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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 114, March 2016
FICTION
“Salvage Opportunity” by Jack Skillingstead
“Seven Cups of Coffee” by A.C. Wise
“The Governess with a Mechanical Womb” by Leena Likitalo
“Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead” by Kij Johnson
“Chimera” by Gu Shi, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu and Ken Liu
“The King of Norway” by Cecelia Holland
“Gray Wings” by Karl Bunker
NON-FICTION
“The Age of the Excessive Machine: Psychedelic SF, On-Screen and Off” by Mark Cole
“All the Words in the Sky: A Conversation with Charlie Jane Anders” by Chris Urie
“Another Word: How to Clothe A Character, Using Only Star Wars References” by Genevieve Valentine
“Editor's Desk: Nebula Nominees and Reader's Poll Winners” by Neil Clarke
“Salvage Opportunity” by Jack Skillingstead
“Seven Cups of Coffee” by A.C. Wise
“The Governess with a Mechanical Womb” by Leena Likitalo
“Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead” by Kij Johnson
“Chimera” by Gu Shi, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu and Ken Liu
“The King of Norway” by Cecelia Holland
“Gray Wings” by Karl Bunker
NON-FICTION
“The Age of the Excessive Machine: Psychedelic SF, On-Screen and Off” by Mark Cole
“All the Words in the Sky: A Conversation with Charlie Jane Anders” by Chris Urie
“Another Word: How to Clothe A Character, Using Only Star Wars References” by Genevieve Valentine
“Editor's Desk: Nebula Nominees and Reader's Poll Winners” by Neil Clarke
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
21 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
400 books399 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2016
This issue is by far my favourite of the three issues of Clarkesworld I have so far read. There just seemed to be so many female writers in this one and they all wrote such good stories which I found myself really getting into and enjoying.
In order to show what I thought I am just going to paste my updates and add a bit to them:
03/06-10.0% - I liked 'Salvage Opportunity' by Jack Skillingstead - about a man alone in space with his Companion. Bit of a lonely one, and definitely a quick read but maybe not the most memorable. 2.5*
Enjoyed 'Seven Cups of Coffee' by A C Wise and felt that was a great mini time travel story filled with sad moments of loss and tragedy. I think this one was a little more personal than the previous and thus I liked it more. 3.5*s"
03/06-12.0% - "Just read 'The Governess With The Mechanical Womb' by Leena Likitalo which is my favourite from this issue so far. It felt convincing and genuine but it was definitely creepy and the Governess was such an ominous character. I really liked seeing the character's plight. 4*s"
03/07-15.0% - "Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson is my favourite in this issue so far. I kind of knew it might be just becuase of the writer (she's a favourite of mine anyway) but this story of death, and searching for lost loves, was beautiful and moving and wonderfully narrated in its own quirky way. 4.5*s"
03/08-40.0% - "Just read through Gu Shi's 'Chimera' story and I really loved it. It's the translated fiction for this issue and it deals with genomes and Genetic Modifications which I truly find fascinating! 4*s"
03/08-65.0% - "Just read the two classic fiction pieces. The first is 'The King Of Norway' by Cecelia Holland and this one is very historical in focus. It does have a slight 'olde-worlde' fantasy vibe, but it really didn't capture my imagination enough. 2*s
The next was 'Gray Wings' by Karl Bunker and I liked this one more as it's a story about flying but still it was just likeable - 3*s"
And finally my thoughts on the non-fiction:
I didn't care too much for the two articles about Psychadelia in film or Star Wars Costumes (as I'm not a huge SFF film watcher) but I really enjoyed the interview with Charlie Jane Anders. I am hoping to read her book really soon and the interview she gave made me even more excited to do so!
I also always like the editorial bit and the cover artist section as they are short but personal and add a bit more tot he magazine.
