Asimov's Science Fiction January/February 2021

by Sheila Williams, Ray Nayler, Robert Reed

Our January-February 2021 cover story, “A Rocket for Dimitrios,” is Ray Nayler’s first novella. Set in an alternate fifties influenced by dangerous alien technology, it’s filled with intrigue and deception. The issue also features an exciting great-ship novella by Robert Reed. In “The Realms of Water,” an ancient human traveler meets an even older warrior. You won’t soon forget this account of alien warfare and the Great Surus.

Ted Kosmatka plays the odds in “Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery”; the importance of “Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes” is revealed in Suzanne Palmer’s captivating mystery; new author Robert H. Cloake considers “The Fear of Missing Out”; new author Sean William Swanwick examines the motives of “Humans and Other People”; and Nick Wolven’s moving story leaves “No Stone Unturned.” Join “The Three-Day Hunt” with Robert R. Chase; learn why “I Didn’t Buy It” from Naomi Kanakia; unravel a bureaucratic nightmare in Fran Wilde’s otherwise charming “Mayor for Today”; and find out whether a young crewmember should trust his “Hunches” in Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s thrilling new tale.

Robert Silverberg’s Reflections column celebrates “One Hundred Years of Robots”; James Patrick Kelly’s On the Net takes a look at humor and asks if we “Get It?”; Norman Spinrad’s On Books is “Out There” with Alan Dean Foster, James Gunn, and Brandon Q. Morris; plus we have an array of poetry and other features.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.

Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.

She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.

Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is solely for "A Rocket for Dimitrios" by Ray Nayler, nominated for the 2021 Locus Award for best novella. "Dimitrios" was the cover story for this issue. Look for it on other award ballots in 2022! Online copy: https://www.raynayler.net/a-rocket-fo...

A fine, complex story set around 1960 in an alternate Cold War, after the US and the Allies won WW2 decisively with alien technology from a crashed alien saucer found in a western US desert. Death Rays! Flying cars! Wonderful old-fashioned SF, with a humane heart and a lovely finish. An easy 4+ stars for me.

Preview snippet:
“So, you’re the girl that talks to dead people,” the ambassador had said as I came into his office that morning.

“Sir, I’m a combat veteran of the Second World War and the Afterwar. I was in General Hedy Lamarr’s Technical Corps. I pilot the loops, if that’s what you mean.” Maybe that would help him sort the word “girl” out of his speech.

Reread 4/6/24: I'm upping my rating to 4.5 stars. Not to be missed. This and the prequel novelette "The Disintegration Loops" are arguably Nayler's finest literary creation yet.

See https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... for my review of the prequel story.

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the January/February 2021 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction, one of the leading SFF pro-zines. I quite enjoyed this issue, most stories are quite good, even if there are no true gems. Here follows item-by-item review of the contents:

