reading (Asimov's Feb '07)

I had been waiting anxiously to start the February Asimov's, so as soon as I finished "Fire" I started reading through the short stories. I finished the last of the stories Tuesday night, so once again I devour the issue in a day.

This month's notable mentions are as follows: The novella, "Recovering Apollo 8" drew me in despite a slightly removed feel from the third person perspective. I think that perspective was necessary considering the time span that the story covers. I was drawn toward the thoughtful ending, like a slow spiral roll. I suspended my disbelief in favor of the characters and rarely addressed perspectives of "Outgoing." I howled at the last line. Among the short stories "A Portrait of the Artist" was my favorite. "Close" was fascinating, just a touch sad and creepy. It did a great job of painting an atmosphere that nobody is particularly thrilled to breath.

2."Asimov's February 2007"

reading (To Die in Italbar)

I finished "To Die in Italbar" on Thursday. I was close to finishing it on Wednesday, but I figured a book a day was a bit too much for me.

Italbar is solid Zelazny, a host of characters drawing together. The universe he creates is complicated, you get the feeling there is a lot more behind the scenes. The downsides: the characters could have gotten more development and the infinite resources available to almost all the characters echoes the dreams of the early seventies. But the description, language and world building squeeze a lot into less than 200 pages. The climax was a bit anti-climatic, but in the end he tied it up with integrity.

3. Roger Zelazny "To Die in Italbar"