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Astounding/Analog
Analog Science Fiction & Fact, January/February 2022
Vol. CXXXXII, No. 1 & 2.
Serial:
COMMUNION, Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu
Novelettes:
THE LOBSTER POT, Tony Ballantyne
WIND GETS HER OWN PLACE, Joe M. McDermott
CLOUDCHASER, Tom Jolly
Short stories:
SPLITTING A DOLLAR, Meghan Hyland
CHARIOTEER, Ted Rabinowitz
ORIENTATION, Adam-Troy Castro
BY THE LAKE WHERE WE FIRST LOVED, Paul Starkey
THE BUMBLEBEE AND THE BERRY, M. Bennardo
THE WAY BACK, Jen Downes
DIX DAYTON AND THE MINER FROM MARS, Liz A. Vogel
DOE NO HARM, Louis Evans
YELLOW BOOTS, Stephen L. Burns
A LIVING PLANET, Benjamin C. Kinney
PATIENCE, David Cederstrom
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Rachel S. Bernstein
A FISTFUL OF MONOPOLES, Raymund Eich
Flash fiction:
SOROBORUO HARBORMASTER’S LOG, David Whitaker
ON THE ROCKS, Ian Randal Strock
Science fact:
THE SCIENCE BEHIND KEPLER’S LAWS, Jay Werkheiser
Special feature:
SCIENCE FICTION MEETS SCIENCE FACT: THE ROBOTS OF ANCIENT INDIA, Brishti Guha
Poetry:
HAM, Holly Day
WHAT ONCE WAS PITCH BLACK, G.O. Clark
Departments:
GUEST EDITORIAL: THE (SOMETIMES) REALITY OF “I TOLD YOU SO,” Richard A. Lovett
IN TIMES TO COME
THE ALTERNATE VIEW, John G. Cramer
GUEST REFERENCE LIBRARY, Sean CW Korsgaard
GUEST REFERENCE LIBRARY, Shinjini Dey
BRASS TACKS
2021 INDEX
ANALYTICAL LABORATORY BALLOT
UPCOMING EVENTS, Anthony Lewis.
【 PREVIOUS ISSUE ← January/February 2022 → NEXT ISSUE 】
Serial:
COMMUNION, Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu
Novelettes:
THE LOBSTER POT, Tony Ballantyne
WIND GETS HER OWN PLACE, Joe M. McDermott
CLOUDCHASER, Tom Jolly
Short stories:
SPLITTING A DOLLAR, Meghan Hyland
CHARIOTEER, Ted Rabinowitz
ORIENTATION, Adam-Troy Castro
BY THE LAKE WHERE WE FIRST LOVED, Paul Starkey
THE BUMBLEBEE AND THE BERRY, M. Bennardo
THE WAY BACK, Jen Downes
DIX DAYTON AND THE MINER FROM MARS, Liz A. Vogel
DOE NO HARM, Louis Evans
YELLOW BOOTS, Stephen L. Burns
A LIVING PLANET, Benjamin C. Kinney
PATIENCE, David Cederstrom
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Rachel S. Bernstein
A FISTFUL OF MONOPOLES, Raymund Eich
Flash fiction:
SOROBORUO HARBORMASTER’S LOG, David Whitaker
ON THE ROCKS, Ian Randal Strock
Science fact:
THE SCIENCE BEHIND KEPLER’S LAWS, Jay Werkheiser
Special feature:
SCIENCE FICTION MEETS SCIENCE FACT: THE ROBOTS OF ANCIENT INDIA, Brishti Guha
Poetry:
HAM, Holly Day
WHAT ONCE WAS PITCH BLACK, G.O. Clark
Departments:
GUEST EDITORIAL: THE (SOMETIMES) REALITY OF “I TOLD YOU SO,” Richard A. Lovett
IN TIMES TO COME
THE ALTERNATE VIEW, John G. Cramer
GUEST REFERENCE LIBRARY, Sean CW Korsgaard
GUEST REFERENCE LIBRARY, Shinjini Dey
BRASS TACKS
2021 INDEX
ANALYTICAL LABORATORY BALLOT
UPCOMING EVENTS, Anthony Lewis.
【 PREVIOUS ISSUE ← January/February 2022 → NEXT ISSUE 】
212 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2021
7 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 13, 2022
This is a fresh, January-February 2022 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. As always, there are some good ‘hard’ SF works, scientific and less so facts.