A Magical Eire [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams a general talk about the fact that COVID-19 prevented usual meetings and what great meetings the author had in the past. 2*
One Hundred Years of Robots [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg Capek’s play RUR, which introduced the term robot was premiered in 1921 and the author follows how robots changed in SF and how they entered our lives. 3*
Mars Rover, Curiosity poem by Jane Yolen
Get It? [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly an essay about problems of getting humor through in a written form, with several good humorous SF mentioned. 3*
A Rocket for Dimitrios [Sylvia Aldstatt] novella by Ray Nayler I think Nayler is one of the upcoming stars in modern SF, but quite possibly he’ll remain obscure because his stuff often lacks a social comment, so popular in modern SFF. This story is part of his retro-futuristic series, with a homage to golden ago of SF feel to them. the idea is that in 1938 the US found an alien ship and got tech often more sophisticated than even modern in the 1940s, to win the war and became a lone superpower. Now it is in the 1950s, FDR is on his 7th term. The protagonist of this story is Sylvia Aldstatt, an American woman who, out of ten people tried was the only one compatible with an alien machine that allows to read minds of recently deceased. She, with an OSS bodyguard, came to Turkey to read a mind of Dimitrios, a shady man, who served as a middleman between mafia, rebels, state, Nazi or anyone else ready to pay. He claimed that he knows where another alien ship fell and now everyone is to grab it. What follows is a story of Dimitrios as well as very high staked confrontation, including among others Elleanor Roosevelt. 4*
The Fear of Missing Out short story by Robert H. Cloake a shy introverted man uses ‘auto-personality’ to get into relations with another man, and faces a dilemma: when he is himself he quickly loses interest of his lover, while under auto-personality hew is just a voyeur of own life. 4*
In Memoriam: Mike Resnick (1942-2020) [Obituaries (Sheila Williams)] essay by Sheila Williams I haven’t read Resnick, but he seems a nice guy
No Stone Unturned novelette by Nick Wolven a woman returns to her husband and kid after being ‘beamed’ to another star and back. Her husband assumes she returned changed, seeks for a proof. A bit too long and wandering about its main point. 2*
The Three-Day Hunt short story by Robert R. Chase a veteran and his three-legged dog wander in the wild, to find a UFO (assumedly an experimental plane) and start following the pilot, who may be wounded and unhinged. A debut work, so has it weak parts in delivering motivations, but still nice. 3.5*
The Paper-Mâché Girl poem by Jane Yolen
Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes novelette by Suzanne Palmer a space station where envoys of different races meet. Once one of human delegation set other aliens to emit unpleasant smell to get other (uncouth) aliens to live. He was reprimanded and send away. Now, his body under an alias is found at the station and ill-mannered alien delegation is about to return. A nice an unique touch – all species try to dine together to improve relations. 3*
The Pig, Wilbur, to His Grandsons poem by Leslie J. Anderson
Hunches novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch some strange living meteorites hit a space ship that flew to a possible first contact. A protagonist is a sole lucky survivor on a bridge and he tries to get that strange glowing piece off the ship. 2.5*
Humans and Other People short story by Sean William Swanwick a man and a newly liberated robot work as salvagers. In a fire-burned hotel for the rich, they discover some strange robots, speaking Chinese. 2.5*
Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery novelette by Ted Kosmatka some people have power to slightly change probabilities of some events, e.g. fans by being present at the stadium may help their team to win. Rich people know that, seek for such talents and then guide them to desired result, de facto stealing people’s free will. Great concept, average execution. 3.5*
Within You and Without You poem by Robert Frazier
Mayor for Today novelette by Fran Wilde people get gig-jobs via app. A protagonist got a job to be a mayor of Chinese town for a day, but when he arrived, he finds out that there is a queue of gigsters like him, but mayor’s seat is filled (by an alien!), so no one can finish their gig to return home. 2.5*
I Didn't Buy It short story by Rahul Kanakia [as by Naomi Kanakia] a weird story about a person without a personality, almost killed at the start by some women, to whom he says he loves her… 2*
When I'm Thirty I Receive a Box Full of Your Steel Bones poem by Avra Margariti
The Realms of Water novella by Robert Reed the author notes at the start that once he wanted to write a story of Hannibal’s favorite elephant. And this story about an alien from a great past telling a story of conquest with allusion to Carthagian wars or Alexander’s conquests. 2*
Next Issue (Asimov's, January-February 2021) essay by uncredited
On Books: Out There (Asimov's, January-February 2021) [On Books] essay by Norman Spinrad
Thirty-Fifth Annual Readers' Award (Asimov's, January-February 2021) [Annual Readers' Award (Asimov's)] essay by uncredited
Index (Asimov's, Volume 44, January-February 2021) [Index (Asimov's)] essay by uncredited
SF Conventional Calendar (Asimov's, January-February 2021) essay by Erwin S. Strauss

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 4 out of 5]

