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Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
August 1997

This month's issue of Asimov's features a Reflections column by Robert Silverberg that starts off by looking at findings that indicate that the Earth's core may be spinning faster than the outer crust. Silverberg closes it off with a call to examine the implications of such a result may have. He then examines other possible other dangers like a dust cloud that we'll encounter in just fifty thousand years.

Stories featured in this issue are:

"Winter Fire" by Geoffrey A. Landis. A sobering story about life in a city under siege. Despite the future trappings (like energy/smart weapons), the life depicted as seen from a child's viewpoint is very valid, even in today's war zones.
"The Long Ride" by Emily Devenport. A somewhat quirky story that was confusing to me until the ending pulled it all together.
"Death do us Part" by Robert Silverberg. A story set in a future where humans are practically immortal. Comparable to Frederik Pohl's Outnumbering the Dead.
"Standing Room Only" by Karen Jay Fowler. A confusing story for me as this was set just after the American civil war. It chronicles a relationship between a girl and John Wilkes Booth in the period before he enters the theater to assassinate President Lincoln.
"Lord Stink" by Judith Berman. A fascinating story set in a time in North America when magic was around and the First People (Bears) capture the daughter of a tribal chief. The trials and tribulations of both tribes is covered in good detail.
"The Language of Ghosts" by Michael H. Payne. A neat and funny story about a world visited by humans. The aliens are actually a symbiosis of two species, one of which sits on the shoulder of the other. When a conflict breaks out, one human has to 'muddle-through' a custom to ensure her survival.
"The Botanist" by Mary Rosenblum. In usual Rosenblum style, the story is set in the future where rare plants are protected (you can't clear land containing rare plants) and others are engineered to produce products like insulin. Into this world wanders a botanist who tries to preserve the plants but may be causing other problems instead.

The issue closes off with another 'review-essay' by Norman Spinrad on Ethnicity. I call what he writes 'review-essays' because in the middle of reviewed books, he also covers a lot of material (and personal opinions) on writing, making them an entertaining and informative read. Here, he reviews several books that look at ethnic differences and how they affect the characters and the world they inhabit and wonders why so few books touch on this issue.

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Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine August 1997

Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
August 1997