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I finished this month's issue of Asimov's in the usual two days. This issue consisted of three novelettes, four short stories, plus poetry and regular departments. There was a good variety in this issue. Jack Dann's "Cafe Culture" was a disturbingly realistic possible future. Bruce McAllister drew pictures in "Poison" that I could see, which is an accomplishment because my visualization when I'm reading is spotty at best. I was drawn in by the worlds and stories of "Safeguard" and "The Hikikomori's Cartoon Kimono". In the former I knew there had to be a door the plot would go through, but I didn't guessed where we'd find the latch. Jeff Carlson's "Gunfight at the Sugarloaf Pet Food & Taxidermy" is, as you would expect from the name, a fun little romp with a good dose of social commentary.

I have to specifically mentions Charles Stross' "Trunk and Disorderly". The Wodehouse fans out there will howl at the prose and the main character. Several times when I was reading the story I wondered if Mr. Stross was in fact