In ‘A Rocket for Dimitrios’, 5/5, Ray Nayler torna nella sua amata Istanbul: qui non per un dolente cyberpunk come ‘Return to Red Castle’, ma per un frizzante racconto ambientato, come ‘The disintegration loops’ e ‘Father’ in numeri passati, in una realtà parallela in cui un disco volante è caduto in California nel ’38, rendendo disponibili agli USA tecnologie avanzate, che hanno permesso loro non solo di vincere la II Guerra Mondiale ma anche di respingere l’Armata Rossa fuori dall’Europa Orientale e far vincere Chiang Kai-Shek nella guerra civile cinese. Una di queste tecnologie permette di leggere in qualche misura il cervello dei morti, anche se pochissime persone sono in grado di sopravvivere a questo tipo di contatto. La protagonista è in grado di farlo, ma è spaventata dall’intrigo in cui si trova: per fortuna a consigliarla ci sono due donne coraggiose: Eleanor Roosevelt, che ha definitivamente abbandonato il marito dopo l’ennesimo mandato presidenziale, e niente meno che Hedy Lamarr, qui Generale in Capo al Genio Militare.. Spionaggio, storia alternativa, solida fantascienza e personaggi interessanti: davvero un autore da seguire.
‘The fear of missing out’ di Robert H. Cloake, 5/5, pone un interessante quesito: immaginiamo di poter installare in noi stessi personalità automatiche, che guidino il nostro viso e il nostro modo di parlare, e che quindi le nostre interazioni sociali proseguano con il pilota automatico; magari con più successo che se fossimo ‘spontanei’ e ‘veri’.. cosa sono, in fondo, spontaneità e sincerità? Davvero valori in sè, o solo una goffaggine tecnica? Quanto questa situazione è davvero più in là di quel che già facciamo, presentandoci con vestiti e atteggiamenti ben diversi da quelli che adottiamo nel nostro tempo libero, comunicando tramite modelli e template digitali? Ma soprattutto.. che fare, se il nostro alter ego automatico a più successo del ‘vero noi’? si intuisce che Cloake studia filosofia.
Da notare anche come è usato il tema dell’omosessualità: nei racconti di Asimov’s la presenza di individui e famiglie omosessuali è molto frequente, ma in genere è intesa a rappresentare una società in cui esistono anche queste persone, senza però approfondire; raramente fanno parte delle storie momenti caratteristici di una relazione omosessuale, come in questo caso.
Il tema dell’identità di genere ha anche le conseguenze linguistiche che sappiamo; a volte gli autori inventano nuovi generi di pronome o articolo possessivo per nuovi sessi alieni; parlando di umani, più spesso utilizzano il generico ‘they/their/them’ per il singolare. L’effetto può essere spiazzante, soprattutto quando capita per tre racconti consecutivi, oltre tutto con sfumature diverse: a volte per indicare la persona in transizione di sesso, altre volte solamente come impersonale per non specificare un sesso o genere se non lo si ritiene necessario [a dire il vero l’inglese avrebbe un pronome impersonale, ‘one..’ analogo al francese ‘on..’, al tedesco ‘man..’ e al nostro ‘si..’: ma credo sia considerato antiquato] [noto anche che l’italiano non è poi sempre la lingua che obbliga più di tutte a distinguere i sessi, perché è vero che decliniamo gli aggettivi, ma aggettivi e pronomi possessivi, dal latino ‘suus’, sono unisex: a differenza di his/her, seine/ihre, ecc.].
È senz’altro il caso in ‘Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes’ della bravissima Suzanne Palmer (4/5): come il racconto di Reed chr chiude il numero, è credo molto vanciano, almeno a quanto sento dire [purtroppo non ho mai letto Vance..], per la fantasia sfrenata e divertita nel descrivere alieni bizzarri ma funzionali alla storia, che in questo caso si svolge attraverso una serie di scene conviviali e gastronomiche: anche queste però spesso piuttosto aliene, e non necessariamente gradevoli per tutti i commensali.. la trama è da poliziesco: racconto decisamente brillante e divertente.
‘Mayor for Today’ di Fran Wilde (4/5) è un altro racconto dal bislacco ed efficace umorismo, precisissimo nel raccontare come la nostra vita nella ‘gig economy’ sarà regolata dalle applicazioni per i lavoretti temporanei e dai rating che riceveremo.. Noto anche l’ambientazione nella provincia cinese del Denzhai: questa terra e la sua cultura Miao sono apparsi anche in altri racconti degli ultimi numeri; immagino che quel governo regionale stia sponsorizzando racconti di fantascienza.
K.K.Rusch non è una scrittrice raffinata, ma molto efficace e brava nel variare stile e tecnica da un racconto all’altro. Dopo l’investigazione su incidente spaziale in forma di diario, di.. con ‘Hunches’ (4/5) torniamo alla Flotta e ai suoi sovrumani Ufficiali; ma protagonista stavolta è un quasi disadattato, un aspirante ufficiale le cui qualità non sono adeguatamente riconosciute: ha ottimi ‘presentimenti’ appunto, ma non sa spiegarli in maniera sufficientemente razionale ai suoi superiori [se no che presentimenti sarebbero, del resto?], il che gli ha guadagnato un’ingiusta fama di confusionario. Ma saranno proprio questi presentimenti a permettergli di salvare la nave e non solo, quando sarà sottoposto a un attacco di tipo imprevedibile.
Per quanto sia brava la Rusch, con Ted Kosmatka e la sua ‘Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery’ (5/5) siamo a un altro livello; oltre tutto un racconto totalmente diverso dal tragico e concettuale ‘The beast among the stars’ apparso pochi numeri fa. Rimane uno stile limpido e teso, colloquiale e raffinato nel passare dal gergo del baseball a raffinati neologismi [‘trebuchetic’, ‘didact’], per una storia che parte dalle statistiche del baseball, che come si sa sono le più complesse e ossessionanti tra i vari sport [e il baseball è il più ‘intellettuale’], per creare una delle più raffinate teorie del complotto che ricordi, affidata a due personaggi niente male!
‘Humans and Other People’ dell’esordiente Sean William Swanwick (4/5) è un divertente racconto di interazione tra un uomo e un robot, colleghi o meglio compari in una piccola impresa di recupero oggetti danneggiati: e ce ne sono molti, in questo prossimo futuro di inondazioni e incendi.. peccato che i metodi dei due ‘recuperatori’ ricordino più ‘La stangata’ che la fantascienza tecnologica. Un racconto animato e di umorismo sardonico.
‘I Didn’t Buy It’ di Naomi Kanakia [2/5] è un breve racconto sui sentimenti tra uomini e robot, scritto in uno stile straniante che ricorda la new wave di cinquant’anni fa, e che alla fine lascia la stessa perplessità.
- The Realms of Water by Robert Reed, [3/5]. Ancora una volta Robert Reed esibisce maestria: una storia liberamente ambientata nella sua Grande Nave, ispirata niente di meno che ad Annibale e ai suoi elefanti, per dare il punto di vista di un ’elefante’!, interpretato da un alieno di una specie gigantesca, che si nutre di cariche elettriche nei flussi delle piante, ed è utilizzata come punta di lancia negli eserciti di un’altra specie. Ambientazione grandiosa su un remoto pianeta in un lontano passato rispetto alla Grande Nave, bizzarra cornice della narrazione [l’alieno viene incontrato per caso da una donna dal torbido passato, momentaneamente allontanatasi da un bislacco veicolo necessario per affrontare un pellegrinaggio, momentaneamente guasto..], mix un po’ spiazzante tra stile aulico da annalista di un impero tra il romano e l’alieno e al tempo stesso precisione scientifica.. come sempre Reed mostra grande finezza, ma non riesce a giustificarmi il tempo speso nella lettura.

