ORBIT – Otherworldly Reads, Bold Ideas, and Tales. SF & F Short Stories and Novelettes discussion

Magnifique! Redux [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams
The Naming of Names [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg
Intergalactic Tanka poem by Anna Cates
Spacecraft of the Mind [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly
Weather Duty novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
After the Chemicals Decay poem by Claire McNerney
My Heart a Streak of Light Across the Sky short story by Samantha Murray
Now that I Have Found You poem by Robert Frazier
On the Night Side novelette by Zohar Jacobs
Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon short story by Donald McCarthy
Learning Toy poem by Don Mark Baldridge
The Hidden God novella by T. R. Napper
The Demon of Metrazol short story by Ray Nayler
All the Space We Have Left poem by Marisca Pichette
The Mystery of My Death short story by Rob Chilson
A Brief History of the Afterlife short story by Anthony Ha
Next Issue (Asimov's, March-April 2025) essay by uncredited
Cryptid or Your Money Back short story by Misha Lenau
Quantum Ghosts (Pt 1 of 2) serial by Nancy Kress
On Books: Speculative Literature? (Asimov's, March-April 2025) [On Books] essay by Norman Spinrad

Oleksandr wrote: "Contents:
4 • Magnifique! Redux • [Asimov's Editorials] • essay by Sheila Williams
4 •  The Snow Queen • (2019) • interior artwork by Edmund Dulac
5 •  A Princess of Mars • interior artwork by Fran..."

I really should subscribe to Asimov's.....

Peter wrote: "I really should subscribe to Asimov's..."

The issues are uneven in quality - while I usually preferred Asimov's over Analog, but last year (2024) it was reversed - except for the final issues of both.

If you read from devices - subscribing to e-version is a cheaper option

Thanks!

I read two of the shorter fiction pieces in the magazine yesterday.

My Heart a Streak of Light Across the Sky short story by Samantha Murray.

The magazine intro summarizes the story as follows: “…a tale of a scientist working with nanoscopic robots on a lifeless, lonely planet.” The story’s emotional tone is deeply sad, with hope ultimately associated with the nanoscopic robots. I found this tech mildly interesting but it wasn’t really explored. Both it and the setting seemed symbolic, related and secondary to the emotional situation. I didn’t enjoy the emotion and I didn’t think the story really worked. 2.5 stars.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon short story by Donald McCarthy.

A troubled character tries to repeat a childhood encounter with UFO aliens. This is something close to a horror story. There are ambiguities about what has actually happened. An interesting 3 star story.

Stephen wrote: "I read two of the shorter fiction pieces in the magazine yesterday."

Do you read their non-fiction too? Because I find it interesting as well

Oleksandr wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I read two of the shorter fiction pieces in the magazine yesterday."

Do you read their non-fiction too? Because I find it interesting as well"

So far just the Silverberg piece on writer nicknames, fun but very light.

I've started the issue.

Magnifique! Redux [Asimov's Editorials] essay by Sheila Williams on a collection of SFF art, which will be exhibited at the University of Delaware Library (Old College Hall 18 East Main St. Newark, Delaware 19716) from August 28 to December 9, 2025
The Naming of Names [Reflections] essay by Robert Silverberg on names of SFF authors, mostly curios, from that Silverberg is Bob, but RAH is definitely Robert. 3*
Intergalactic Tanka poem by Anna Cates I've read more interesting tankas but it sounds ok
Spacecraft of the Mind [On the Net] essay by James Patrick Kelly from the space race of the 60s to possibilities of interstellar travel. Alas, I heard it all before, no new stuff, but ok outline. 3*
Weather Duty novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch a near future Las Vegas. Amala Navarro is a newbe in a regional weather civic committee. In this future to overcome problems with dysfunctional two-party USA politics, all serious questions are decided jury-style by locals, who are (again like jurors are randomly selected). An interesting concept, Alas, the author decided to add some action instead... this made it sound like an excerpt from a larger story 3.25*
After the Chemicals Decay poem by Claire McNerney post-human recovery of Earth
My Heart a Streak of Light Across the Sky short story by Samantha Murray a woman on a newly colonized planet. She had cancer (cured by nanobots) and still has a mental condition that prevents her from recalling visual memories. Similar bots are now terraforming the planet. Her partner, who travelled here when she was having anti-cancer treatment, died in an accident during the landing. A maudlin piece. 3*