On the whole a lot of good reads which were long and the ones I didn't like as much were all short so this evens out at a 4*s from me, I'll definitely be continuing my subscription for now :)
In order to show what I thought I am just going to paste my updates and add a bit to them:
03/06-10.0% - I liked 'Salvage Opportunity' by Jack Skillingstead - about a man alone in space with his Companion. Bit of a lonely one, and definitely a quick read but maybe not the most memorable. 2.5*
Enjoyed 'Seven Cups of Coffee' by A C Wise and felt that was a great mini time travel story filled with sad moments of loss and tragedy. I think this one was a little more personal than the previous and thus I liked it more. 3.5*s"
03/06-12.0% - "Just read 'The Governess With The Mechanical Womb' by Leena Likitalo which is my favourite from this issue so far. It felt convincing and genuine but it was definitely creepy and the Governess was such an ominous character. I really liked seeing the character's plight. 4*s"
03/07-15.0% - "Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson is my favourite in this issue so far. I kind of knew it might be just becuase of the writer (she's a favourite of mine anyway) but this story of death, and searching for lost loves, was beautiful and moving and wonderfully narrated in its own quirky way. 4.5*s"
03/08-40.0% - "Just read through Gu Shi's 'Chimera' story and I really loved it. It's the translated fiction for this issue and it deals with genomes and Genetic Modifications which I truly find fascinating! 4*s"
03/08-65.0% - "Just read the two classic fiction pieces. The first is 'The King Of Norway' by Cecelia Holland and this one is very historical in focus. It does have a slight 'olde-worlde' fantasy vibe, but it really didn't capture my imagination enough. 2*s
The next was 'Gray Wings' by Karl Bunker and I liked this one more as it's a story about flying but still it was just likeable - 3*s"
And finally my thoughts on the non-fiction:
I didn't care too much for the two articles about Psychadelia in film or Star Wars Costumes (as I'm not a huge SFF film watcher) but I really enjoyed the interview with Charlie Jane Anders. I am hoping to read her book really soon and the interview she gave made me even more excited to do so!
I also always like the editorial bit and the cover artist section as they are short but personal and add a bit more tot he magazine.
On the whole a lot of good reads which were long and the ones I didn't like as much were all short so this evens out at a 4*s from me, I'll definitely be continuing my subscription for now :)
March 18, 2017
I enjoyed the steampunk setting here - I would read a novel set in this world.
March 31, 2016
Clarkesworld #114, March 2016.
A strong issue. Not a single unenjoyable story. Beautiful cover artwork, too.
Two science fiction stories which I'd label 'true science fiction' frame three of those with a softer touch of the genre. (This month I am obsessed with genre & categorization^_^)
Gu Shi's Chimera was my favourite story, very closely followed by Skillinghead's Salvage Opportunity.
Minor Spoilers following.
Jack Skillinghead: Salvage Opportunity.
One man far in the future, dwelling on Kepler-186f during a 4-year-contract to secure the mining-rights for his company. It's just him, his personal A.I. companion (to secure his sanity) – and an unexpected visitor. I loved the story. Modern take on „Do androids dream of electric sheep“, because every story concerned with identity, human vs AI, self vs other, loneliness vs companionship naturally will have to pass the comparison-test to that story. And Salvage Opportunity definitely does not fail, it's a convincing and exciting story.
4/5
A.C. Wise: Seven cups of coffee.
In this time traveling story a young woman follows ominous orders to wipe out an existence in the past. What do you do if you regret that action, can you reverse it? Affection, love, romance, the inevitability of the time flow are handled here.
A few months ago I've read another publisher's essay about things you as an aspiring author should never ever hand in. Time Travel was clearly one of the don't-you-dare-tropes. A.C. Wise obviously ignored that and did what she loved to do, and there was a publisher who bought the story.
I enjoyed the story though in my opinion it is one of those that could be told elsewhere. It sure is an engaging read, but the science fictional elements seem a mere added extra here. Again, this is a personal view on the genre, of course. Feel free to disagree.
3/5
Leena Likitalo: The governess with a mechanical womb.
[Forget the utter nonsense of "three stories with a soft touch of SciFi" in the introduction. This Finnish contribution is post-apocalytpic SciFi at its best. As you can see, I've totally Genre-trapped myself]
In post-apocalyptic Scandinavia two sisters, possibly the sole survivors of their species, are governed by almost mechanical seeming, steampunky "Victorians". Are the „Victorians“ the destroyers of the human species and their captors, or are they something else entirely?
Yet another admirable Finnish voice! I enjoyed this story very much. It seemed different in setting and tone. Explores interesting themes with its victorian entities. Strange, compelling, moving, very cool.
5/5
Kij Johnson: Coyote invents the land of the dead.
Well this was an abstract one. Four sisters (?) women (?) mythical beasts (?) goddesses (?) enter the land of the dead (?) on a beach where everything is very different. Entry is forbidden of course and of no return. All the sisters have something or someone they are looking for.
A weird, strange and demanding read. Very skilled and brave use of language. Could very well be published in a fantasy or slipstream anthology, too.