[Jeppe Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good entertaining issue with some great stories and some in-betweens.

The fiction starts of great by Ray Nayler with his novella "A Rocket for Dimitrios" which is set in the same alternate universe as "The Disintegration Loops" (available on the authors website at https://www.raynayler.net/sf-the-disi...) where the United States used alien tech from a crashed UFO to win the second world war in an overwhelmingly way, so we have a story taken place in the 1960's were the US is even more of a superpower in the world. We follow Sylvia who is the only one who has been capable of using some strange alien tech that makes it possible to see the last memories of a recently dead person. A skill that is highly valuable in crime investigations. In this story she needs to retrieve the memories of a man who may the location of another crashed UFO and the US government would really like to ensure that another country doesn't get a hold of the alien tech. This is just the frame for this very well told story that also explores some important and thought provoking questions about how the "good guys" can stay the good guys. There is a great interview with Ray Nayler at https://fromearthtothestars.com/2020/... about the story as well. 4/5.

"The Fear of Missing Out" by Robert H. Cloake is a pretty sad story about a very socially insecure guy who installs an "auto-personality" on himself, which makes an AI completely take over his body and speech, and he ends up getting a boyfriend this way. However, he can only experience his encounters by replaying everything afterwards. This reminded me a bit about the Black Mirror episode "White Christmas". Quite a sad story because the protagonist completely removes his own personality. However, I did have to stretch some believability in that his date wouldn't at least suspect that he was running on AI controlled software since it must be a known technology. 3/5.

"No Stone Unturned" by Nick Wolven is another sad story about loss of personality. The story follows Martin whose wife has been one of the first to be teleported to Ganymedes, but he thinks her personality has changed after she returned. The author explores the ramifications of this as well as Martins doubts and doesn't serve a single easy answer for the reader. There is lots of ambiguity about whether her personality was changed or not. All really really well told. Highly recommended. 5/5.

In “The Three-Day Hunt” by Robert R. Chase a military veteran and his dog is searching for a crashed UFO in the forest to help the possibly injured alien. The government is also present, which complicates things. While it is a nice story about wanting to help whoever is in need of help, I fail to understand the main character motivations for doing what he does. 2/5.

"Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes" by Suzanne Palmer is a fun action story in the style of an episode of Star Trek or The Orville. We follow a station commander aboard a space station dealing with many different alien species. A mysterious murder starts an investigating leading to a century old conflict between two races. It is resolved with a creative use of diplomacy (and revenge). It is written with a humorous vibe, but with a few changes it could also have been a pretty episode of Star Trek TOS. 4/5.

"Hunches" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a bit different in what I am used to by Rusch. It is sort of a poetic and melancholic story about some midlevel engineer on a starship that go by his hunches to save the rest of the ship and its crew, sacrificing himself in the proces. 3/5.

Sean William Swanwick makes a debut with "Humans and Other People" about a salvager and his intelligent robot companion. Trying to be quirky but didn't really work for me. 2/5.

Ted Kosmatka has an interesting premise in "Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery" where big cooperations are buying and selling people for specific jobs without their knowledge. They asses their unique skills and manipulate them into a specific job with various shady methods. The story follows Sarah who works as she doing field work on a possible candidate who can bring good luck to sports teams. However she may not be loyal to her employer any longer. The story has an important message about free will and manipulation in world run on algorithms and cooperate greed, but I found the general premise of special people having these kind of almost magical powers in their job to be a tad unbelievable. Still very much enjoyed reading it. 4/5.

"Mayor for Today" by Fran Wilde also deals about a possible future of work where the only way for many people to make a living is to get day-to-day jobs, or gigs, through an app called GigTime. Victor is sent to a province in China to be literally mayor for one day, however when he gets there, things are a bit out of control in an unexpected way. A reasonable entertaining story about people just trying to make a living in a crazy world and the plot goes unexpected places. 4/5.

“I Didn’t Buy It” by Naomi Kanakia is an interesting piece about the an AI that is no longer needed because its owner has died. It is a bit confusing though. 2/5.

Robert Reed has another story set in The Great Ship universe with “The Realms of Water”, though it doesn't require much knowledge about his other stories. It is a riff story on Hannibal from the Roman Empire and his elephants set in an alien setting. Reed writes well as usual, but I found this story to be rather boring. 2/5.

[Gerhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't connect to the Robert Reed tale, a big chunk of this issue. Interesting world-building, but no emotional resonance with the characters.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved "A Rocket for Dimitrios" by Ray Nayler - available on the author's website. Thanks to Peter Tillman for bringing this one to my attention!

Update Jan 2024: I listened to Fran Wilde's story "Mayor for Today" on the Asimov's podcast and it's an excellent story... and also sometimes the dystopia of gig economies and the grinding wheels of bureaucracy and capitalism feel a bit closer to home than is comfortable to read fiction about. It ends on a hopeful note and I still enjoyed it, though.

