Sunday, January 30, 2011

Analog Science Fiction and Fact September 2000



Fairly average or slightly above average issue.

Identity Crisis • novelette by Kevin J. Anderson
People are able to chance bodies by some sort of PSI-power nearly everyone has apparently suddenly acquired. The story follows two friends, one who is working for police and another who is renting out his body for people who don't want to endure a painful operation or for some other reason want out of their own body for a while. A very disjointed story which would have right at home on Campbell's Astounding during his lunatic years. Writing was fairly clumsy. **
Night Voices • shortstory by Stephen L. Burns
A night time radio host gets a call from an alien whose space ship has crashed nearby. He (she/it?) has something pretty serious to tell. Excellent story. ****
Cloud Sky City • novelette by Alexis Glynn Latner
A researcher is studying a myth of an ancient city: Her flyer is damaged, and she must try to get back to base by herself. She meets some of the original colonists what live very harsh and secluded life. One man thinks that she is a reincarnation of his recently deceased wife, and captures her. Nothing really impressive, but the writing is nice, though. ***
Executive Committee • shortstory by Alan L. Lickiss
The project of building the Earth has some managerial problems. A very short mildly amusing story consisting of letters between different project managers. **½
Playmate • shortstory by Charles L. Harness
A scientist badly shaken by a death of his wife tries to find out a cure for multiresistant bacteria. Fairly trivial and average story. **½
Reflections • shortstory by Jayge Carr
A daughter (or a clone) of the empress of everything journeys to a small, practically unknown, planet. She is supposed to find useful merchandise apparently as some sort of proof for her abilities. There are naturally some complications. A pretty good story, feels more like a starting point. The more interesting story would happen after this episode. ***½
The Great White Way • novelette by Laura Frankos
Two co-workers who a big time fans of musicals create a VR-simulation where the greatest heroes of the best known musicals face each other. The author apparently loves musicals, and the description of the characters and of their battle is somewhat too detailed. The writing was ok, as a whole not a bad story. ***+

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