„..this is a kind of writing which simply makes you feel very strange; the way that living in the twentieth century makes you feel, if you are a person of a certain sensibility.“ (Bruce Sterling)
Yup, definitely Slipstream.
4/5
Gu Shi: Chimera
In the not too far future technology and science have far exceeded what is possible today. Breakthroughs in genetic research result in organ farms for humans. Longevity seems nearer, yet again. Here we learn how this huge breakthrough originated in a very personal family tragedy (of course), and what happens on a spaceship called 'Eden' where humans regularly replace their organs to stay in the living game.
SciFi with elements of crime and romance, Chimera is telling about future humanity interwoven with science and technology. This is science fiction and I loved it.
5/5
A strong issue. Not a single unenjoyable story. Beautiful cover artwork, too.
Two science fiction stories which I'd label 'true science fiction' frame three of those with a softer touch of the genre. (This month I am obsessed with genre & categorization^_^)
Gu Shi's Chimera was my favourite story, very closely followed by Skillinghead's Salvage Opportunity.
Minor Spoilers following.
Jack Skillinghead: Salvage Opportunity.
One man far in the future, dwelling on Kepler-186f during a 4-year-contract to secure the mining-rights for his company. It's just him, his personal A.I. companion (to secure his sanity) – and an unexpected visitor. I loved the story. Modern take on „Do androids dream of electric sheep“, because every story concerned with identity, human vs AI, self vs other, loneliness vs companionship naturally will have to pass the comparison-test to that story. And Salvage Opportunity definitely does not fail, it's a convincing and exciting story.
4/5
A.C. Wise: Seven cups of coffee.
In this time traveling story a young woman follows ominous orders to wipe out an existence in the past. What do you do if you regret that action, can you reverse it? Affection, love, romance, the inevitability of the time flow are handled here.
A few months ago I've read another publisher's essay about things you as an aspiring author should never ever hand in. Time Travel was clearly one of the don't-you-dare-tropes. A.C. Wise obviously ignored that and did what she loved to do, and there was a publisher who bought the story.
I enjoyed the story though in my opinion it is one of those that could be told elsewhere. It sure is an engaging read, but the science fictional elements seem a mere added extra here. Again, this is a personal view on the genre, of course. Feel free to disagree.
3/5
Leena Likitalo: The governess with a mechanical womb.
[Forget the utter nonsense of "three stories with a soft touch of SciFi" in the introduction. This Finnish contribution is post-apocalytpic SciFi at its best. As you can see, I've totally Genre-trapped myself]
In post-apocalyptic Scandinavia two sisters, possibly the sole survivors of their species, are governed by almost mechanical seeming, steampunky "Victorians". Are the „Victorians“ the destroyers of the human species and their captors, or are they something else entirely?
Yet another admirable Finnish voice! I enjoyed this story very much. It seemed different in setting and tone. Explores interesting themes with its victorian entities. Strange, compelling, moving, very cool.
5/5
Kij Johnson: Coyote invents the land of the dead.
Well this was an abstract one. Four sisters (?) women (?) mythical beasts (?) goddesses (?) enter the land of the dead (?) on a beach where everything is very different. Entry is forbidden of course and of no return. All the sisters have something or someone they are looking for.
A weird, strange and demanding read. Very skilled and brave use of language. Could very well be published in a fantasy or slipstream anthology, too.
„..this is a kind of writing which simply makes you feel very strange; the way that living in the twentieth century makes you feel, if you are a person of a certain sensibility.“ (Bruce Sterling)
Yup, definitely Slipstream.
4/5
Gu Shi: Chimera
In the not too far future technology and science have far exceeded what is possible today. Breakthroughs in genetic research result in organ farms for humans. Longevity seems nearer, yet again. Here we learn how this huge breakthrough originated in a very personal family tragedy (of course), and what happens on a spaceship called 'Eden' where humans regularly replace their organs to stay in the living game.
SciFi with elements of crime and romance, Chimera is telling about future humanity interwoven with science and technology. This is science fiction and I loved it.
5/5
December 20, 2016
Lovely edition of this magazine. Several stories that really worked for me. Non-fiction was a bit tricky this time. Found a lot of it hard to follow.
Perfect for me
"Gray Wings" by Karl Bunker [reprint] - Wow! Wow! Wow! This is an amazing story that illustrates how technology entrenches inequality. So beautiful. Says so much, while never ever preaching. Stunning!