[Alex Zoubine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've generally tried to leave out spoilers, but if you do not want any hint of what is in this issue, please don't read my reviews below.

Overall issue rating (as an average of rated stories): 3.3
Favorite story in this issue: "No Stone Unturned"

NOVELLA
"A Rocket for Dimitrios" 4/5
Ray Nayler's story is wonderfully layered, taking in the whole sweep of complexity of such a place as mid-century Turkey. Reading this story, I would almost not even call it alternative history so much as parallel history. America is blessed (cursed) with technology that doesn't just allow it to play a leading role in post WWII-Europe, but one that allows it to dominate the entire globe. And the powers in Washington will do nothing to keep it that way.
Except there is a secret out in the waters of the Black Sea that threaten the US's hegemony. One that only the main character can decipher through a skill that almost no one has: reading the minds of the dead (with technology of course).
For a relatively straight-forward concept, Nayler does a great job of building and sustaining tension and creating a compelling character that keeps me reading. Best of all, he does a fantastic job of weaving an incredibly, almost indescribably intricate and detailed setting that lives and breathes in its own right. Easily a highlight of the issue - and rightly the cover-image, too.

"The Realms of Water" 2.5/5
As I read this story, I quickly came to realize it's a essentially a retelling of the Punic wars between Rome and Carthage with Anibas as Hanibal, Surus as his giant elephant, the Mistrals as the Carthaginians, the City of Promises as Rome and so on.
The story is told in the framed-style, with Surus telling the story to another long-lived being: Quee Lee.
For my taste, I would have liked the story to be a little less explicitly retelling the Punic wars story. I also wasn't entirely certain what the framed-story style added to the telling except that it allowed what otherwise would have been massive amounts of exposition to become re-told dialog.
Overall, however, I did enjoy the writing style.

NOVELETTES
"No Stone Unturned" 4.5/5
I enjoyed the pacing and arc of this story. I thought the concept was really good and definitely made me think as I was reading it. What I think I loved most of all was the way the story doubled back on itself - after convincing me that Anna was broken, the story turned around and showed how maybe she isn't. In so doing, it artfully, pointed out all the times that relationships change and one or the other person didn't want it to. And maybe it has nothing to do with technology in the first place... Beautifully done.

"Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes" 2/5
A bit like Murder on the Orient Express - except it's a space station and it's full of aliens. The writing style reminds me a lot of Becky Chambers' works like "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet."
Unfortunately, this story felt too full for me - too many characters, many of them playing only bit roles, and descriptions of aliens that seemed a bit too silly for my taste.
The story was impressively complex for the comparatively small amount of real estate it takes up - but that works against the story more than for it as I never really end up feeling very close to any of the characters.

"Hunches" 4/5
Always a fan of Rusch's work. It's always a delight to realize I'm back in the Diving universe. It comes at you stealthily - the word anacapa. Buried but there - its power radiating through the rest of the story. The more you know about it all, the more it all makes sense.
Anyway - just as with Rusch's other stories - I admire this one for its pacing, for its rich universe and the way it makes me feel for the character in such a very short span of time.

"Shy Sarah and the Draft Lottery Pick" 3.5/5
What a fun story. I have always enjoyed stories about "the lucky ones." This story takes that theme and extends it into more mundane aspects of life - such as watching (not playing!) sports, or being a housekeeper or bartender. "There are people who just can't be sued, it seems. Anything they touch, the law just rolls off. It's one of the most sought-after talents."
The third chapter is where things come apart for me a little bit. Sarah sends the main character to Texas but I'm not sure why or what the implication of that decision is. It seems to be a weighty and risky move but I simply don't understand what makes it important. Sadly, that bumps the overall score down for me by half a point.

"Mayor for Today" 4/5
This story went from realistic dystopian to hilarious and slapstick...and it kept me guessing and delighted the whole way through. What happens when you take Uber-everything to the extreme? Why, being Mayor for the day, of course!
Anyway, I enjoyed the story and the ending was really nice as well. Would recommend.

SHORT STORIES
"The Fear of Missing Out" 4.5/5
I feel like this story is an excellent example of including representation in fiction without pandering. A character uses technology to cover up for shyness and social ineptitude - but in doing so, essentially gives up control of his life/body for those periods of time. Is it worth it? Is it what he wants? The story raises lots of questions and hints at possible answers to some of them. I really liked this story and would recommend it as a read.

"The Three-Day Hunt" 1.5/5
At risk of being a spoiler, the story is about: an army veteran tracks an alien and makes peaceful contact. The alien doesn't understand the relationship between people and dogs.
I think the story tries to go through the story of how the man and dog ended up together and why they are important to one another but from my reading, the story never transcended the well-worn tropes and was too short to explore the concepts at a deep enough level to leave me especially satisfied.

"Humans and Other People" 3/5
For me, this story had the gritty post-environmental-collapse feel + characters we all expect from this kind of story mixed with a sassy robot and a mystery.
Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the story - the special robots - are introduced at nearly the end of the story and are neither explored much nor developed. It remains as it is, an interesting idea. While there is some charm to that, I'd still rather have explored it further.

