Status Updates From Clarkesworld Magazine, Issu...

No One at the Wild Dock - Gu Shi: An AI system from birth to maturity, focusing on art. Not very enthused by this, given real world AI-and-art concerns.

Learning to Hate Yourself as a Self-Defense Mechanism - Kriz: 2nd person POV, but very good at showcasing those friendship-failing feelings.

For Whom the Psychopomp Calls - Drnovšek Zorko: Hahahaha, oh man. This was fun. I like that realization at the end.

Bishop's Opening - Garcia: I've read one of Garcia's short stories before and saw she said she was writing more novellas in the same universe as "Bishop's Opening." Turns out, it's super fun and interesting and weird. There's a lot to read between the lines on, but it felt super cool to me (especially with whatever mystery is behind Valencian coretree issues).

The Uncurling of Samsara - Dae: A moving story of grief on a generation ship with a focus on food.

The Lion and the Virgin - Kerr: A rather depressing story about isolation and depression and trying to cope.

The Five Rules of Supernova Surfing, or A For Real Solution to the Fermi Paradox, Bro - Cole: A funny story about 2 surfer bros/AIs.

Reading the nonfiction first as always. I was both intrigued and dismayed by Novakova's article about reproduction in space. Unless we really make some brand new breakthroughs, I really don't like how impossible a lot of space colonization seems. The interviews with VanderMeers (I love Ann so much) and James S.A. Corey were great, and Clarke's editorial was just an administrative rounding up of 2021's stories.

Non-Fic 3*

Learning to Hate Yourself 3,5*
Psychopomp 2*

Heard
The Uncurling of Samsara 3*
The Lion and the Virgin 2,5*
The Five Rules of Supernova Surfing 2,5*
No One at the Wild Dock 3*

Heard Bishops Opening by RSA Garcia 2,5*