The (Sometimes) Reality of "I Told You So" [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett despite about issues connected with global warming scientists talked since the late 19th (!) century we still drag our legs on the subject. The problem is that evolutionary we aren’t evolved to solve long-term issues by sacrificing short-term utility. 3*
Communion novella by Jay Werkheiser and Frank Wu two points of view, one of (an alien) sentient marco-cell, which is a communion with other cells in a manner our brain cells (and not only them) exchange information – by specific protein ‘messengers’ Therefore its story is filled with description of cell work, e.g. Thinkers in the main cluster inform me that this is an old protein, as indicated by its degraded tails. Possibly it was passed from one colony to another, from far down the magnetic field.. The other POV is of human on a cargo ship, whose ship collided with ice world where the cell was frozen, accidentally reviving it. A nice idea but boring execution. 2*
The Science Behind Kepler's Laws [Kepler's Law] essay by Jay Werkheiser in the previous two issues the novel was published about a human colony on a new habitable planet. This essay talks about how the life evolved differently (less nitro in atmosphere, proteins are more expensive, no shift from RNA to DNA, all being able to horizontally transfer RNA). It is written partially in and partially out of within story style, so sometimes there are ‘strange claims like When the only life known was life that evolved on Earth, the specific codes could have been considered a product of happenstance. But with the discovery of two worlds using the same code, it seems evident that there is some biochemical advantage that these particular codes have over other combinations.. Interesting and shows that the author thought a lot about the science part. 4*
The Lobster Pot novelette by Tony Ballantyne a team of humans on a space ship are asked to enter the device left by an alien race that vanished long ago, but left artifacts, one of which is referred to as a lobster pot: “Why do they call them lobster pots?"
“It’s an old Earth reference. People used to weave a basket with a narrow entrance and place a little mirror inside. side. The lobster would be attracted inside by its reflection and then find itself unable to leave." in such pots over 1000 humans entered but only 5 returned. 3.5*
Splitting a Dollar short story by Maghan Hyland a couple moves on the Moon in old spacesuits to a storage of old knowledge and they are observed by a narrator, who seems to be an AI. The mankind reached the stars but then degraded. They seek old knowledge - So. let s examine the choice Amy and Brad will make—the stakes of the game they ’ll play against each other…On the one hand, a bacteria that consumes river mud and excretes gold. Brad’s choice. On the other, the augment, which both enhances human cognition and emphasizes reason over reaction. This is the prize among prizes, the thing that will bootstrap humanity back onto its path to greatness. This is the gift I was built to contain, and it will be Amy's choice. The story lack details even if the premise is interesting. 3*
Charioteer short story by Ted Rabinowitz a former astronaut, imprisoned by cryptoclastic corporations is sent to participate in solar-wind race, but her equipment slowly fails. 3*
Orientation short story by Adam-Troy Castro a monologue of an alien entity that created a copy of you for its purposes, which it details. It is several times interrupted by [you], who suggest that it is something or other from SF, but [you] err. 3.5*
By the Lake Where We First Loved short story by Paul Starkey a couple of astronauts, who were part of the first team on Titan, they drift apart as all media lights are on him, while she is forgotten. 3*
Soroboruo Harbormaster's Log short story by David Whitaker (2020's) a flash fiction, about a score of entries, spanning 10 millennia of various ships reaching a colony world. A homage to many colonists' stories. 4*
Science Fiction Meets Science Fact: The Robots of Ancient India [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Brishi Guha states that ancient India had a rich literature featuring stories about robots, dating back over a millennia. In fact, there were enough of these stories that according to scholar and professor Signe Cohen, the "robot tale" forms a genre of its own in ancient Indian literature. It is interesting, but I’m unsure that any metallic android that can follow orders (or even just look like real thing) should be named a robot. 3*
The Bumblebee and the Berry short story by M. Bennardo a generation ship made within a hollow asteroid for the fifth time tries to enter an orbit over their expected colony planet. Each try adds to decades to their travel and therefor their current leader established more diverse and reach environment on the ship including blackerries and bees. 4*