"I Didn't Buy it" 3/5
Interesting story with a meta-narrative. The way the story is told makes one wonder if perhaps Reznikov was a person - or something like that - and the narrator is just unreliable or holds some sort of grudge. It's a fairly unique take on story-telling.

[Michael Frasca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are my favorite stories from the Jan/Feb 2021 issue of Asimov's. Nice theme with the last four stories all addressing the question of personhood.

- Rocket for Dimitrios by Ray Nayler.
A return to the alt-history of alien tech found in the 1938 American SW; riding the memory loops of a dead informant to find a second saucer. How can you have a balance of power with only one power?

- The Realms of Water by Robert Reed.
“The smell of sweet electric!” On a long desert journey, there are sure to be Many epic stories shared. But their stopover host has an even Grander tale to tell. A Quee Lee Great Ship saga.

- Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes by Suzanne Palmer.
Diplomatic pranks, stowaways, and skullduggery—with fruit. By Guug, I want a plump!

- Hunches by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Trusting your hunches can change you from being in the wrong place and time to the right place and time.

- Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery by Ted Kosmatka.
Imagine sports teams being able to draft those rare fans who can actually help them win. Now, imagine how corporations would leverage that talent to their bottom-line advantage. Finally, imagine what kind of scout would identify that kind of talent.

- Mayor for Today by Fran Wilde.
The algorithm never lies; lost and entangled in the gig economy. The mayoral gig comes with a catch—the best there is! A fun read.

- The Three-Day Hunt by Robert R. Chase.
In my view dogs are junior members of our society and I suspect that the author agrees. Don’t believe me? Ask the ET.

- Humans and Other People by Sean William Swanwick.
Mitchell and Simone are the Hap and Leonard of licensed scavengers—except he’s the straight man and she is the sardonic robot. Some folks are reluctant to turn around and give the person behind them a hand up.

- I Didn’t Buy It by Naomi Kanakia.
Questions for discussion:
1. Whose viewpoint is the story told from?
2. Who is the "I" of the title?
3. Which character shows the greatest growth?
4. What is your definition of “person” at the beginning of the story? At the end?
5. Are you a person?

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

After FDR’s U.S. gained a technological edge using crashed saucer tech, they pushed back the Axis to achieve a pax americana, but it’s imperiled by the discovery of a second saucer. Sylvia Alstatt is brought in to try to read the dead brain of the information seller Demetrios using alien tech and locate the missing saucer. But is it the right thing to do? General Hedy Lamarr and Eleanor Roosevelt don’t think so. Alternate intrigue from Ray Nayler in “A Rocket For Demetrios”. A human killed on a diplomatic station, a long-standing hostility between two rival species, and the galaxy’s most delicious fruit are the ingredients for Suzanne Palmer’s entertaining tale “Table Etiquette For Diplomatic Personnel, In Seventeen Scenes”, and a suspected problem with matter transmission on the human psyche is the basis for the engaging “No Stone Unturned” by Nick Wolven. Ames becomes aware, through a ‘chance’ meeting at a baseball game, that there exist influencers of outcomes and that he is one of them. His scout has her own ideas about who Ames should play for though in Ted Kosmatka’s “Shy Sarah And The Draft-Pick Lottery”, and Robert Reed closes the issue with the tale of Surus, last of the Grand Many, who meets the old human Quee Lee in the Great Ship, and regales her with his amazing life story in “The Realms Of Water”.

[Kaiju Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best issues of Asimov's I've read in ages.

"A Rocket for Dimitrios" was excellent, better than the earlier story "The Disintegration Loops" published in Nov/Dec 2019, but may have been assisted by my having read that one. Go back and read Loops first if you can, if not, no problem.

"Table Etiquette..." by Suzanne Palmer is one of the better stories I've read in a while. Hilarious. Adventurous. Great aliens. Great characters. Great story.

"Shy Sarah" another great read. Three 4+ stars in one issue?! Unheard of!!

By the time I got around to the Robert Reed story, I was ready to have a party. It did let me down though. Very dense. Difficult to read. I ultimately enjoyed it but imagine it will be a struggle for some.

The rest of the stories are good. I liked "Mayor for the Day" and "Humans and Other People".

Nothing here really straight out failed for me... well, except Spinrad's review column. This was poor and frankly, many of his review sections in previous issues have included POD and Amazon freebies that he's reviewed favorably and were flat out unreadable. Proceed with caution.

Thanks for a great issue though. Looking forward to the next one.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though there are a couple/few stories in this issue that I didn’t care much for, the vast majority were really excellent. A great start to 2021 for Asimov’s.

“A Rocket for Dimitrios” by Ray Nayler — Increasingly liking the fiction from Nayler and his translations, and this alternate history is no different. A follow up to his previous story “The Disintegration Loops”, the foundation for this alternate world is the discovery of alien technology in the early 1930s and its implementation in US over the ensuing three decades. The alien tech provides amazing things, but humanity still has a poor grasp on how any of it works. The technological advancements have also brought heightened paranoia and authoritarianism to the US under seven-termed (if I recall correctly) President FDR. Standing against the patriarchal US government and the directions it continues to follow are a group of women, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Hedy Lamarr. So, I still haven’t mentioned the actual plot to this story, but honestly its a MacGuffin to explore some great themes and characters in this altverse.

