Analog Science Fiction & Fact, July/August 2025

Astounding/Analog

by Trevor Quachri (Editor), Bernie Jean Schiebeling, Daniel D. Villani

Vol. XCV No. 7 & 8

Table of contents:

• ANALYTICAL LABORATORY RESULTS
• OUT OF “SOME WARM LITTLE POND,” PART 1: “RIFTERS” AND THE RNA WORLD, Kelly Lagor
• BIOLOG: KELLY LAGOR, Richard A. Lovett
• THE FIRST VELODROME ON MARS, Marie Vibbert
• IN TIMES TO COME
• DESERT SOUL, David Gullen
• HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT, Shane Tourtellotte
• PATIENT WAS THE DOCTOR, Victoria N. Shi
• LAST DAM STANDING, Dawn Vogel
• IF THE ALGORITHMS ARE GENTLE, Bernie Jean Schiebeling
• LOW-TIDE SALVAGE, Matthew Claxton
• UNKNOWNS, EDITED BY ALEC NEVALA-LEE: BACK TO SQUARE ONE, Rachel Fabi
• ESRI, James Dick
• MOTHER HUBBLE’S ELEGY FOR RHESSI: (2002-2023) APRIL 19, 2023, Sandra J. Lindow
• JENNIFER DOES PUSHUPS, Joseph Weber
• IMAGINARY, Daniel D. Villani
• YOUR ENTRY TO PARADISE MEMORIAL EXPERIENCE, Robert Morrell Jr.
• THE MARKS WE LEAVE, M. Ian Bell
• READY FOR NEW ARRIVALS?, Sean Monaghan
• UNDER THE MOONS OF VENUS: A TALE OF A PRINCESS ALTIVOLANT, Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu
Poetry
• OUR LADY OF THE ATOM, Josh Pearce
Reader's departments
• GUEST EDITORIAL: Three Gates, Steven Barnes
• THE ALTERNATE VIEW, John G. Cramer
• THE REFERENCE LIBRARY, Rosemary Claire Smith
• BRASS TACKS

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Genres: Science Fiction

208 pages, digest magazine

First published June 8, 2025

About the author

Trevor 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.

Reviews

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 • North Station Blues • 14 pages by David Gerrold
OK. Scooter describes North Station to us, then they get a visit from some corporate big wigs. One of the described flare ups of the local sun causes everyone to seek cover. The confinement bothers the big wigs and one finally seeks out Scooter to see if she can sneak their pod into the rotation to leave.

30 • The First Velodrome on Mars • 8 pages by Marie Vibbert
OK+. The stationary bike isn’t doing it for Manuel. Even if he were to get some sort of VR, but he can’t ride out in the open either. He has the idea to create a track, and they have this nice crater on their land. His trouble though is that he wants to do this project himself. Now that he’s thought of it, he doesn’t want to share the credit.

38 • Desert Soul • 17 pages by David Gullen
Good. Nysbeck hires Thab to take her to the last of the machines built to navigate the third ocean. They were built because men went mad navigating that space. Unfortunately so did the machines. Back in Marlow the petty dictator Vernice has once again raised docking fees, and has the gang to cause trouble if they’re not paid.

55 • Hidden Achievement • 7 pages by Shane Tourtellotte
Very Good. Kellie and Peter independently get interested in a new game app about simulated dating. Peter is mostly inspired by the little badges and awards the game gives for completing various things. Kellie also finds herself playing the game on her lunch break.

62 • Patient Was the Doctor • 10 pages by Victoria N. Shi
OK/Fair. The military brings in another psychologist to consult with the alien. He doesn’t want to work with the military, but they offer him money and a health package that will allow he and his wife to seek advanced fertility treatment. Once there he tries his best to expand on what the previous psychologists and linguists have done.

72 • Last Dam Standing • 5 pages by Dawn Vogel
OK. A community calls Cara asking her to fix the dam she helped retrofit decades ago. At first she says there is nothing she can do. Thinks about it overnight and will at least give it a shot.

80 • If the Algorithms Are Gentle • 3 pages by Bernie Jean Schiebeling
Fair. AIs, presumably, in some post apocalyptic setting are amazed that an ice cream stand has remained running on solar power, then they get worried about a red panda eating the chocolate ice cream. Metaphorically sigh in relief as it pursues something else, then query their data and realize it wasn’t toxic.

