Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume 116, Nos. 6 & 7 (June/July 2009)

With relatively pedestrian stories, this is a rather uninspired issue of the magazine. Even the classic reprints included in this issue are only decent, but not great (and I can't figure out why Sooner or Later or Never Never was published in a speculative fiction magazine to begin with).

The anchor story, the Cowdrey novella Paradiso Lost is a decent story involving an inter-service rivalry, murder, and betrayal on a interstellar mission to rescue the inhabitants of a colony of cultists. The story is functional, but not particularly insightful, relying on gross stereotypes and clichéd plot devices. The Spaceman is a fantasy story disguised as a science fiction story that suggests people would be happier if they gave up rationality in favor of unfettered imagination, which I think is a fairly weak argument. Economancer is still more anti-rationality, but this time applied to the financial system, suggesting that since the banking system supposedly runs solely on belief, then it is nothing more than magic, and magic is just as valid.

The best story in the issue is Adaptogenia, a tale about mutation running amuck to doom the human race (and all other non-insect life) to extinction. It is a good story, although a fairly dark one, continuing a trend towards depressing science fiction that Sheila Williams recently suggested was occurring in an editorial in Asimov's Science Fiction. Robert Reed's Firehorn does a much better job than The Spaceman at exploring the power of imagination, and does it in a way that doesn't suggest throwing common sense out the window is a good idea. Corona Centurion FAQ is a funny short piece about the benefits and (highly downplayed) drawbacks of a new product.

Continuing their series of classic reprints is the John Varley story Retrograde Summer, set in his eight worlds universe. It gives a view as to what life on Mercury would be like in this future, as well as some insight about family and gender attitudes, but the story isn't really anything special. For a classic reprint, it was fairly disappointing. The other classic reprint in the issue is Gary Jennings' Sooner or Later or Never Never about the travails of a dimwitted Baptist missionary in the wilds of Australia. I can't figure out why this was printed in Fantasy & Science Fiction to begin with, since there isn't any actual fantasy or science fiction in the story. While it is somewhat funny, it is out of place (and since it appears in the same volume as Economancer, there are two stories in the issue that resort to the "narrator writing a letter to someone to form the text of this story" motif, making for a modestly repetitive issue). I really can't figure out why it was included as a classic reprint.

Which brings me, finally, to The Motorman's Coat by John Kessel. This story, about a swindle set ostensibly in the future, is the weakest in the issue. The main character is a dealer in antiquities from the 20th century (ancient history by the time the story takes place) who is offered a motorman's coat that turns out to be a fraud. Other than telling the reader it is set in the future, there is nothing that would mark this story as science fiction (or fantasy), and no real point to the story. In the end, the story seems like wasted pages.

On the whole, this is a very uneven issue, with the moderate peaks just barely compensating for the deep valleys. I had hoped that with the shift to a bimonthly format, each individual issue would be more likely to contain one or two superior stories, but that hope is not realized in this issue, which has a collection of decent stories marred by the addition of some bad ones. For me, this issue was a disappointment. ( )

An issue of two halves, to use a good old silly cliche. A high average at 3.67, brought on by several standouts, and a bunch of average. This many 4.5's is worth having a few average, though.

The reprints - the Varley is one of my least favorite of his, but the never heard of Gary Jennings story was hilarious, so right there.

Cowdrey's third Kohn story is rather excellent, too.

A lot of whacky in this issue, certainly, a fair helping of which come with a very nasty sting. Not too surprising in the case of a military story, or corporate satire of course.

Chris Moriarty likes M. M. Buckner's Watermind a lot.

FSF683 : Firehorn - Robert Reed
FSF683 : The Motorman's Coat - John Kessel
FSF683 : Retrograde Summer - John Varley
FSF683 : Corona Centurion(TM) FAQ - Terry Bisson
FSF683 : Paradiso Lost - Albert E. Cowdrey
FSF683 : Adaptogenia - Wayne Wightman
FSF683 : Sooner or Later or Never Never - Gary Jennings
FSF683 : Economancer - Carolyn Ives Gilman
FSF683 : The Spaceman - Mike O'Driscoll

Gotta give gullible AI a good monster hoax.

4.5 out of 5

Unclothed deal.

3 out of 5

Clone twin meeting.

3 out of 5

Artificial hearts need their printer ink.

3 out of 5

Alien War colony bubble space romance secret orders telepathic dwarf diplomatic slaughter.

4.5 out of 5

Bugs are definitely gonna get us.

4 out of 5

Fairdinkum, mate, that septic dirty beast's a right drongo.

4.5 out of 5

Don't trust the voodoo science.

3.5 out of 5

Dark Side Of the Moon Mouse Fantasy.

3 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/05/fantasy-and-science-fiction-683-gordon.htm... ( )