is Dying" by David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler. It's about an elderly man who is coming to the end of his life.
"Groundling" by Shane Tourtellotte. It's about a man who, unlike all his friends, dreams of getting off of a colony ship.
"Isolate" by Tom R. Pike. It's about a linguist sent to the fringes of the empire to determine whether a local language is worth preserving.
"The Robot and the Winding Woods" by Brenda Cooper. It's a sentimental story about an elderly couple serving as caretakers for a campground long after the campers have stopped coming.
"Retail is Dying" by David Lee Zweifler & Ronan Zweifler. It's about an elderly man who is coming to the end of his life.
"Groundling" by Shane Tourtellotte. It's about a man who, unlike all his friends, dreams of getting off of a colony ship.
June 28, 2025
This issue had, as have the last couple, an awful lot of dystopic stories. It could be the moment we are in, especially in the United States. Therefore, my general rating is really more like 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I usually rate every story so that I can use those ratings for AnLab voting in January. But lately I’ve gone to sometimes needing to use an “unrated” category. However, this issue ended on a fabulous note - the last novella was so good that I read it all in one sitting. The characters, science, and emotional development were all great.
December 8, 2025
Another enjoyable issue.
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