84 • Low-Tide Salvage • 12 pages by Matthew Claxton
OK. Bea is accompanying her dad on a salvage run. There’s a cargo container drifting past, they need to pull it to shore so they can sell it to the prosper, make some money and goodwill for their holdfast.

96 • ESRI • 20 pages by James Dick
OK/Good. In “EDIE” Wendy Sloan is the primary investigator for a mission to Europa. EDIE falls into the ice and many statues of EDIE are formed on the surface. Kate Sloan is PI for a follow up mission to Europa. This one with a goal of bringing back samples, including a sample of a statue.

116 • Jennifer Does Pushups • 7 pages by Joseph Weber
Good/VG. As she was recovering from a horrible accident an opportunist overhears that she has incredible guts. Literally her digestive track has amazing bacteria. She now sells her digestive lining so others can reap the benefits of craving a better diet, meanwhile her lining regrows and she gets a nice paycheck.

123 • Imaginary • 3 pages by Daniel D. Villani
OK/Fair. Two experiments one from history to show an analogous outcome.

126 • Your Entry to Paradise(TM) Memorial Experience • 2 pages by Robert Morrell Jr
Fair. Father pays for his daughter to experience his funeral, and leaves a message.

128 • The Marks We Leave • 10 pages by M. Ian Bell
Good+. Rylek is going outside the scope of his job, trying to manage individual lives. Going so far as to rewrite the code so that an individual is replaced by an exact facsimile. Maybe this isn’t about saving a life here and there, but rather about agent Rylek.

138 • Ready for New Arrivals? • 12 pages by Sean Monaghan
OK+. Aphrodite and Justin are exploring a crater on Ganymede when Justin breaks through the crust over a crater and falls in. They’re tethered, but there is no telemetry from Justin. Now it’s a rescue.

150 • Under the Moons of Venus: a Tale of Princess Altivolant • 51 pages by Jay Werkheiser, Frank Wu
Good/OK. Professor Boxhammer is interested in sightings of the moons around Venus. He visits an astronomer of the day (eighteenth century) to get more empirical data. Then his nemesis who once tricked him with a fake gives him a scroll telling of an adventure on Venus. There Princess Denjira is trying to save her kingdom from pirates only to find that the regent has conspired with the pirates and that her mother may still be alive.

[Brendan Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright issue ... the "main event" Novells (Under the Moons of Venus: A Tale of Princess Altivolant) was not my jam ... lightly classified as Sci-fi, but more political intrigue ... just went on way too long. But other stories in the issue were good.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

Each time I finish reading a short fiction magazine, I post short descriptions and a rating for each story. Here is my latest for the most recent issue of Analog .

"North Station Blues" by David Gerrold (9,141 words) — A lowly employee on a station around a dying star plots his way out and up. Good storytelling. Nothing new or particularly attention-getting here. (My rating: 3/5)

"The First Velodrome on Mars" by Marie Vibbert (3,921 words) — A scientist on Mars becomes obsessed about getting credit for his velodrome project. The main character is annoying but so real. (My rating: 4/5)

"Desert Soul" by David Gullen (11,577 words) — A female starfarer joins with a male boat captain seeking the last of insane timeless golems. An unusual story that surprised me toward the end. Liked it more than anticipated. (My rating: 3.5/5)

"Hidden Achievement" by Shane Tourtellotte (4,504) — Two people struggling in their dating and social lives download and play a new dating app. This was a page turner for me. Should have seen the ending coming but didn't as I was so caught up in the story I didn't have time to evaluate. I thoroughly enjoy everything by this author. I only wish he had more available to read on the public internet. (My rating: 5/5)

"Patient Was the Doctor" by Victoria N. Shi (6,761 words) — A psychologist takes a job treating an octopus-like alien to get health coverage for IVF with is wife. Reminds me of the movie Arrival . (My rating: 5/5)

"Last Dam Standing" by Dawn Vogel (2,950 words) — A retired doctor living alone in the mountains is contacted to help same a dam she designed 20 years prior. I liked it but it just felt run of the mill. (My rating: 3/5)

