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Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November 2015
CONTENT
Serial
"Night Ride and Sunrise", Part 4 of 4 by Stanley Schmidt
Novelettes
"Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land" by Frank Wu
Short Stories
"Exit Interview" by Timons Esaias
"Baby Steps" by Lettie Prell
"The Story of Daro and the Arbolita" by Shane Halbach
"Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth" by Ken Brady
"Evangelist" by Adam-Troy Castro
Poem
"Ecopoiesis" by Joe Haldeman
Non-Fiction
"Brain Hacking: The Legal, Social, and Scientific Ramifications of the Latest (Very Real) Mind-Reading Technologies" by Richard A. Lovett
"Ad Astra! Interstellar Travel in Science Fiction" by Nick Kanas
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November 2015, Volume CXXXV No. 11
Trevor Quachri, editor
Cover art by Tomislav Tikulin
Serial
"Night Ride and Sunrise", Part 4 of 4 by Stanley Schmidt
Novelettes
"Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land" by Frank Wu
Short Stories
"Exit Interview" by Timons Esaias
"Baby Steps" by Lettie Prell
"The Story of Daro and the Arbolita" by Shane Halbach
"Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth" by Ken Brady
"Evangelist" by Adam-Troy Castro
Poem
"Ecopoiesis" by Joe Haldeman
Non-Fiction
"Brain Hacking: The Legal, Social, and Scientific Ramifications of the Latest (Very Real) Mind-Reading Technologies" by Richard A. Lovett
"Ad Astra! Interstellar Travel in Science Fiction" by Nick Kanas
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November 2015, Volume CXXXV No. 11
Trevor Quachri, editor
Cover art by Tomislav Tikulin
113 pages, ebook
First published September 12, 2015
1 person is currently reading
6 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 26, 2015
One of the weakest offerings that I've experienced with Analog, but they can't all be home runs, I guess.
In order of enjoyment, my favorites this time around were:
4-Star
"Evangelist" by Adam-Troy Castro
Whether it's all just chemicals in the brain or not, if you don't buy into a certain religion, then you're selling your soul to the devil to follow their ways.
3-Star
"The Story of Daro and the Arbolita" by Shane Halbach
A bit too brief, this is nonetheless an enjoyable story about an ethical decision - swerve to save the wounded alien creature in your path, or don't swerve and save the trees. The court proceedings are not to be missed. I'd like to see this expanded a bit more... it was good.
"Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth" by Ken Brady
BASE jumping and having to deal with intelligent systems designed to thwart suicidal people. The conversation between jumper and AI system was engaging, but the ending didn't resonate with me as deeply as I think the author intended.
"Baby Steps" by Lettie Prell
Another story where the ending left me a bit flat, but otherwise enjoyed the premise and the narrative. Uploading a person to their new virtual body, technicians run into a snag, and potentially a virus that had been stored in a higher dimension and thus its full size was unanticipated, requiring massive computing power beyond the norm.
"Exit Interview" by Timons Esaias
The futuristic prison was a fascinating concept, and one that I would have liked to have seen explored further. Full isolation from any part of civilization, and interaction with a computer at only 100 words per day. But what is next for our main character when the prison starts up an "exit interview" conversation?
2-Star
"Night Ride and Sunrise", Part 4 of 4 by Stanley Schmidt
The conclusion continued with the story flaws that disappointed me in previous episodes of this serial. I have to admit I enjoyed reading it, but found the story to be very unsatisfying and simplistic. When I go back to early SF from the 1930s and 1940s, I expect to find black-and-white villains and heroes, and anthropomorphized aliens who are more noble than our human adversaries, and I willingly overlook it. In modern day fiction, I want more tension in not knowing who is to be trusted, and which side truly has it correct in "right vs wrong".
"Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land" by Frank Wu
This would be great in an EC horror comic book. In Analog, it's ludicrous. The suspension of disbelief required for you to overlook the fact that the ants cannot possibly be taking in enough nutrients to fuel their behavior kills this for me. (And what will they eat at their final destination?) Add in an awkward love interest that literally feels like it was wedged in with a blunt shoehorn, and you have this mess of a story. Some funny moments and some vivid horror scenes save it from a one-star rating.
In order of enjoyment, my favorites this time around were:
4-Star
"Evangelist" by Adam-Troy Castro
Whether it's all just chemicals in the brain or not, if you don't buy into a certain religion, then you're selling your soul to the devil to follow their ways.
3-Star
"The Story of Daro and the Arbolita" by Shane Halbach
A bit too brief, this is nonetheless an enjoyable story about an ethical decision - swerve to save the wounded alien creature in your path, or don't swerve and save the trees. The court proceedings are not to be missed. I'd like to see this expanded a bit more... it was good.
"Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth" by Ken Brady
BASE jumping and having to deal with intelligent systems designed to thwart suicidal people. The conversation between jumper and AI system was engaging, but the ending didn't resonate with me as deeply as I think the author intended.