The Way Back short story by Jen Downes a girl wanted to go in space since her childhood and her life story. 3*
Dix Dayton and the Miner from Mars short story by Liz A. Vogel a humorous tale about a man on an asteroid habitat, that won (not exactly honestly) a lot of money from a newcomer from Mars and that newcomer is an inventor and gave his invention as a collateral till he gets needed funds to repay his card debt. The invention appeared a bit too self-sufficient. 3*
Do No Harm short story by Louis Evans a medical story in a near future where you can ask to hide your personal data and this may create a problem if you are wounded and unconscious delivered to emergency care, which ought to use inefficient humans instead of efficient machines trying to save you. 3.5*
Yellow Boots short story by Stephen L. Burns a near future where the protagonist is a not very bright man paired up with a robot working in the sale of drinking water. One of the clients hints that the water may be contaminated with saltwater… 3*
A Living Planet short story by Benjamin C. Kinney a man records video messages for his wife on her way to Mars but recently her ship stopped responding. Meanwhile they on Earth orbit encounter UFO. 2.5*
Patience short story by David Cederstrom written initially from a POV of a predator creature that sees new potential victims walking on two legs and even having fingers like it. 2.5*
On the Rocks short story by Ian Randal Strock a flash-fic narratee by a billionaire who decided to fight global warming by dropping ice asteroids on Earth. 3*
Fermionic Transversable Wormholes [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer supersmall wormwholes, wide enough for an electron…
The Middle of Nowhere short story by Rachel S. Bernstein a woman works in preventing illegal usage of a version of ‘beaming’ fighting maybe contraband but what if illegal migrants, eliminating these people… 3*
A Fistful of Monopoles short story by Raymund Eich two guys try to salvage items from derelict ship of long extinguished alien race. 3*
Wind Gets Her Own Place novelette by J. M. McDermott a teen appears on a new human colony, loses her mom to de-freezing, hates mom’s boyfriend, a lot of teens angst in a colony that tries to survive. 2*
Ham poem by Holly Day
Cloudchaser novelette by Tom Jolly a nice story, the first plot like about a younger son of a king on some planet – his older brother is a spoiled brat and he starts to collect unique things. The second plot is about a couple that developed a yeast to make ‘empathic wine’. 3.5*
What Once Was Pitch Black poem by G. O. Clark
The (Sometimes) Reality of "I Told You So" [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett despite about issues connected with global warming scientists talked since the late 19th (!) century we still drag our legs on the subject. The problem is that evolutionary we aren’t evolved to solve long-term issues by sacrificing short-term utility. 3*
Communion novella by Jay Werkheiser and Frank Wu two points of view, one of (an alien) sentient marco-cell, which is a communion with other cells in a manner our brain cells (and not only them) exchange information – by specific protein ‘messengers’ Therefore its story is filled with description of cell work, e.g. Thinkers in the main cluster inform me that this is an old protein, as indicated by its degraded tails. Possibly it was passed from one colony to another, from far down the magnetic field.. The other POV is of human on a cargo ship, whose ship collided with ice world where the cell was frozen, accidentally reviving it. A nice idea but boring execution. 2*
The Science Behind Kepler's Laws [Kepler's Law] essay by Jay Werkheiser in the previous two issues the novel was published about a human colony on a new habitable planet. This essay talks about how the life evolved differently (less nitro in atmosphere, proteins are more expensive, no shift from RNA to DNA, all being able to horizontally transfer RNA). It is written partially in and partially out of within story style, so sometimes there are ‘strange claims like When the only life known was life that evolved on Earth, the specific codes could have been considered a product of happenstance. But with the discovery of two worlds using the same code, it seems evident that there is some biochemical advantage that these particular codes have over other combinations.. Interesting and shows that the author thought a lot about the science part. 4*
The Lobster Pot novelette by Tony Ballantyne a team of humans on a space ship are asked to enter the device left by an alien race that vanished long ago, but left artifacts, one of which is referred to as a lobster pot: “Why do they call them lobster pots?"