Enjoyable, worked for me
"Salvage Opportunity" by Jack Skillingstead - A strong start to this edition of the magazine, with the relationship between man and machine centre-stage.
* "The Governess with a Mechanical Womb" by Leena Likitalo - A poignant story of 2 children being cared for by a robot that was once human. Lots of layers at work.
* "Chimera" by Gu Shi, translated by S. Quouyi Lu and Ken Liu - A lovely, long piece incorporating mythology, parenthood, mysteries, experiments on grand scale... The piece about the mother feeling like the child was taking her over was such an intense centre-piece for this tale.
Fine, but didn't speak to me
"Seven Cups of Tea" by A.C. Wise - This was an interesting take on time travel, with some interesting rumination on feminism. But didn't quite resonate for me. Though I love tea (a lot!).
"Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson - Struggled to follow the imagery. Ended up not getting much out of this one.
"The King of Norway" by Cecelia Holland [reprint] - I have read this before.
Not my Cup of Tea
Perfect for me
"Gray Wings" by Karl Bunker [reprint] - Wow! Wow! Wow! This is an amazing story that illustrates how technology entrenches inequality. So beautiful. Says so much, while never ever preaching. Stunning!
Enjoyable, worked for me
"Salvage Opportunity" by Jack Skillingstead - A strong start to this edition of the magazine, with the relationship between man and machine centre-stage.
* "The Governess with a Mechanical Womb" by Leena Likitalo - A poignant story of 2 children being cared for by a robot that was once human. Lots of layers at work.
* "Chimera" by Gu Shi, translated by S. Quouyi Lu and Ken Liu - A lovely, long piece incorporating mythology, parenthood, mysteries, experiments on grand scale... The piece about the mother feeling like the child was taking her over was such an intense centre-piece for this tale.
Fine, but didn't speak to me
"Seven Cups of Tea" by A.C. Wise - This was an interesting take on time travel, with some interesting rumination on feminism. But didn't quite resonate for me. Though I love tea (a lot!).
"Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson - Struggled to follow the imagery. Ended up not getting much out of this one.
"The King of Norway" by Cecelia Holland [reprint] - I have read this before.
Not my Cup of Tea
January 2, 2017
"Salvage Opportunity" by Jack Skillingstead - A humorous but insightful look at introversion and introspection.
"Seven Cups of Coffee" by A.C. Wise - The plight of the narrator who is rejected by her family and the lover who can't even accept herself is very moving. But giving much thought to why the time loop is started in the first place makes the story unravel for me.
"The Governess with a Mechanical Womb" by Leena Likitalo - A bleak story to go with a bleak setting. The sisters' devotion to one another is the one bright spot in the story. I didn't see the ending coming and didn't really like it, but it makes sense in light of the limited perspective we get of the situation with these inscrutable aliens.
"Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson - I almost liked this, but it ended up being just a little too abstruse and experimental for me. I longed for commas.
"Chimera" by Gu Shi - I'll keep trying it, but I'm starting to wonder if Chinese science fiction just isn't for me. The two plot threads referenced each other and came together well enough, but the flat characters invoked those "eight deadly words" (I don't care what happens to these people).
"Seven Cups of Coffee" by A.C. Wise - The plight of the narrator who is rejected by her family and the lover who can't even accept herself is very moving. But giving much thought to why the time loop is started in the first place makes the story unravel for me.
"The Governess with a Mechanical Womb" by Leena Likitalo - A bleak story to go with a bleak setting. The sisters' devotion to one another is the one bright spot in the story. I didn't see the ending coming and didn't really like it, but it makes sense in light of the limited perspective we get of the situation with these inscrutable aliens.
"Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" by Kij Johnson - I almost liked this, but it ended up being just a little too abstruse and experimental for me. I longed for commas.
"Chimera" by Gu Shi - I'll keep trying it, but I'm starting to wonder if Chinese science fiction just isn't for me. The two plot threads referenced each other and came together well enough, but the flat characters invoked those "eight deadly words" (I don't care what happens to these people).
April 4, 2016
Most of the stories in here were pretty decent. "Chimera" by Gu Shi stayed with me. Kij Johnson's "Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead" was a little to esoteric for my tastes--felt like it was trying too hard.
October 3, 2016
The King of Norway by Cecilia Holland is my favorite story of this issue. Everything I ever wanted from a story about Vikings: fighting, drinking, myths (well...) and humour. Read it here
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews