Jamesboggie’s Reviews > Bridge to Elsewhere > Status Update

"The Music of a New Path" By A. T. Greenblatt
This story is about a sentient cargo ship that goes rogue, and the crew's attempts to listen to the ship and figure out what went wrong. 3.5/5

"The Ship Cat of the Suzaku Maru" By SL Huang
This story is about the vital service that cats provide starships from a cat's perspective. 4/5

"Silence in the Dark" by Alexandra Pitchford
This story is about the search for a dangerous mystery ship. I expect there to be more to this universe, too. 3/5

"Of Dreamers and Prophets — A “Chronicles of Nethra” Story By E.R. Donaldson"
This story is missing context. Several of the stories in this collection are part of existing universes, but so far only this one feels incomplete. I have many questions about the setting. I did not like the protagonist much. 2.5/5

"Planetary" By Zig Zag Claybourne
This story is about a biological construct built by AIs that gained independence from humans having an existential crisis in the face of death and first contact. It is emotional and reflective, leaving lots of room to breathe. 3.5/5

"The Planet Builders" By Peter Tieryas
This story is about gods making planets. Except they are students simulating worlds for the Diety Board. Yahweh is among the builders and of course Earth is a notorious failure. It's a fun premise, but I don't think it goes far enough in any direction. It raises so many questions that it does not substantively explore. DarkMatter2525 did a better job on YouTube. 3/5

"Team Building Exercise" by Valerie Valdes
This story shows a corporate-mandated team-building exercise for a starship crew. It seems just as empty and foolish as corporate nonsense in our day, but it may be more clever than it initially seems. I do really appreciate speculation about mundane aspects of life in the future. 4.5/5

"Whose Spaceship Is It Anyway?" By John Chu
This story describes an improv audition for about seven people. The scene is about a starship crew, but the actual story is not science fiction. I think it would work in a nongenre collection or anthology. 2/5

"Cumulative Ethical Guidelines for Mid-range Interstellar Storytellers" by Malka Older
This story speculates about an underexplored aspect of interstellar travel: the need for entertainment. It imagines more traditional storytelling as a core component of space travel. It reads like a dialogue between storytellers discussing a training document. I feel like it exaggerates the ethical concerns. 3.5/5

"The Trip" by Mari Kurisato
An intimate look into a cyberpunk dystopia. Corie is the best virtual data layer creator on a seed ship leaving the Sol system, but it's not enough to afford cancer treatment for her best friend Amy. Corie is forced into a desperate plan to save her friend's life. 4/5