"Baby Steps" by Lettie Prell
Another story where the ending left me a bit flat, but otherwise enjoyed the premise and the narrative. Uploading a person to their new virtual body, technicians run into a snag, and potentially a virus that had been stored in a higher dimension and thus its full size was unanticipated, requiring massive computing power beyond the norm.
"Exit Interview" by Timons Esaias
The futuristic prison was a fascinating concept, and one that I would have liked to have seen explored further. Full isolation from any part of civilization, and interaction with a computer at only 100 words per day. But what is next for our main character when the prison starts up an "exit interview" conversation?
2-Star
"Night Ride and Sunrise", Part 4 of 4 by Stanley Schmidt
The conclusion continued with the story flaws that disappointed me in previous episodes of this serial. I have to admit I enjoyed reading it, but found the story to be very unsatisfying and simplistic. When I go back to early SF from the 1930s and 1940s, I expect to find black-and-white villains and heroes, and anthropomorphized aliens who are more noble than our human adversaries, and I willingly overlook it. In modern day fiction, I want more tension in not knowing who is to be trusted, and which side truly has it correct in "right vs wrong".
"Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land" by Frank Wu
This would be great in an EC horror comic book. In Analog, it's ludicrous. The suspension of disbelief required for you to overlook the fact that the ants cannot possibly be taking in enough nutrients to fuel their behavior kills this for me. (And what will they eat at their final destination?) Add in an awkward love interest that literally feels like it was wedged in with a blunt shoehorn, and you have this mess of a story. Some funny moments and some vivid horror scenes save it from a one-star rating.
May 2, 2017
This issue fell below the top notch standard I expect from Analog.
8 • Season of the Ants In a Timeless Land • 23 pages by Frank Wu
Poor. It started out like a horror movie with unstoppable ants, and had a weird ending.
41 • Exit Interview • 7 pages by Timons Esaias
Poor/Fair. Ogal is in life imprisonment, no contact with others, just 100 words a day with his computerized jailer.
48 • Baby Steps • 4 pages by Lettie Prell
Fair. The techs are having trouble transitioning Angela Spelling to VR upon her death.
52 • The Story of Daro and the Arbolita • 4 pages by Shane Halbach
Good/vg. Daro goes on trial for knocking over some Margola trees while swerving to avoid killing an Arbolita that was in the road. Killing a Margola tree is a capital crime on Tillal. The neat thing is the lawyers arguments in a trial are little stories.
60 • Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth • 4 pages by Ken Brady
Very Good. BASE jumper Blake is thwarted in his attempt to sky dive off of Varzon Spire. The building catches him in a safety mechanism. Then there is a humorous chat between Blake and Var.
64 • Evangelist • 8 pages by Adam-Troy Castro
Good. Tom lost his job, his wife, his prospects for a future. Hungry he goes into the Jzek church who promise and deliver a free meal. To be polite Tom listens to the alien's spiel. It was low pressure and compared religious fervor to being in love, i.e. chemical signals in the brain.
72 • Night Ride and Sunrise • 30 pages by Stanley Schmidt
Good. The conclusion of the serial. The humans that were divide between the Fruitful and not and divides again by those that want to exterminate the Zoeys and those that want to share the planet. There is war or at least a battle and then peace talks. It didn't feel like a clean resolution, but maybe that's the point with those different ideologies.
8 • Season of the Ants In a Timeless Land • 23 pages by Frank Wu
Poor. It started out like a horror movie with unstoppable ants, and had a weird ending.
41 • Exit Interview • 7 pages by Timons Esaias
Poor/Fair. Ogal is in life imprisonment, no contact with others, just 100 words a day with his computerized jailer.
48 • Baby Steps • 4 pages by Lettie Prell
Fair. The techs are having trouble transitioning Angela Spelling to VR upon her death.
52 • The Story of Daro and the Arbolita • 4 pages by Shane Halbach
Good/vg. Daro goes on trial for knocking over some Margola trees while swerving to avoid killing an Arbolita that was in the road. Killing a Margola tree is a capital crime on Tillal. The neat thing is the lawyers arguments in a trial are little stories.
60 • Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth • 4 pages by Ken Brady
Very Good. BASE jumper Blake is thwarted in his attempt to sky dive off of Varzon Spire. The building catches him in a safety mechanism. Then there is a humorous chat between Blake and Var.
64 • Evangelist • 8 pages by Adam-Troy Castro
Good. Tom lost his job, his wife, his prospects for a future. Hungry he goes into the Jzek church who promise and deliver a free meal. To be polite Tom listens to the alien's spiel. It was low pressure and compared religious fervor to being in love, i.e. chemical signals in the brain.
