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7. Asimov's May/June 2022
I wasn't thrilled with this issue. It featured another Commander Amanda story by R. Garcia y Robertson. I read all the stories in every issue, but I really have to wonder if that's a good policy for someone with a limited lifespan. I was waiting for the story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch to stop the fill in and start the story. Still waiting. I wasn't all that thrilled with the latest of Robert Reed's greatship stories. But the remainder of the long works were more interesting to me. I really like the way Zack Be concluded "Meryl's Cocoon", he got a different perspective there, which I wasn't expecting. On average I enjoyed the shorter works more than the longer ones.
8. Neil Gaiman "Coraline"
Gaiman wrote this book for his daughters and although it is a scary book intended for kids it's also a fun read for the rest of us. It's a fairytale with modern sensibilities and a coherent plot. Should probably be required reading for every daughter, but let them find it, don't force it.
9. Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels" (alas a bowdlerized edition)
It had been many many years since I'd read any of Gulliver's travels. I read this version because it's what I had on my Kobo from Project Gutenberg, but I'd rather have read the original. It is amazing how sharp this is even today. Three hundred years on and the satire and political commentary still holds. The titles of the offices have changed, but not much else. I plan on reading the full version at some point.
10. Jasper Fforde "The Song of the Quarkbeast"
I re-read "The Song of the Quarkbeast" in preparation for reading the last book in the series. This book grows on you with more readings. I think I enjoyed it more this time than I did the last.
11. Asimov's July/Aug 2022
Overall I felt that this issue was stronger than the last. Alas, Rick Wilber's "The Goose" didn't do it for me. I like alternate history, but it feels like this was just an exercise or indulgence. In several critical ways the characters didn't stay in character because it would have prevented the plot from clunking along. The second story in the Bridesicle world mixed bleak and hopeful and came out with an interesting flavor. Screaming Fire mixed familiar and alien in a complex world. It seems like there could be a lot more stories there. Perhaps the strongest of the novelettes was Robert R. Chase's "Goblin Market" which crammed a lot of world and story lines into a tight package.
I wasn't thrilled with this issue. It featured another Commander Amanda story by R. Garcia y Robertson. I read all the stories in every issue, but I really have to wonder if that's a good policy for someone with a limited lifespan. I was waiting for the story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch to stop the fill in and start the story. Still waiting. I wasn't all that thrilled with the latest of Robert Reed's greatship stories. But the remainder of the long works were more interesting to me. I really like the way Zack Be concluded "Meryl's Cocoon", he got a different perspective there, which I wasn't expecting. On average I enjoyed the shorter works more than the longer ones.
8. Neil Gaiman "Coraline"
Gaiman wrote this book for his daughters and although it is a scary book intended for kids it's also a fun read for the rest of us. It's a fairytale with modern sensibilities and a coherent plot. Should probably be required reading for every daughter, but let them find it, don't force it.
9. Jonathan Swift "Gulliver's Travels" (alas a bowdlerized edition)
It had been many many years since I'd read any of Gulliver's travels. I read this version because it's what I had on my Kobo from Project Gutenberg, but I'd rather have read the original. It is amazing how sharp this is even today. Three hundred years on and the satire and political commentary still holds. The titles of the offices have changed, but not much else. I plan on reading the full version at some point.
10. Jasper Fforde "The Song of the Quarkbeast"
I re-read "The Song of the Quarkbeast" in preparation for reading the last book in the series. This book grows on you with more readings. I think I enjoyed it more this time than I did the last.
11. Asimov's July/Aug 2022
Overall I felt that this issue was stronger than the last. Alas, Rick Wilber's "The Goose" didn't do it for me. I like alternate history, but it feels like this was just an exercise or indulgence. In several critical ways the characters didn't stay in character because it would have prevented the plot from clunking along. The second story in the Bridesicle world mixed bleak and hopeful and came out with an interesting flavor. Screaming Fire mixed familiar and alien in a complex world. It seems like there could be a lot more stories there. Perhaps the strongest of the novelettes was Robert R. Chase's "Goblin Market" which crammed a lot of world and story lines into a tight package.
