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

Seeking Scientific Common Ground, Even on Guns [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett
Murder on the Eris Express novella by Beth Goder
Reflections on Mirror Life [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Robert A. Love
NOT Optimus Prime short story by Lorraine Alden
Gene Pool [Unknowns (puzzle)] essay by Ada Nicole
It Eats Metal short story by Mark Ferguson
To Reap, to Sow short story by Lyndsey Croal
In Times to Come (Analog, March-April 2025) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited
The Emergency Contact short story by Arendse Lund
The JWST and Early Universe Puzzles [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer
A Whole Generation short story by Timons Esaias
Those Other Replicator Manufacturers are Ripping You Off short story by Jon Lasser
Track Eats Track short story by Avi Burton
Concerning the Multiplicity of Children in Central Florida's Suburbanized Wetlands short story by Ichabod Cassius Kilroy
Mr. Palomar Goes to Space short story by Hayden Trenholm
The Dark Matter Storm poem by Deborah L. Davitt
The Code of His Life novelette by Owen Leddy
Echo, Write to All short story by Nate Givens
The TimeCop and the TimeSocial-Worker short story by S. L. Harris
In Her Element short story by M. T. Reiten
If the Weather Holds short story by Marissa Lingen
Murder with Soft Words short story by Mike Duncan
In the Hole short story by John Markley
Precocious Child poem by Alexander Senko
Heat Death novelette by Kate MacLeod
The Return of Tom Dillon [Tom Dillon] novella by Harry Lang
The Reference Library (Analog, March-April 2025) [The Reference Library] essay by Rosemary Claire Smith
Brass Tacks [Brass Tacks] essay by various

Seeking Scientific Common Ground, Even on Guns [Editorial (Analog)] essay by Richard A. Lovett an attempt to discuss what statistics say on gun control in the US. 3*
Murder on the Eris Express novella by Beth Goder I'm in the middle of it and this is a hermetic murder mystery taking place on a ship. The captain is killed, and the ship's AI investigates. There is a lot of nice comedy relief like cleaning bots accidentally destroying evidence or the AI using blue giraffe as an avatar... so far solid 4*

I’ll start this very soon.

Stephen wrote: "I’ll start this very soon."

Great! The first novella is a joy to read!

Murder on the Eris Express novella by Beth Goder a spaceship's captain is killed and the ship's AI named Mo (the full name was a surprise) starts an investigation. The pool of suspects is small - three passengers (chess geek, jam lady and a monk) plus a mechanic and the AI itself. Filled with light comedy and surprising twists, it reads quite unlike usual Analog stuff, but it was good , bring more! 5*
Reflections on Mirror Life [Science Fact (Analog)] essay by Robert A. Love starting with Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “Technical Error” (1946), where an engineer is accidentally exposed to an energy surge from a superconducting generator and finds that all the molecules in his body have been spatially inverted, this it the outline of pluses and minuses of such a change. 3*

NOT Optimus Prime short story by Lorraine Alden Vera is a mathematician who spends her time with a quantum computer. She just discovered the largest known prime number when a maintenance man Brian came to check the helium that cools the computer. Suddenly, the computer starts outputting what looks like a message from another sentient species. Vera and Brian start discussing who should be acclaimed as the first contacter. 3.25*
Gene Pool [Unknowns (puzzle)] essay by Ada Nicole a crossword with DNA, YET TO SOLVE
It Eats Metal short story by Mark Ferguson A dog vanishes, then some of people who searched for it. Due to something unknown, plants started to incorporate metals... old but clever locals seek for ways to stop this menace. 2.75*
To Reap, to Sow short story by Lyndsey Croal a narrator is a woman biologist, trying to create conditions to grow food on Moon/Mars as well as environmentally devastated Earth. She finds how, but it is only a start. 3*
In Times to Come (Analog, March-April 2025) [In Times to Come (Analog)] essay by uncredited nothing strikes me as a must have
The Emergency Contact short story by Arendse Lund an old woman stranded in her house by a storm calls emergency services, but connects to some kind of galactic emergence service. Nicely done. 4*
The JWST and Early Universe Puzzles [The Alternate View] essay by John G. Cramer what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows - far early galaxies and giant black holes. 4*
A Whole Generation short story by Timons Esaias after Omnifactors became widespread (produces everything) teens started to run away for space exploration. 3*
Those Other Replicator Manufacturers are Ripping You Off short story by Jon Lasser check what you buy flash fic. 3*

I’ve started Murder on the Eris Express. A cozy murder mystery, not quite what we expect in Analog, as Oleksandr says. The title obviously nods to Agatha Christie.