“It’s an old Earth reference. People used to weave a basket with a narrow entrance and place a little mirror inside. side. The lobster would be attracted inside by its reflection and then find itself unable to leave." in such pots over 1000 humans entered but only 5 returned. 3.5*
Splitting a Dollar short story by Maghan Hyland a couple moves on the Moon in old spacesuits to a storage of old knowledge and they are observed by a narrator, who seems to be an AI. The mankind reached the stars but then degraded. They seek old knowledge - So. let s examine the choice Amy and Brad will make—the stakes of the game they ’ll play against each other…On the one hand, a bacteria that consumes river mud and excretes gold. Brad’s choice. On the other, the augment, which both enhances human cognition and emphasizes reason over reaction. This is the prize among prizes, the thing that will bootstrap humanity back onto its path to greatness. This is the gift I was built to contain, and it will be Amy's choice. The story lack details even if the premise is interesting. 3*
Charioteer short story by Ted Rabinowitz a former astronaut, imprisoned by cryptoclastic corporations is sent to participate in solar-wind race, but her equipment slowly fails. 3*
Orientation short story by Adam-Troy Castro a monologue of an alien entity that created a copy of you for its purposes, which it details. It is several times interrupted by [you], who suggest that it is something or other from SF, but [you] err. 3.5*
By the Lake Where We First Loved short story by Paul Starkey a couple of astronauts, who were part of the first team on Titan, they drift apart as all media lights are on him, while she is forgotten. 3*
Soroboruo Harbormaster's Log short story by David Whitaker (2020's) a flash fiction, about a score of entries, spanning 10 millennia of various ships reaching a colony world. A homage to many colonists' stories. 4*
Science Fiction Meets Science Fact: The Robots of Ancient India [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Brishi Guha states that ancient India had a rich literature featuring stories about robots, dating back over a millennia. In fact, there were enough of these stories that according to scholar and professor Signe Cohen, the "robot tale" forms a genre of its own in ancient Indian literature. It is interesting, but I’m unsure that any metallic android that can follow orders (or even just look like real thing) should be named a robot. 3*
The Bumblebee and the Berry short story by M. Bennardo a generation ship made within a hollow asteroid for the fifth time tries to enter an orbit over their expected colony planet. Each try adds to decades to their travel and therefor their current leader established more diverse and reach environment on the ship including blackerries and bees. 4*
The Way Back short story by Jen Downes a girl wanted to go in space since her childhood and her life story. 3*
Dix Dayton and the Miner from Mars short story by Liz A. Vogel a humorous tale about a man on an asteroid habitat, that won (not exactly honestly) a lot of money from a newcomer from Mars and that newcomer is an inventor and gave his invention as a collateral till he gets needed funds to repay his card debt. The invention appeared a bit too self-sufficient. 3*
Do No Harm short story by Louis Evans a medical story in a near future where you can ask to hide your personal data and this may create a problem if you are wounded and unconscious delivered to emergency care, which ought to use inefficient humans instead of efficient machines trying to save you. 3.5*
Yellow Boots short story by Stephen L. Burns a near future where the protagonist is a not very bright man paired up with a robot working in the sale of drinking water. One of the clients hints that the water may be contaminated with saltwater… 3*
A Living Planet short story by Benjamin C. Kinney a man records video messages for his wife on her way to Mars but recently her ship stopped responding. Meanwhile they on Earth orbit encounter UFO. 2.5*
Patience short story by David Cederstrom written initially from a POV of a predator creature that sees new potential victims walking on two legs and even having fingers like it. 2.5*
On the Rocks short story by Ian Randal Strock a flash-fic narratee by a billionaire who decided to fight global warming by dropping ice asteroids on Earth. 3*
Fermionic Transversable Wormholes [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer supersmall wormwholes, wide enough for an electron…
The Middle of Nowhere short story by Rachel S. Bernstein a woman works in preventing illegal usage of a version of ‘beaming’ fighting maybe contraband but what if illegal migrants, eliminating these people… 3*
A Fistful of Monopoles short story by Raymund Eich two guys try to salvage items from derelict ship of long extinguished alien race. 3*
Wind Gets Her Own Place novelette by J. M. McDermott a teen appears on a new human colony, loses her mom to de-freezing, hates mom’s boyfriend, a lot of teens angst in a colony that tries to survive. 2*
Ham poem by Holly Day
Cloudchaser novelette by Tom Jolly a nice story, the first plot like about a younger son of a king on some planet – his older brother is a spoiled brat and he starts to collect unique things. The second plot is about a couple that developed a yeast to make ‘empathic wine’. 3.5*
What Once Was Pitch Black poem by G. O. Clark
December 27, 2021
8 • Communion • 31 pages by Jay Werkheiser, Frank Wu
Good. Nes and ALXv23 are using Dagda to slingshot on to their destination and find that moon 17c is in the way. They crash. Meanwhile a sentient alien has become separated from its colony. Nice job humanizing the robot. A bit of work to understand what's going on at the start. Finished strong.