Now that I Have Found You poem by Robert Frazier a discovery on a new exoplanet
On the Night Side novelette by Zohar Jacobs an SF version of Arthur Hailey's "commercial novels", were in each book (like Airport or Hotel) he looked in detail how this business operates, but not as much business/accounts-wise but people's interactions. Here we have a first-ever manned flight to Mars just before landing, while a great flood destroys Houston's main ground control, so people from the 'night shift' replace it. A nice quote: That’s when it strikes her: the disaster has already happened. The disaster is happening right now. More than seven people have died in this hurricane already. And here she is, here all of them at NASA are, terrified about the fate of seven astronauts who are alive and well and eating breakfast on their way to Mars. It seems so ridiculous, so disproportionate. It is almost a contemporary lit, not SF. 3*
Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon short story by Donald McCarthy a woman, abducted by aliens as a kid, spends all her life and money to contact them again. Psychologically strong. 3*
Learning Toy poem by Don Mark Baldridge 'world is a kit', nice

Oleksandr wrote: "Now that I Have Found You poem by Robert Frazier a discovery on a new exoplanet
On the Night Side novelette by Zohar Jacobs an SF version of Arthur Hailey's "commercial novels", were..."

Huh. So you've been having better luck with Analog, lately? Do you post reviews of individual issues of Analog here (or elsewhere?

Years ago, cheapskate that I am, I got used to checking these out from the public library. You could take them home after a month. But library budgets have shrunk. So has my income.....
i mean, I could afford an e-sub to 1 or 2 mags. But LOTS of unexpected expenses this year. Sigh.

Peter wrote: "So you've been having better luck with Analog, lately? Do you post reviews of individual issues of Analog here (or elsewhere?"

If we take the year 2024 as a whole, stories in Analog were more interesting for me than Asimov's, but the last (Oct/Dec '24) issue was stronger for Asimov's.

I write reviews of SFF magazines here on GoodReads, here they are if the link works: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

The Hidden God novella by T. R. Napper first readers get a glimpse on a few short cases, where rich and powerful are killed by their AI, like a waiter drone dousing arms dealer in alcohol and igniting or Tesla autopilot hitting a truck at 200 mph. It turns out that a super-AI was created and it is currently passing a check regarding its moral values. Here we find out a year - it is "the 135th annual Academy Awards" (2063)... There are discussions about permissible violence and artificial reality, strong story with only one minus - not in all sins richest are guilty, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot or Putin weren't the richest but killed many more. And the solution in the story is questionable. The author is a strong new voice, I noted him earlier. 4*

Oleksandr wrote: "The Hidden God" novella by T. R. Napper first readers get a glimpse on a few short cases, where rich and powerful are killed by their AI, like a waiter drone dousing arms dealer in alcohol and ignit..."

Thanks! I'll look for that one, and for other stories by Napper. New to me.

Peter wrote: "Thanks! I'll look for that one, and for other stories by Napper. New to me."

I noted him earlier for his another near-future story in F&SF magazine on truck drivers losing to automation. His publication list for the last decade is quite solid https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?...

The Demon of Metrazol short story by Ray Nayler this is almost a non-SF, the story is set in a mental hospital in the 1930s USA, where doctors use Pentylenetetrazol (Metrazol in the title) to cause convulsions - this was before the electroconvulsive therapy was widely adopted. The protagonist is a woman who should photograph patients before and after, but 'true' story is nastier. Too depressing to my taste. 2.5*
All the Space We Have Left poem by Marisca Pichette
The Mystery of My Death short story by Rob Chilson the protagonist is a time traveler, and he is a bit obsessed with his death in the past. He visited his burial place, read obituaries but cannot find out exactly how and why he died. The final twist in inexpected, but rather weak, for there ought to be a better build-up. 2.5*
A Brief History of the Afterlife short story by Anthony Ha a woman is born at the end of the 21st century and quite young her mind is uploaded (and her body dies); her many copies work as space pilots; she retires... 2.75*
Next Issue (Asimov's, March-April 2025) essay by uncredited Carrie Vaughn and Ray Nayler’s stories can be interesting
Cryptid or Your Money Back short story by Misha Lenau a man (?) gets a skin of a cryptid, he can wear instead of his human skin. He loves to be chupacabra, but feels alien in his own body. Finally, it is revealed that he is (view spoiler)[ a closeted transgender (hide spoiler)] 2.75*
Quantum Ghosts (Pt 1 of 2) serial by Nancy Kress a first part of a novella. Not a very distant future. Rich and powerful uploaded themselves in quantum servers and are (assumedly) disconnected from the world. The protagonist is an eighteen-year-old named Kenda who takes care of her younger sister. Recently, their mother died from cancer and the money that the mother received from an unknown benefactor had stopped. They move to the only available free habitat next to the abovementioned servers, which emit 'ghosts', which supposedly may cause cancer. It turns out it was hash money from a deceased brother of a senator, for Kenda is his illegitimate daughter. Meanwhile the senator gets info that omnipresent mind-impants can be dangerous and his daughter takes hers off (mortality of such procedure is 15%)... 3*