"If The Algorithms Are Gentle" by Bernie Jean Schiebeling (1,139 words) — Computer servers in a post-apocalyptic city with no humans observe a red panda plunder an ice cream cart. 🤷🏻 (My rating: 3/5)

"Low-Tide Salvage" by Matthew Claxton (6,310 words) — A father and daughter find a drone ship and work to salvage it for sale to the local Prosper. A touching story of pride and survival. (My rating: 4/5)

"ESRI" by James Dick (12,312 words) — The daughter of a famous scientist follows in her footsteps sending a mission to Europa. This story is a sequel to EDIE by the same author in the January/February 2023 issue of Analog. (My rating: 4/5)

"Jennifer Does Pushups" by Joseph Weber (4,460 words) — A woman who survived a deadly car accident makes her living selling her gut biome. A unique exploration of the ethics and economics of selling parts of oneself. (My rating: 4/5)

"Your Entry to ParadiseTM Memorial Experience" by Robert Morrell, Jr. (999 words) — A daughter's father bequeaths her an experience that teaches her to live life. (My rating: 3/5)

"The Marks We Leave" by M. Ian Bell (6,768 words) — Rylek seeks to assuage his pain of the loss of his lover by saving some of the people in the simulation on which he works. A compassionate exploration and portrayal of deep grief. (My rating: 5/5)

"Ready for New Arrivals?" by Sean Monaghan (6,966 words) — An astronaut on Ganymede falls down a hole while tethered to another. Lots of suspense, a sort of brief thriller. (My rating: 5/5)

"Under the Moons of Venus: A Tale of a Princess Altivolant" by Jay Werkheiser and Frank Wu (34,072 words) — A story of Venus as told at King George's court during the 1769 transit of Venus. Partially inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books. About halfway it becomes a climate change allegory. (My rating: 3/5)

Average story rating: 3.89/5

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worker at a line base around a blue giant flare star known as ‘Larry’ is hosting yet another tour group of rich, entitled assholes on their way to somewhere else when he gets an idea that may free him from his job and also benefit his loathsome guests in “North Station Blues” by David Gerrold. David Gullen takes us to a fringe planet where sailor Thab Thinble takes on a passenger, Nysbeck, who is seeking to destroy the last mad shipmind that navigated the realms of hyperspace. But when they find the computer, Eleventy-Seven, it reveals surprising capacities that may be useful but deadly in “Desert Soul”. Adventure SF with heart! A queer psychologist is employed by the military to help understand a dying alien and perhaps find meaning in its passing. But the alien has touched him in other ways which may affect his chances of becoming a parent in “Patient Was The Dictor” by Victoria N. Shi. A young girl and her father struggle to make ends meet by salvaging downed drones in a wartorn future in “Low-Tide Salvage” by Matthew Claxton, and Kate has taken up the mission started by her mother, a Europa Sample Return Initiative “ESRI”, but the mystery of the surface statues and the possible life below the Europan oceans remains in this intriguing sequel from James Dick. A woman who was recovering from a serious accident was found to have remarkably resilient and regenerative intestinal linings, which she has managed to parlay into a lucrative biotransplant business. But in “Jennifer Does Pushups” by Joseph Weber, she finds that Big Tech can steal practically anything. Aphrodite Williams and Justin Tabert are exploring on the surface of Ganymede when a part of the crust gives way revealing a perfectly smooth-walled and circular hole. Justin is swinging on the end of his line, uncommunicative, and it looks like first contact may be with a mindless mining machine in “Ready For New Arrivals?” by Sean Monaghan. In 1769 a hieroglyphic manuscript is discoverd which tells of high adventure “Under The Two Moons Of Venus: A Tale Of A Princess Altivolant”, where a usurper to the crown insists on staying in floating paths high in the atmosphere of Venus, while its artificial satellites (which provide oxygen and magnetic fields) decay. The refugees hope to reach the blue world further out from which they fled thousands of years prior in Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu’s imaginative tale. OK issue.

[Michael Goodine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another weak issue. That's two in a row. But there are a few gems here. I liked Marie Vibbert's "The First Velodrome on Mars." And Shane Tourtellotte's "Hidden Achievement" is excellent.

The closing Novella, Wu and Werkheiser's "Under the Moons of Venus: a Tale of Princess Altivolant," is a fun Burroughsian adventure.