48 • The Lobster Pot • 16 pages by Tony Ballantyne
Good+. Craig is asked to enter the alien artifact. Thousands have gone in one, only five have come out, but the Fair Exchange is giving its go ahead, so it must be safe. Not the first story in this universe, and from what was learned, or wasn’t, there will probably be more.
64 • Splitting a Dollar • 8 pages by Meghan Hyland
Good/OK. Amy and Brad have come to the moon in salvaged equipment hoping to get treasure left behind by a past civilization. Amy wants Augment and Brad wants to become rich, but thinks that Augment will change their humanity.
72 • Charioteer • 5 pages by Ted Rabinowitz
OK. The protagonist is in a race around the sun and finds her ship has been sabotaged.
77 • Orientation • 5 pages by Adam-Troy Castro
OK. A man has been take from bed, is told he’s still there and this is another instance of him and this is what he should expect.
82 • By the Lake Where We First Loved • 4 pages by Paul Starkey
OK+. Moira was on the first lander to Titan, the second person to set foot there, but somehow overshadowed by her husband, the first to walk on Titan.
94 • The Bumblebee and the Berry • 4 pages by M. Bennardo
OK. A generation ship reached its new star after six hundred years, but entry into the system has failed three times. Each failure adding nine years until they're in position to try again.
98 • The Way Back • 6 pages by Jen Downes
OK+. At seven Teej decided to go to space. She could see the spaceport from here home. Eventually she would make her way back.
104 • Dix Dayton and the Miner From Mars • 5 pages by Liz A. Vogel
OK. The miner doesn’t have enough cash to cover his bet so puts up his prototype device instead.
109 • Doe No Harm • 7 pages by Louis Evans
Good. A patient is hauled into the ER, but his medical chip is damaged and face recognition isn’t working either. The full body scan does recognize him, but since his privacy settings and cranked up, the results are blocked.
116 • Yellow Boots • 12 pages by Stephen L. Burns
Good. Luis delivers water for the big company. When a customer tells him the water is not as advertised, with guidance from Stude, his robot co-worker, he starts doing research.
128 • A Living Planet • 8 pages by Benjamin C. Kinney
OK. Evan wants to fit in better at work, especially now that communications from the Mars flight including his wife have stopped. The team that collects failing satellites and nudges them safely to Earth has found an anomaly.
136 • Patience • 4 pages by David Cederstrom
Good+. A creature waits for its prey, it just needs to wait.
145 • The Middle of Nowhere • 5 pages by Rachel S. Bernstein
Good. Stephanie works at border patrol, keeping contraband from being transported into the country.
150 • A Fistful of Monopoles • 8 pages by Raymund Eich
Good. Mac and his less experienced partner are salvaging from a derelict but probably still dangerous alien spacecraft.
158 • Wind Gets Her Own Place • 14 pages by Joe M. McDermott
Good/VG. Wind woke from the trip to colony an orphan, when her mother didn’t wake. She was assigned to live with Her mom’s boyfriend who she never liked. Space is tight and her main focus is trying to stay out of the way.
172 • Cloud Chaser • 23 pages by Tom Jolly
Very Good. There’s a sibling rivalry between Carlos and Lempa, and Carlos holds all the aces. Bogan and Maxi create a unique wine, that interests the mob. Lempa decides to find a new place to hide himself and his valuables, the winemakers decide following him is the safest place to hide. A lot of good ol’ space opera.
Good. Nes and ALXv23 are using Dagda to slingshot on to their destination and find that moon 17c is in the way. They crash. Meanwhile a sentient alien has become separated from its colony. Nice job humanizing the robot. A bit of work to understand what's going on at the start. Finished strong.
48 • The Lobster Pot • 16 pages by Tony Ballantyne
Good+. Craig is asked to enter the alien artifact. Thousands have gone in one, only five have come out, but the Fair Exchange is giving its go ahead, so it must be safe. Not the first story in this universe, and from what was learned, or wasn’t, there will probably be more.
64 • Splitting a Dollar • 8 pages by Meghan Hyland
Good/OK. Amy and Brad have come to the moon in salvaged equipment hoping to get treasure left behind by a past civilization. Amy wants Augment and Brad wants to become rich, but thinks that Augment will change their humanity.