On Books: Speculative Literature? (Asimov's, March-April 2025) [On Books] essay by Norman Spinrad the author muses if any fiction levels up to literature, the French term 'Belles Lettres' and end up with three fresh novels I haven't read: The Downloaded, The Object and Carpathians. I may try them

Oleksandr wrote: "On Books: Speculative Literature? (Asimov's, March-April 2025) [On Books] essay by Norman Spinrad the author muses if any fiction levels up to literature, the French term 'Belles Lettres' and end u..."

Spinrad's record as a reliable recommender has been spotty over the years. For that matter, so is his own fiction!

Peter wrote: "Spinrad's record as a reliable recommender has been spotty over the years. For that matter, so is his own fiction!
."

I think that he is an interesting, if uneven SFF writer and his choice of worthy reads is at least a fresh alternative to a lot of modern reviewers who often sound too similar

I read Weather Duty . It’s a readable and entertaining story but a few things seemed a little odd to me. In the action scene and its aftermath much is made of the effects of the “StunStick”, a weapon the protagonist is apparently unfamiliar with, but this doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. The political motives of the attackers seem to come out of the blue. I can see why Oleksandr said it seemed like an excerpt from something larger. Also, there is a lot of discussion of the organization of the Weather Commission but not as much about the nature of the domes over the cities or how the weather is controlled.

Anyway it’s a good 3-star story in my opinion, not a bad read.

The Demon of Metrazol by Ray Nayler. I’m not sure I fully understood this; will refrain from commenting further or rating it until I’ve read it again.

Oleksandr wrote: "Peter wrote: "Spinrad's record as a reliable recommender has been spotty over the years. For that matter, so is his own fiction!
."

I think that he is an interesting, if uneven SFF writer and his ..."

Oh for sure. He's an interesting fellow, and writes good reviews. Sadly, his taste and mine often differ.

Stephen wrote: "The Demon of Metrazol by Ray Nayler. I’m not sure I fully understood this; will refrain from commenting further or rating it until I’ve read it again."

Ray Nayler stories: he has many posted (or linked) at his website https://www.raynayler.net/ under "Stories online". But not this one, sigh. He's written some great stuff.

Stephen wrote: "I read Weather Duty .... there is a lot of discussion of the organization of the Weather Commission but not as much about the nature of the domes over the cities or how the weather is controlled."

I guess here the author was more interested in playing with social changes, the physics of domes is pure hand-wavium. Just to delineate that there are protected and unprotected areas and a slight improvement in the former can lead to big problems in the latter.

Stephen wrote: "The Demon of Metrazol by Ray Nayler. I’m not sure I fully understood this; will refrain from commenting further or rating it until I’ve read it again."

I’ve read it again. As far as I can tell there are no fantastic elements. It’s a story set in the late 1930s, concerned with narrow, rigid definitions of sanity and the horror of how the “insane” were treated. It’s about how people perceive others, particularly the main “viewpoint” character, and it was somewhat confusing to me.

A powerful story but not entirely successful, in my opinion. With some hesitation I’ll say it’s a high 3-star story. I do like Nayler.

(view spoiler)[ The viewpoint character is probably the daughter of the man running the facility where patients are treated with Metrazol. He praises the development of lobotomy treatment as well. Both she and her boyfriend Jonah have black eyes at different times. He apparently got his as a result of homosexual advance. She also seems to have same sex desires. There is some mention that this might be enough for them to be considered mentally ill. At the end she seems to be a patient being administered Metrazol (by the doctor her father) and “the Jonah-thing” has taken over her role taking photographs. (hide spoiler)]

Stephen wrote: "The Demon of Metrazol by Ray Nayler."

(view spoiler)[I thought it was partially about alienation. At the beginning: "When he turned his head and the light caught his glasses, Ellis saw they were covered in scratches. She recognized the scratches: they were caused by contact with a microscope lens. Her father always had them on his glasses as well."
at the end: "She looked into her father’s face, concentrating on the needle. The scratches on his glasses caught the light. Scratches left from microscopes and telescopes."
While it is definitely to highlight the next phrase: "From seeing too close and too far. From never what was in front of him."
I think it may be that the end is chronologically before the start and she doesn't recognize her father. (hide spoiler)]

On the Night Side A relatively junior NASA mission control team member finds herself in charge of a vital stage of a manned Mars mission when Houston is inundated by a major hurricane and the backup east coast Goddard facility is also forced offline by storm-related problems.