Track Eats Track short story by Avi Burton a track racer, after his friend (also a racer) died at 24, attempts to stop his own career. However, he is full of implants and investors won't allow him to leave. His couch begs him to stay... the start reminded me of a play by Stanisław Lem, but the solution here is way less interesting. 2.75*
Concerning the Multiplicity of Children in Central Florida's Suburbanized Wetlands short story by Ichabod Cassius Kilroy a bit of New Wave, quite unlike Analog, this is a story of a girl and her little brother... I don't get it, so while it can be a gem, only 2* from me
Mr. Palomar Goes to Space short story by Hayden Trenholm a mysterious benefactor pays for ordinary people to visit a space station. Mr. Palomar is randomly chosen and sent to space. As can be expected from SF, something on the station goes wrong... 3*
The Dark Matter Storm poem by Deborah L. Davitt a nice piece filled with physics. 4*

The Code of His Life novelette by Owen Leddy a near future, biotech and biohacking is cheap, there are grey markets with sell stuff like bacteria that makes styrofoam into aspirin. The protagonist, Ava is a biologist and the story starts when she meets her friend, who was something of a prodigy. He boasts that he works for a powerful bio corp only to die almost instantly from a bio weapon. Ava runs away, for she got a stash of bio-reseach from him, worth a fortune, corp follow her trail. 3.5*
Echo, Write to All short story by Nate Givens an Earth colony that lost most of its knowledge. Trak is a young acolyte trained by Ministers to enter a code to the central node (codes are Unix commands). He decides to follow another way. There is quite vague issue - does he understand commands or is it a spiritual awakening... 3*
The TimeCop and the TimeSocial-Worker short story by S. L. Harris what the title says - a day in lives of a TimeSocial-Worker and a glimpse at her husband, the TimeCop... too generalized to enjoy. 2.5*

In Her Element short story by M. T. Reiten a startup created an ultimate recycler: Our Universal Gleaner applied two-dimensional correlated electron materials to manipulate feedstock and trick molecules into unzipping into basic elements. If the settings were tuned to atomic mass and electron orbital precision. then the chief researcher vanished. A quick, successful investigation. This reminded me of an old story with the same idea but an opposite punchline solution. 3.25*
If the Weather Holds short story by Marissa Lingen the starting sentence is Humans can normalize just about any suffering, especially someone else’s. and it sets the mood: a charity that helps people in even more frequent weather extremes seeks new donations. However, their ad campaign ideas IMHO are weak. 3*

Murder with Soft Words short story by Mike Duncan a group observes and bets on the comet, which is about to hit Io (Jupiter's moon) to end a prolonged war by genociding one of two sides. Misha bets that comet won't hit, even if chances of it are less than 1%... the setting is interesting but I think this story is too short to fit it, so 3*
In the Hole short story by John Markley a gambling heist by a poker player, to recover all his previous losses. Some nice ideas how to cheat under high tech surveilance but the story itself didn't engaged me. 3*
Precocious Child poem by Alexander Senko is it about training AI? 3.5*

Heat Death novelette by Kate MacLeod this is a murder mystery set in a relatively near future western Texas on the fringes of the Chihuahuan Desert. A body is found on the hiking trail, the trail was closed due to its danger. The police detective Lidia once lived here, so she knows a possible murder. 3*
The Return of Tom Dillon [Tom Dillon] novella by Harry Lang new gruesome murders on Mars, where murders are a rarity: “Martians generally have a more subdued emotional range. By design. A highly controlled environment, rigorous psychological selection criteria for immigration, effective tracking and intervention, rigid social controls. Mars is the biggest experiment yet in building Utopia by handcrafting a race of utopians. I’m no expert on Martian psychology, but it makes sense that what presents on Earth as a tidal wave of violent actions is distilled into a single, economical act.” And now it seems that not one but two (groups?) are committing them. 3.5*

I finished Murder on the Eris Express. I agree with Oleksandr that it’s very good. The weightless hand-to-hand fight scene was one highlight. 4 stars.

