Nore’s Reviews > Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 219, December 2024 > Status Update

life sentence - 3★ - wobbles hand back and forth. interesting ideas. wish it had been a bit longer, because the rapid cuts began to lose their impact after few pages, and it relies heavily on the implication of their relationship rather than the relationship itself. effective for what it is, though; good use of a compressed word count.

coffee - 3★ - okay, it was stupid but it was fun. the homage to cornball 80s-90s scifi did get me to smile, can't lie. yes I got the joke about the number."

driver - 5★ - oh, bravo. a nice little inversion of a midlife crisis story; I actually started grinning in delight at the page as I realized what was going on. beautifully structured narrative, great execution, and interesting questions asked. one's place in the world, needing to be needed in your niche, the desire to be seen (and to see yourself).

lucie loves neutrons - 1 ★ - dnf. skimmed. even tediously rich folk are affected by nuclear war and can feel hope etc etc etc so fucking boring

souljacker - 2 ★ - interesting idea but weak storytelling and bland worldbuilding. what exactly is motivating these characters, esp Angelina? the ending in particular does nothing to address the tension established early in the story. it's not even a cliffhanger, it's just a sudden swerve.

painted skin - 4 ★ - deeply romantic. poetically written. tech as magic, magic as human, tech as human. what does it mean to have a soul? where is the dividing line between the real and unreal? is the act of creation inherently human? can we find meaning in the art created by machines? all sort of moot points bc as far as we can tell AI isn't ensouled atm but a topic I find interesting

from across time - 4★ - fantastic worldbuilding, enticing concept. clear and concise writing used to outline interesting characters in few strokes. I appreciated the bit. what would you be willing to sacrifice?

stranger seas - 3 ★ - interesting and I appreciate the willingness to kill a character, but The Face of God did alien divinity better + I wasn't fully sold on the worldbuilding. delightfully oppressive tone to match the cramped quarters tho, good job on that.