No innovative speculative content here, just a well executed human story involving near future space travel. I liked it a lot. A strong 3 stars from me.

Oleksandr wrote: "I guess here the author was more interested in playing with social changes..."

I do think the background is interesting and calls for further explanation. Perhaps another indication the author may have been thinking of other related stories.

I read The Demon of Metrazol again, the 3rd or 4th time.

(view spoiler)[
I think the opening scene is chronologically before the final scene. Apart from anything else, in the first scene she is concerned about a snag in her stocking, and in the final scene the doctor says about her apparent deterioration, “It started with runs in your stockings, and led to the rest of it.”

The story is broken into a number of short discrete scenes. There is one near the end beginning “Back in her own boarding house…” in which Ellis looks in the mirror and pulls her hair back. “She had the scissors, but she would never be that brave.” She inspects her eye, which has been blackened, and takes a long bath. She says to herself in the mirror, “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

Then we get a scene in which she takes the “after” picture of the patient who has quoted Whitman to Jonah, and who now quotes Sappho to Ellis. Famously gay poets.

Then in the last scene Ellis is the patient and Jonah is taking the picture, as the doctor administers Metrazol to Ellis. She has in fact cut her hair off. Jonah is humming a “fight song” like the other young male students in an earlier scene. I think Jonah is denying the gay side of himself and has gone over to the conventional world identifying with the doctor. It’s possible/likely that he gave the black eye to Ellis. It still isn’t clear to me whether the doctor is Ellis’s father, certainly she’s perceiving him that way in the final scene. She is refusing to deny her truthful perception of herself and the world, hence her plight.

Edited to add: I’m not sure about the chronological sequence. None of the other sctions mention Ellis’s black eye. I’m probably still missing something.

(hide spoiler)]

Addendum to my previous comment on The Demon of Metrazol:

(view spoiler)[

I guess when the doctor says, “It started with runs in your stockings, and led to the rest of it”, “the rest of it” could include the black eye.

(hide spoiler)]

Stephen wrote: "Addendum to my previous comment on The Demon of Metrazol:."

The Russian proverb "Коготок увяз — всей птичке пропасть" literally translates to: "If the claw is stuck, the whole bird is doomed." My mom hates it, for it actually says 'all hope is lost' and was often used in the 19th century 'moral' works. I guess here we meet a similar situation

Oleksandr wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Addendum to my previous comment on The Demon of Metrazol:."

The Russian proverb "Коготок увяз — всей птичке пропасть" literally translates to: "If the claw is stuck, the whole bird is doomed"

Thanks, guys, for the teasers for Nayler's latest. Maybe I should spring for an e-copy of that issue? OTOH, he sometimes adds free copies these to his website. Especially if it's an award nominee....

Maybe your proverb will apply to Putin's War? I sure wouldn't mind seeing him go down. Murderous asshole.
Well. Next asshole might be worse. What an awful country.

Peter wrote: "Thanks, guys, for the teasers for Nayler's latest. "

Note that my rating for it is low and even Stephen gave it "high 3-star", not 4 or 5. It is just that it isn't simple and straightforward

Obviously I find the story quite engaging; I’ve read it several times and will read it again. This is partly because I want to understand it better. As Oleksandr says it isn’t simple and straightforward. The reason I initially gave it less than 4 stars is that I wasn’t confident about how well it was written; i.e. I thought maybe the difficulty I was having following the story might be because of flawed telling. I’m still not 100% sure that everything works. I remain interested by the recurring images and quotations and the situations of main characters Ellis and Jonah. The story centres on what seems to be a historically accurate depiction of treatment of mental patients and is more about that history than anything speculative, as far as I can tell. Even if the dislocation and fear experienced by the patients is like the emotion of a character in a horror story.

All that to say, I’ll raise my rating to 4 stars, even though I’m not entirely sure the author’s execution was equal to the conception.

The Mystery of My Death by Rob Chilson. Complicated time travel story with a weak ending. Low 3 stars.

Stephen wrote: "The Mystery of My Death by Rob Chilson. Complicated time travel story with a weak ending. Low 3 stars."

I think the story hasn't built up the relationships to justify its finale

Oleksandr wrote: "Stephen wrote: "The Mystery of My Death by Rob Chilson. Complicated time travel story with a weak ending. Low 3 stars."