“The Realms of Water” by Robert Reed — Falls into the category of SF writer of a certain age becoming enamored with European history (Roman) and transposing some part of that into SF/Fantasy retelling. This unfortunately seems to happen a lot. The very prolific Reed always writes well. But this was just not a story I found interesting, and it took up way too much space in this issue. On the other hand, at least he didn’t go the alternate history route.

“No Stone Unturned” by Nick Wolven — An exploration of the possible effects that teleportation technology might have on humans, this is top notch SF with both speculative elements, a good dose of science and a human element at its heart. A man becomes concerned about his wife who has been part of a program testing transporter technology. She seems more distant, and forgetful of their child. But, is this an effect of the transporter process as one conspiracy guru claims, or is there something more basic and ageless going on here? Highly recommended.

“Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes” by Suzanne Palmer — A murder aboard a human alliance space station with several visiting alien species has possible connection to an old conflict between two groups, and the cuisine selections that must be diplomatically selected/prepared to avoid insulting – or poisoning – any species. Fun, and slyly written, any Trek fan should enjoy this as well.

“Hunches” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch — An engineer on the bridge of a starship is saved from horrible death by going with gut and donning a pressure suit just before sudden crisis unfolds. With nothing transpiring as it should, the disoriented engineer continues to use his hunches to save the ship and surviving crew. A more contained and limited story than I’m used to seeing from Rusch. It is by no means bad, but I also didn’t find it that striking or perceptive.

“Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery” by Ted Kosmatka — Set in a world – or maybe reality! – where the top echelons of society control people and events according to powerful statistical models much like sabermetrics is used for baseball scouting and plans. An abnormally shy woman who has skills in scouting for prospects that can bring a statistical edge (luck) to situations risks her position and life by telling a prospect the truth about how the world is run and what those in power will do to maintain their edge. Great idea in this story and superb execution.

“Mayor for Today” by Fran Wilde — Concept of a world-wide gig economy taken to extremes. Wilde goes with this idea in interesting directions and as usual writes a compelling and entertaining story. It mixes absurd humor with political critique and sympathetic characterization of individuals struggling to survive in a system.

“The Fear of Missing Out” by Robert H. Cloake — A socially awkward man begins to use new auto-personality technology to navigate difficult situations, like talking to an attractive man he happens to meet. While it’s running most sensory input is lost to him, but he can rewatch what has occurred while on ‘auto-pilot’ afterward, having retaken primary control of his body/mind. Success at winning a date leads him on a path to further dependence on the technology so that primary control actually becomes the unwanted exception. A poignant take on technology dependency and avoiding uncomfortable situations.

“The Three-Day Hunt” by Robert R. Chase — Well written story about a war veteran and his dog going on a search for the pilot of a crashed UFO. At first uncertain if it is something extraterrestrial or human military-based, the man soon gets word that its an intelligent alien species out there in the woods and he should disengage to leave first contact to the professionals and high muckety-mucks. The story ends with a clever observation, and it is an enjoyable enough read. But there’s not really much here beyond the surface level.

“Humans and Other People” by Sean William Swanwick — A pair of scavengers (human and robot) who loot sites in a post-climate-disaster NE USA encounter unexpected complications in a fire-ravaged building in Philly. The concept and start of this seemed real promising, but then I felt it muddled with a voice/style I just never really could get behind.

“I Didn’t Buy It” by Naomi Kanakia — A short story on the concept of identity and perspective and relationships. I really didn’t care for the style, and in fact, didn’t buy it.

The issue also features poetry by Jane Yolen, Leslie J. Anderson, Robert Frazier, and Avra Margariti. Editorial by Sheila Williams, Reflection “One Hundred Years of Robots” by Robert Silerberg, Internet Column by James Patrick Kelly, and Book Reviews by Norman Spinrad and In Memoriam for Mike Resnick. Also includes In Memoriam for Mike Resnick, Readers’ Award Ballot, 2020 Index, and SF Convention Calendar.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal reading notes:

(1) A Rocket for Dimitrios - Ray Nayler (cover story)
Alt-history set in the 1950s, after the US wins WWII with the help of alien tech. There's a rumor floating around that there's a second saucer crash site and the Russians are closing in, so the US government brings in a sensitive with the ability to read the memories of dead people. Sylvia delves into the memories of the mysterious Dimitrios to learn if there truly is a second saucer and its possible crash site. I liked this story a lot, though it was difficult to pick up on the full context of the story, as it is at least the second in a series. The previous story was published in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue.

(2) The Fear of Missing Out - Robert H Clarke
A man turns on his "autopersonality" - originally designed to make one more efficient at work by automating redundant tasks - to get himself a love life. He realizes that his boyfriend likes the autopersonality and would not like the "real" him, so he makes the ultimate decision to turn it on every time he meets with him. An interesting look at the idea of constantly being able to control the front we show to the world - and what it means to be a passenger in our own lives.

