Analog Science Fiction and Fact, May 2016 by Trevor Quachri

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, May 2016 Reviews

• 
  Timo Pietilä

  Pretty average issue all in all.
  
  NOT QUITE TATERONA KEMPI, Ryan W. Norris
  Two stories are told in alternating chapters. One tells about a day in the life of a scientist who is examining rodents in an African rainforest. Another about far future sentient beings who have evolved on Earth after humans have disappeared. They have found the said journal in an archive people left on the Moon. They translate and ponder if the journal is important. A pretty good story about how "aliens" don't always come from space. Probably the best story in the issue. ***½
  THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, Ian Creasey
  Florists develop flowers with themes, according to old Victorian "language of flowers" rules. They add pheromones which cause actual feelings for the theme. Then someone asks for a flower corresponding to racism for a funeral of a "peculiar" uncle. It works pretty well, but some of his friends are offended, as they think he was a patriot. They ask for a flower which would correspond to that feeling. They get what they are asking for, but pheromones causing patriotic feelings might have some drawbacks... A pretty fun little story. ***+
  O WHAT FREEDOM, THIS GREAT STEEL CAGE, Shane Halbach
  Three people are using a robot as a "surrogate" for their minds, all for different reasons. A very short but good story.***
  THE TREATY BREAKER, Brendan DuBois
  An asteroid which is inhabited gets visitors, who remotely take control of all computer systems. When the ship docks, the visitors claim that they have come to inspect if the children are treated well and they have papers from the UN to prove that claim. But their guns seem slightly suspicious... An OK story with several pretty unbelievable plot points. ***
  PROMISED LAND, Bethany Gilton
  A man is awake alone in a generation ship. He was supposed to have some company, but someone who awoke before him used up stores more than he was supposed, as he woke several women from the deep sleep to entertain him. And now there isn't enough food to keep more than one person awake at one time. A pretty stupid story: the women he woke up were apparently mindless morons and had no way to stop that stupid activity. ***-
  MOUNTAIN, Andy P. Smith
  A story that starts with little background given. A woman's son has apparently died in some sort of post-apocalyptic world. Apparently there has been an alien artifact which has produced limitless electric power until it stopped working. There are some sort of cargo cult style religions, which try to restore power (apparently including suicides). The writing was OK, but the story was too short with little background and little resolution. Another typical story for analog during current editor: just a fragment of the real story. ***
  ARTIFICE OF ETERNITY, Lettie Prell
  A man is being tried for a shooting he did 60 years ago (the victim survived, but died as an old man due the late complications - there are several problems with that: how it can be said with certainty that the problem causing death was due to ancient gun shot? And aren't there any statutes of limitations in shooting which was not even premeditated? ) And it turns out that the victim is still alive as an uploaded personality in an android body. A decent story but the ending is pretty weak and the story just fizzles out. ***
  THE INFINITE MANQUÉ, Howard V. Hendrix
  A researcher uses an experimental treatment to turn bonobos sentient. It seems to work very well. One monkey especially seems to be very smart and develops an obsession towards an ancient lost play and wants to recreate it. His mental state seems to deteriorate and the ending isn't too happy. A bit dense story, a little longer format with more background might have made it better. ***
• 
  Jim

  There are so many interesting ideas (both fiction and fact) and so much great writing in this magazine.
  
  In this issue, I particularly liked "O What Freedom, This Great Steel Cage" by Shane Halbach.
• 
  John Loyd

  8 • Not Quite Taterona Kempi • 23 pages by Ryan W. Norris
  Very Good+. Talltaleteller archeologists are looking into 50 million year old records left by humans. Sidetracked is translating a one day biography of James Freeman. He tells his biologist friend of the nothings he has found and Distracting comes back with interesting information about the different plants and animals. The last section--200 million years from now adds a little cyclic continuity, but it moves the talltaletellers from our emotional focus to a side note in history.
  
  44 • The Language of Flowers • 11 pages by Ian Creasey
  Very Good+. Humorous. Ormonde and Chase sell flowers that give off specific pheromones, e.g. Poppy: Consolations, Quince: Temptation. They are commissioned for some custom flowers for a funeral.
  
  56 • The Treaty Breaker • 10 pages by Brendan DuBois
  Very Good. A mysterious ship docks with 1820 Geographos. The residents of this near earth object, scientists and staff, are leery of the men who come aboard saying their from the UN and checking on children's education.
  
  66 • Promised Land • 4 pages by Bethany Gilton
  Good/OK. The current steward on an interstellar voyage has to make up for the deficiency of a prior steward.
  
  70 • O What Freedom, This Great Steel Cage • 2 pages by Shane Halbach
  Good/OK. Three people transfer their consciousness into a robot. Each for different reasons.
  
  75 • Mountain • 11 pages by Andy P. Smith
  Poor. Jennifer has to identify the body of her son who committed suicide. There's an alien artifact that supplied power and then stopped. The story gave no reason as to why people became dependent on it, or what it is.
  
  86 • Artifice of Eternity • 5 pages by Lettie Prell
  Very Good/Good. Carl is now on trial for murdering Deon who he shot 68 years ago and just recently died from complications of that shooting.
  
  92 • The Infinite Manque • 13 pages by Howard V. Hendrix
  VG/Excellent. Mary is working with a group of bonobos, giving them enhancers in their diet that allow them to use sign language, then read and with the generation that received the supplements from birth even more. Panto sees the most improvement. An off hand comment about the infinite number of monkeys sets Panto on the course of writing one of Shakespeare's lost plays using his own experience.
  Reminiscent of "Flowers for Algernon."
  
  
  
• 
  Patrick Hurley

  Every piece of fiction in this issue was good. My favorite was probably the sad novella "The Infinite Manque" by Howard V. Hendrix--but "The Language of Flowers" had a sort of peculiar charm. I found the guest editorial by Edward Lermer and his subsequent article on time theory to be a bit dull and clunky, but otherwise no complaints about this issue. Glad I began to subscribe!
• 
  Benn Allen

  A largely mediocre issue with the only real highlights being Lettie Prell's "Artifice of Eternity" and Howard V. Hendrix's "The Infinite Manque". The issue wasn't necessarily terrible, it's just that much of the issue was uninspiring.
• 
  Shawn

  If it wasn't for the short from Ian Creasey this would of been a waste of time.
• 
  John Oswalt

  This is the best issue of Analog since Trevor Quachri took over, maybe longer. Four, maybe five, of the stories will be on my Anlab list at the end of the year.
• 
  Odo

  4.5/5.0