72 • Charioteer • 5 pages by Ted Rabinowitz
OK. The protagonist is in a race around the sun and finds her ship has been sabotaged.
77 • Orientation • 5 pages by Adam-Troy Castro
OK. A man has been take from bed, is told he’s still there and this is another instance of him and this is what he should expect.
82 • By the Lake Where We First Loved • 4 pages by Paul Starkey
OK+. Moira was on the first lander to Titan, the second person to set foot there, but somehow overshadowed by her husband, the first to walk on Titan.
94 • The Bumblebee and the Berry • 4 pages by M. Bennardo
OK. A generation ship reached its new star after six hundred years, but entry into the system has failed three times. Each failure adding nine years until they're in position to try again.
98 • The Way Back • 6 pages by Jen Downes
OK+. At seven Teej decided to go to space. She could see the spaceport from here home. Eventually she would make her way back.
104 • Dix Dayton and the Miner From Mars • 5 pages by Liz A. Vogel
OK. The miner doesn’t have enough cash to cover his bet so puts up his prototype device instead.
109 • Doe No Harm • 7 pages by Louis Evans
Good. A patient is hauled into the ER, but his medical chip is damaged and face recognition isn’t working either. The full body scan does recognize him, but since his privacy settings and cranked up, the results are blocked.
116 • Yellow Boots • 12 pages by Stephen L. Burns
Good. Luis delivers water for the big company. When a customer tells him the water is not as advertised, with guidance from Stude, his robot co-worker, he starts doing research.
128 • A Living Planet • 8 pages by Benjamin C. Kinney
OK. Evan wants to fit in better at work, especially now that communications from the Mars flight including his wife have stopped. The team that collects failing satellites and nudges them safely to Earth has found an anomaly.
136 • Patience • 4 pages by David Cederstrom
Good+. A creature waits for its prey, it just needs to wait.
145 • The Middle of Nowhere • 5 pages by Rachel S. Bernstein
Good. Stephanie works at border patrol, keeping contraband from being transported into the country.
150 • A Fistful of Monopoles • 8 pages by Raymund Eich
Good. Mac and his less experienced partner are salvaging from a derelict but probably still dangerous alien spacecraft.
158 • Wind Gets Her Own Place • 14 pages by Joe M. McDermott
Good/VG. Wind woke from the trip to colony an orphan, when her mother didn’t wake. She was assigned to live with Her mom’s boyfriend who she never liked. Space is tight and her main focus is trying to stay out of the way.
172 • Cloud Chaser • 23 pages by Tom Jolly
Very Good. There’s a sibling rivalry between Carlos and Lempa, and Carlos holds all the aces. Bogan and Maxi create a unique wine, that interests the mob. Lempa decides to find a new place to hide himself and his valuables, the winemakers decide following him is the safest place to hide. A lot of good ol’ space opera.
February 17, 2022
When a cargo shuttle crashlands on an icy moon the human pilot Nes is injured and the robot copilot and general factotum Alex is damaged. Despite his injuries it seems likely they’ll be able to complete the mission when Nes becomes ill through some sort of infection when ice pierced his back. What follows is a desperate race against time for competing protein and amino acids as an intelligent micro-organism tries to survive. “Communion” by Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu is a fascinating (if technical) tale. Tony Ballantyne sends Craig into the mysterious alien artifacts known colloquially as “Lobster Pots”, thought to be traps of some kind, but Craig discovers that they might just hold crucial information about the future, and Jen Downes gives us a tale of wanderlust and war when Teej decides to give up his spacefaring days to find “The Way Back” home. Tom Jolly interleaves two story threads in “Cloudchaser”. The younger brother of a jealous king has him ‘beheaded’ and placed in a mechanical body. The cyborg then becomes a secretive collector of unique objets d’art and becomes a recluse on a darkworld between stars. A brewer and a winemaker purloin some psychotropic yeasts to make a unique wine and then must flee organised crime lords. They end up on the mechanical prince’s world of Cloudchaser just in time for rogue military to annex the planet. Must mention my highlight tale though: “The Middle Of Nowhere” by Rachel S. Bernstein takes a well-known trope and weaves a powerful tale of cyberwarfare and teleportation which highlights that there are no victimless crimes. Look forward to more from her.