72 • Night Ride and Sunrise • 30 pages by Stanley Schmidt
Good. The conclusion of the serial. The humans that were divide between the Fruitful and not and divides again by those that want to exterminate the Zoeys and those that want to share the planet. There is war or at least a battle and then peace talks. It didn't feel like a clean resolution, but maybe that's the point with those different ideologies.
January 16, 2019
A pretty nice issue for a change.
Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land • novelette by Frank Wu
Ants are behaving strangely in Australia. They are forming large swarms with several species working together in an unprecedented manner. A pair of scientists are studying them and trying to defeat the apparent threat. The ants travel to autonomous areas governed by aborigines. There they start to build something. The story starts pretty well, but seems to decay towards the end. It is too hurried and eventually very implausible. The romance parts felt pretty awkward, but the participants were awkward people. ***½
Exit Interview • shortstory by Timons Esaias
An insurgent of some sort is kept in a super-secure prison in solitary confinement. One day the prison's automatic systems say that he should be ready for his exit interview. That sounds slightly ominous. Then the cell door unlocks. A pretty good and even haunting story. ***½
Baby Steps • shortstory by Lettie Prell
A recently deceased woman is being uploaded to a computer. There seems to be some trouble and a higher level of technician must get involved. After a fair amount of work, everything seems to be going smoothly, but…A short, pretty open ended story. ***
The Story of Daro and the Arbolita • shortstory by Shane Halbach
A man on an alien planet must go to trial, when he inadvertently destroys some trees, which are considered holy. The trial involves some stories. A very short, ok story, the writing as such was ok but the plot might have benefitted from a few more details. ***-
Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth • shortstory by Ken Brady
A BASE jumper jumps from a tall building. The building AI stops him midair as it is designed to prevent suicides. (By the way - you don't "feel the acceleration" when you jump from a building, that is by definition free fall.) They have a nice discussion about life and its meaning. Short, but pretty good story. ***+
Evangelist • shortstory by Adam-Troy Castro
Man who has had a lot of problems in his life lately seeks help from a missionary run by an alien species. They promise that he will be fed, no strings attached. But if he wants, he could help the aliens in their religion. He could just get a little brain stimulator which would create actual, real religious ecstasy for the alien god. A tempting offer... A pretty good story. ***½
Season of the Ants in a Timeless Land • novelette by Frank Wu
Ants are behaving strangely in Australia. They are forming large swarms with several species working together in an unprecedented manner. A pair of scientists are studying them and trying to defeat the apparent threat. The ants travel to autonomous areas governed by aborigines. There they start to build something. The story starts pretty well, but seems to decay towards the end. It is too hurried and eventually very implausible. The romance parts felt pretty awkward, but the participants were awkward people. ***½
Exit Interview • shortstory by Timons Esaias
An insurgent of some sort is kept in a super-secure prison in solitary confinement. One day the prison's automatic systems say that he should be ready for his exit interview. That sounds slightly ominous. Then the cell door unlocks. A pretty good and even haunting story. ***½
Baby Steps • shortstory by Lettie Prell
A recently deceased woman is being uploaded to a computer. There seems to be some trouble and a higher level of technician must get involved. After a fair amount of work, everything seems to be going smoothly, but…A short, pretty open ended story. ***
The Story of Daro and the Arbolita • shortstory by Shane Halbach
A man on an alien planet must go to trial, when he inadvertently destroys some trees, which are considered holy. The trial involves some stories. A very short, ok story, the writing as such was ok but the plot might have benefitted from a few more details. ***-
Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth • shortstory by Ken Brady
A BASE jumper jumps from a tall building. The building AI stops him midair as it is designed to prevent suicides. (By the way - you don't "feel the acceleration" when you jump from a building, that is by definition free fall.) They have a nice discussion about life and its meaning. Short, but pretty good story. ***+
Evangelist • shortstory by Adam-Troy Castro
Man who has had a lot of problems in his life lately seeks help from a missionary run by an alien species. They promise that he will be fed, no strings attached. But if he wants, he could help the aliens in their religion. He could just get a little brain stimulator which would create actual, real religious ecstasy for the alien god. A tempting offer... A pretty good story. ***½
September 23, 2015
Most of the stories were fairly decent this issue - with notable exception so bad it lowered the rating for this issue: Frank Wu's novelette, "Season of the Ants in the Timeless Land". Wu's story starts out alright, but the ending? Maybe if this tale had been published in an early issue of "Astounding Stories" or in a current issue of "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" it might have been received better. But in today's "Analog"? A publication noted for leaning towards hard science tales? The ending to Wu's "Season of the Ants" is so.. bizarre, the novelette might as well have an of EC's "Weird Science" comic book title. The rest of the stories found in the November 2015 edition of "Analog Science Fiction & Fiction" weren't too bad, with one or two highlights ("Baby Steps" and "Evangelist". But those stories aren't good enough to raise the rating nor overcome how crappy Frank Wu's entry is.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews