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Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
October/November 1997

This month's issue of Asimov's features a Reflections column by Robert Silverberg, which is on traveling to Mars. He comments on the lack of funds to launch manned missions to Mars and, probably in a 'fantasy' speculation, talks about the book, The Ship That Sailed to Mars by William M. Timlin, and how we could also fly to Mars in a similar ship; at least, I hope he was. You can never really tell...

Stories featured in this issue are:

• "The Golden Keeper" by Ian R. MacLeod is quite a departure from previous stories by MacLeod that I've encountered. This story is centered around a Roman Citizen who supervises a mine in Egypt, hoping to get enough money to repay his father's debts. But things turn eerie when he encounter strange star-shaped stones and hints of an ancient, alien civilisation.
• "Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin" by Kage Baker is a fascinating story about an immortal who goes into the past and works in a Russian colony based in California. A courier is sent to him with some information he needs but, as it turns out, the courier has a strange personality that may lead to danger and, possibly, the discovery of his immortal identify.
• "Mind's Eye" by Robert Reed is the 'typical big-science' story that Reed tends to write about. In this one, an operation to wipe out a rebellion on the moon is about to begin, using a huge plasma gun to literally melt the moon! But into this walks a possible plot to subvert the manager of the project. The ending is spectacular and unexpected.
• "Shadows on the Mountain" by James Sarafin deals with a mountain goat hunt by two people. But things turn strange when one of them suspects that the goats may not all that they seem.
• "On the Ice Islands" deals with two people working on an ice satellite orbiting Neptune. Things begin to go wrong when trouble occurs to their mother ship and one of them is held prisoner by an unknown Voice. Trying to fight against a system that can control your own space-suit makes for interesting reading.
• "House of Dreams" by Michael F. Flynn is an unusually fascinating story. Set in a house about to be renovated, its owner finds an unusual torch whose light shows objects and people that are not there. The truth gradually dawns and his exploration of the other world reveals a world more dangerous that ours; and the danger may 'cross over'.
• "Fair Verona" by R. Garcia y Robertson starts off in the city of Verona, Italy where a nobel person pursues a beautiful lady and ends up on a faraway world filled with people eager to control the fortunes of one of the riches people in the galaxy. How? Well, you have to read to find out for yourself.
• "Collected Ogoense" by Rebecca Ore starts off with a fish poaching expedition (no kidding) to preserve wild fish species going extinct in Africa and ends up as a revenge story by the poacher. But somehow, the story doesn't quite seem to hang together for me.
• "...Where Angels Fear to Tread" by Allen Steele is the 'usual' time travel story that examines what happens when time travelers accidentally change the past and end up in an alternate future. Probably the most interesting thing in this story is how two people, one astrophysicist and the other a psychic, approach the downed time-traveler's craft.

This issue ends with a 'book essay' by Norman Spinrad on postmodern fantasy and, as usual, makes for fun reading. Starting off with how Harlan Ellison's fiction has changed and merged, he goes on to see how fantasy, science-fiction and contemporary fiction have been blended by various books.

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