January 20, 2022
Novella
“Communion,” Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu (5 stars)
Novelettes
“The Lobster Pot,” Tony Ballantyne (4 stars)
“Wind Gets Her Own Place,” Joe M. Mcdermott (3½ stars)
“Cloudchaser,” Tom Jolly (3½ stars)
Short Stories
“Splitting A Dollar,” Meghan Hyland (2½ stars)
“Charioteer,” Ted Rabinowitz (4 stars)
“Orientation,” Adam-Troy Castro (4 stars)
“By The Lake Where We First Loved,” Paul Starkey (5 stars)
“The Bumblebee And The Berry,” M. Bennardo (4½ stars)
“The Way Back,” Jen Downes (5 stars)
“Dix Dayton And The Miner From Mars,” Liz A. Vogel (5 stars)
“Doe No Harm,” Louis Evans (4 stars)
“Yellow Boots,” Stephen L. Burns 3½ stars)
“A Living Planet,” Benjamin C. Kinney (3½ stars)
“Patience,” David Cederstrom (3½ / 4 stars)
“The Middle Of Nowhere,” Rachel S. Bernstein (2½ stars)
“A Fistful Of Monopoles,” Raymund Eich (3½ stars)
Flash Fiction
“Soroboruo Harbormaster’s Log,” David Whitaker (3 stars)
“On The Rocks,” Ian Randal Strock (3 stars)
“Communion,” Jay Werkheiser & Frank Wu (5 stars)
Novelettes
“The Lobster Pot,” Tony Ballantyne (4 stars)
“Wind Gets Her Own Place,” Joe M. Mcdermott (3½ stars)
“Cloudchaser,” Tom Jolly (3½ stars)
Short Stories
“Splitting A Dollar,” Meghan Hyland (2½ stars)
“Charioteer,” Ted Rabinowitz (4 stars)
“Orientation,” Adam-Troy Castro (4 stars)
“By The Lake Where We First Loved,” Paul Starkey (5 stars)
“The Bumblebee And The Berry,” M. Bennardo (4½ stars)
“The Way Back,” Jen Downes (5 stars)
“Dix Dayton And The Miner From Mars,” Liz A. Vogel (5 stars)
“Doe No Harm,” Louis Evans (4 stars)
“Yellow Boots,” Stephen L. Burns 3½ stars)
“A Living Planet,” Benjamin C. Kinney (3½ stars)
“Patience,” David Cederstrom (3½ / 4 stars)
“The Middle Of Nowhere,” Rachel S. Bernstein (2½ stars)
“A Fistful Of Monopoles,” Raymund Eich (3½ stars)
Flash Fiction
“Soroboruo Harbormaster’s Log,” David Whitaker (3 stars)
“On The Rocks,” Ian Randal Strock (3 stars)
Read
February 28, 2022I don't see how I can give this entire edition a starred rating. I rate each article/story as I go along so that I can be part of the AnLab voting for favorites at the end of each year; the results of that voting are published in the July/August edition. I've been reading this publication for 2 years back to back and having an email discussion about individual articles/stories with a friend who has been reading it all of her adult life. It's a great publication. This particular edition did not have quite as many stellar stories as many have in the past 2 years, but I won't hold it against them.
April 17, 2022
I enjoyed the cover story, Jay Werkheiser and Frank Wu's "Communion." It gets bogged down in the "science fact" a little bit, but the premise is great and the execution is, overall, fine.
Tony Ballantyne's "The Lobster Pot" is great, but you might want to peek at the issues from 2017 through 2019 that featured these characters.
Adam-Troy Castro's "Orientation" is fantastic. He continues to be one of the very best of Analog's regulars.
Tony Ballantyne's "The Lobster Pot" is great, but you might want to peek at the issues from 2017 through 2019 that featured these characters.
Adam-Troy Castro's "Orientation" is fantastic. He continues to be one of the very best of Analog's regulars.
January 11, 2022
Bought Analog on a whim. Focused on science. None of the stories drew me in, too tedious. But not my cup of tea.
January 22, 2022
"Splitting a Dollar" by Megan Hyland - very nice
June 28, 2022
A good issue, most of the stories enjoyable. I thought “The Middle of Nowhere”, a short story by Rachel S. Bernstein, was particularly good. I also liked “The Way Back” by Jen Downes.
January 22, 2023
I liked "Communion" by Jay Werkheiser and Frank Wu
October 5, 2023
Great read, lots of good stories ... Off to the next one.
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