(3) No Stone Unturned - Nick Wolven
A look at the potential consequences of teleportation and interplanetary travel. I didn't quite "get" this one.

(4) The Three Day Hunt - Robert R. Chase
A military vet and his dog track an alien in the mountainous wasteland of the western US. The alien takes an interest in seeing two different species working together. Both sides draw help - the military for the human, some similar group for the alien - and the end is left open after first contact is made. I enjoyed this story a great deal; we are so used to animals being our constant companions that it is striking to take a step away and see how strange it really is!

(5) Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes - Suzanne Palmer*
A very funny tale of interplanetary diplomacy, with a murder mystery and an assassination plot to boot. Such fun with all of the different alien species, and the end is a perfect chef's kiss. Would definitely read more by this author!!

(6) Hunches - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
DNF. I couldn't stand being in the head of such a scattered, indecisive main character.

(7) Humans and Other People - Sean William Swanick
Debut story for this author. An odd story about a human/robot "urban salvage" team (aka looters). who help Chinese espionage robots regain power after a devastating fire to a building in Philly. I'm not sure I understand what the point is, but this was a very readable story. I'd try this author's work again.

(8) Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery - Ted Kosmatka*
Shyness as a superpower? I can dig it! Speculative fiction combining superfans, baseball sabermetrics, and introverted sensitivity. What if sports teams drafted their fans, without said people even knowing it? Excellent story, even for someone who is not a baseball fan, LOL.

(9) Mayor for Today - Fran Wilde*
An amusing story of what would happen if the gig economy was taken to extremes - and how humans still have the ingenuity of beating automation at its own game.

(10) I Didn't Buy It - Naomi Kanakia
A speculative fiction story about the inevitability of romantic relationships between humans and robots - and how its not so different from human/human relationships. The ending was a bit abrupt, and as a romance reader, I didn't really buy the scenario.

(11) The Realms of Water - Robert Reed
A philosophical novella about the tedium of war. Interesting, but a little confusing for me, who doesn't have a lot of experience with philosophical science fiction.

[Denise Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good stuff in this issue. "Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes" is a murder mystery set on a space ship and involves food & dining customs amongstvarious species. "Mayor for Today" takes the gig economy and automation, extrapolates it, and explores the mayhem caused. "Humans and Other People" find a human and a "Mobile Anthroform" salvaging stuff in Philadelphia. "Shy Sarah..." posits the existence of people who bring luck to a team or an event merely by their attendance. "The Realms of Water" tells the story of a great battle from the point of view of the great beast drafted to aid the warrior.

There is more, including some interesting poetry--so an issue with something for everyone.

[Anita]

Listened to Fran Wilde’s “Mayor for Today” on futuristic gig jobs and being sent to China to be mayor of Danzhai. Rather entertaining—it became intergalactic with aliens! That was unexpected on my end. The story was a bit drawn out in terms of pacing, but I enjoyed the premise and the various cultural details and everyday activities of intermingling that painted a rich setting. The plot twist was pretty cool and unexpected.
3.5/5

This was spotlighted in the podcast. Didn't get a chance yet to read the other stories/novelettes.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A (excellent):

A Rocket for Dimitrios by Ray Nayler
No Stone Unturned by Nick Wolven
Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery by Ted Kosmatka

B (very good):

Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in 17 Scenes by Suzanne Palmer
Hunches by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Mayor for Today by Fran Wilde
The Three-Day Hunt by Robert R Chase
Humans & Other People by Sean William Swanwick

C (average):

The Realms of Water by Robert Reed

D (poor):

The Fear of Missing Out by Robert H Cloake
I Didn't Buy It by Naomi Kanakia

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novellas:
A Rocket for Dimitrios - 4/5
The Realms of Water - 4/5

Novelettes:
No Stone Unturned - 4/5
Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel, in Seventeen Scenes - 3/5
Hunches - 2/5
Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery - 3/5
Mayor for Today - 3/5

Short Stories:
The Fear of Missing Out - 2/5
The Three-Day Hunt - 2/5
Humans and Other People - 3/5
I Didn't Buy It - 4/5

[Mark Catalfano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "The Three Day Hunt" by Robert R. Chase.

[Luis F. Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are definitely some authors in here to watch out for. The science fiction essay by one of the editors was fantastic.

[Bradism · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highlights:
A Rocket for Dimitrios
Hunches
Shy Sarah and the Draft Pick Lottery

[Ken Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Table Etiquette for Diplomatic Personnel in Seventeen Scenes - Suzanne Palmer

An enjoyable novelette, where revenge, diplomacy and murder stalk the halls stalk the halls of Kenyon Station, where Commander Ennie Niagara must prevent violent disagreement between the delegations of the demanding and odious Joxto and the fruit loving Okgono (in between snacks and a smorgasbord of multispecies delicacies).

But the chance discovery of a serendipitous stowaway on the station reveals the dirty secret of covered up crimes by the visiting aliens, and allows poetic justice to be provided. Well, as much as is possible under the circumstances anyway.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just read the one story - it's quite good! (the link above it for Peter Tillman's review which is good in itself.