Stephen wrote: "I finished Murder on the Eris Express. I agree with Oleksandr that it’s very good. The weightless hand-to-hand fight scene was one highlight. 4 stars."

Yes, while it isn't a very deep thought-provoking piece, I enkoyed it a lot and plan to watch the author. An interview with her on this novella: https://theastoundinganalogcompanion....

NOT Optimus Prime by Lorraine Alden. What a bizarre story. 3 stars.

(view spoiler)[ I expected it to turn out that the aliens had been some kind of practical joke and the dispute and murder had all been unnecessary, but no, it was all apparently supposed to be true. (hide spoiler)]

Stephen wrote: "NOT Optimus Prime by Lorraine Alden. What a bizarre story. 3 stars.
[spoilers removed]"

I hadn't expected a prank because the protagonist expected it, so when she stopped, I just followed her lead

The story had a couple of major developments that turned it in unexpected directions.

Stephen wrote: "The story had a couple of major developments that turned it in unexpected directions."

True, it is one of the better ones this issue

The final two pieces.

The Reference Library (Analog, March-April 2025) [The Reference Library] essay by Rosemary Claire Smith I'm mildly interested in the Spiral Arm series by Michael F. Flynn, here the final, 5th volume is discussed, but if I start it, I'll start with the 1st. No other book really appealed to me.
Brass Tacks [Brass Tacks] essay by various here is some discussion of selected pieces from 2024

Back to this magazine after a few weeks.

It Eats Metal OK story that didn’t quite work for me. The little band of retirees wasn’t entirely convincing and some of the narrator’s homespun wisdom seemed a bit off. Still a decent 3 star story.

Stephen wrote: "It Eats Metal OK story that didn’t quite work for me. The little band of retirees wasn’t entirely convincing and some of the narrator’s homespun wisdom see..."

Yes, plus metals if added as atoms, not linked molecular structures, shouldn't make wood iron-strong

I missed that point!

I liked To Reap, to Sow. It is quite short, but it contains a well-told little tale of science fiction problem-solving, capped with a political/ethical issue, all in a credible environmentally deteriorating near future setting. I’m hesitating between 3 and 4 stars. What the heck, I’ll give it 4. A nice, real Analog piece.

The Emergency Contact Enjoyable little tale, only 3 pages long. 3 stars.

Track Eats Track I didn’t care for this one. There is some decent writing about the main character’s experience of racing and his state of depression is conveyed convincingly enough, but I didn’t understand how the sport works, or whatever it was that happened to CJ. In other words major parts of the story were unclear, and it’s a downer. 2 stars.

Like Oleksandr, I didn’t really get Concerning the Multiplicity of Children... But it’s a sad story about children; I got that much and a bit more. 2 stars

Mr. Palomar Goes to Space I enjoyed this one. The title character is an ordinary “everyman”, chosen for his averageness from among contest entrants to be sent into space. He’s a timid, passive character, with minimal relevant training, but sensible and observant. The crew treat him with very little respect; he’s the “superfluous crewman”. However there is an emergency… In the end he resolves to make small changes in his comportment.

The character’s name has to be an allusion to Mr Palomar by Italo Calvino, but I don’t know much about the Calvino book except its title. There is a famous telescope in the USA at Mt. Palomar, and I’ve always thought Calvino probably named his character after it, but maybe I’m mistaken.

Anyway I liked the story and I’ll rate it as a strong 3-star piece. Slightish but good fun in its way.

The Code of His Life is a cyberpunk-flavoured story set in a near future world of powerful biotech corporations and “street corner gene hackers” like Alejandro, who dies messily of an ugly disease early in the story after turning up unexpectedly and claiming to narrator Ava that he has scored a job in the corporate research world. A tense tale that I found compelling. A strong 3 stars.

Stephen wrote: "The Code of His Life is a cyberpunk-flavoured story ."

I liked it too. It is actually interesting that some stories, when you review them, I cannot recall instantly, but this one I can

I probably should be more descriptive in my “reviews”, instead of just posting brief comments that may sometimes seem a little cryptic.

Stephen wrote: "I probably should be more descriptive in my “reviews”, instead of just posting brief comments that may sometimes seem a little cryptic."

Your reviews are fine, it is just that some stories stick in my memory, and some are forgotten soon after reading