I think the story hasn't built up the relationships to justify its finale"

I agree.

(view spoiler)[
A few paragraphs from the end the narrator muses, “The mystery of my death is not, How did I die? but, When do I start to live?”

Then the last sentence of the story is, “Whenever it happens, I won’t die alone.”

This seems pretty straightforward. He’s somehow learned that his obsession with his death was pointless and he needs to live. So he embraces life by committing to Joanie. But as you say there’s been little indication that the relationship was important to him before the ending.

Also it’s hard to see how all the running around figuring out the time travel nonsense would have brought him to that realization.

(hide spoiler)]

The Hidden God I didn’t like this story, and it took me a while to read it. It starts with a vivid scene of an evil international arms dealer dying horribly, and evolves into a dialogue between a superpowerful AI and the flawed human philosopher it is taking as a model. As a story it is a readable and accomplished piece, but I thought it was also disagreeable and perhaps immature. Maybe that’s just me. 3 stars.

Stephen wrote: "The Hidden God I didn’t like this story, and it took me a while to read it."

In this issue I liked this novella the most. Which is kinda interesting bearing in mind that I don't agree with the premise (view spoiler)[Eat the rich is a catchy slogan, but I recall two pieces. First, is that the Soviets in the 1920s decided to destroy the crime by catching all known 'professional' criminals - with dictature of the proletariat they don't need prosecution or judges, just capture and execute. In a year the crime rates were almost the same - not persons, but society led to crime. Second is a joke: a boy asks his dad - what is a revolution. The dad takes unscimmed milk and shakes it - this is revolution, son. In half an hour the son notices that the cream is again on the top and mentions it. -Exactly, says dad (hide spoiler)]

So far I think I like the Ray Nayler piece best. There are three I haven’t read yet, but I expect to finish in the next couple of days. I have hopes for the Nancy Kress novella, don’t know what to expect from the remaining two short stories. (Haven’t read reviews of any of these.)

Nancy Kress' novella is good. Overall, three novellas in this issue for me were the strongest pieces.

With Ray Nayler's story, my greatest peeve was 'where is SF in it?' it is clever, well-written, but it is almost a historical fiction used to show personal issues of the character and how hard it is when the world thinks you aren't normal

Re: the Ray Nayler story. I think the main “genre” element might be the expressions of terror on the faces of the patients in the photographs. But I accept this as a natural phenomenon in the context of the story. I don’t think there are any supernatural or imaginary technological elements and as far as I know there’s nothing that would set this in an alternate history. So I think your point is valid and the story isn’t sff, if one of those elements is required.

In my opinion the story also deals with issues that have been very science fictional since Frankenstein, about “hubristic” meddling with
human nature by people who don’t understand their own limitations or the nature of what they are dealing with, and the horror that may ensue. That is, it’s not just about the patient characters and the pathos of their situation.

Yes, from this POV it is SFF. A very valid argument

Quantum Ghosts Very much Part 1 of a serial, i.e. incomplete. Intense storytelling, interesting future USA science fictional setting. 3 stars.

Cryptid or Your Money Back Unusual fantasy about a character not at home in their own skin. Has its moments. 3 stars.

A Brief History of the Afterlife I found this one quite chilling and interesting. A child is raised and trained by a corporate interplanetary transport concern; at “graduation” she is effectively killed and multiple copies of her “consciousness” uploaded into various spaceships. The story is narrated by one of these instances. The narrative is infused with a low-key realism about the exploitive motives of the corporation and accompanying propaganda. The tone is quite consistent and I think well done.

I liked the unsentimental treatment of the whole notion of “uploading” human consciousness. This is a very common science fiction trope nowadays and there rarely seems to be any recognition that the original human being would inevitably be lost with the body.

4 stars.

So, to summarize, for me this was a good 3 star issue of the magazine. I rank the stories as follows:

Two 4-star stories, ranked approximately equal:

A Brief History of the Afterlife, The Demon of Metrazol

3-star stories, in descending order:

Quantum Dreams
On the Night Side
Weather Duty
The Hidden God
Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon
Cryptid or Your Money Back
The Mystery of My Death

2.5 stars

My Heart a Streak of Light Across the Sky

Btw I have paper copies of the May/June and July/August issues of Asimov’s as well.

Stephen wrote: "Btw I have paper copies of the May/June and July/August issues of Asimov’s as well."

Great! I plan to start Mar/Apr Analog this month and fresher Asimov's the next

Sounds good. I intend to read Vermilion Sands, collection of stories by J.G. Ballard this month as well.