Status Updates From Clarkesworld Magazine, Issu...

The nonfiction is an article on soil in space (I had no idea Martian soil was so bad), and interviews with an editor and an artist, and the editor reveals the 2024 reader's poll finalists.

Hook and Line - Dae: Mediums try to keep their connection to Earth alive, if you will. Bittersweet.

The Sound of the Star - Ren: Traveling along different worlds with sounds and communication.

Funerary Habits of Low Entropy Entities - Neri: Vignettes on death, I guess.

Those Uncaring Waves - Ogawa: A somewhat awkwardly written tale of strange body "painters" dealing with a mystery across decades.

From Enceladus, with Love - Cole: A stowaway on a ship to Enceladus deals with a newborn ship-AI. Fun voice.

Pollen - Burdenko: A stranded pair of girls on another planet trying to survive the pollen. Fantastic story, I really loved it.

Mindtrips - Tsamaase: Rather mind-trippy (ha!), confronting past traumas.

The short story "Hook and Line" is so good that I just poured myself a fresh mug of coffee so I could sit down elsewhere and read the story again. I don't think I've ever re-read a story immediately after I've finished it. This story reminds me how much I dislike those "30 Under 30" lists. Youth can be cringy, awkward, and contrived. Give me "calloused hands and tender hearts".