I'm a little behind on my F&SF issues. The February issue came in the mail just a few days ago and I'm just finishing up December. So if you're as far behind as I am, I can recommend most of December's stories, strongly recommending "The Cure" by Robert Reed and what I consider one of the issue's best stories of 2005, "The Last Ten Years in the Life of Hero Kai" by Geoff Ryman. Here's how I'd rank the stories in the December issue:
1. "The Last Ten Years in the Life of Hero Kai" - Geoff Ryman
2. "The Cure" - Robert Reed
3. "The Last Akialoa" - Alan Dean Foster
4. "When the Great Days Came" - Gardner Dozois
5. "Walpurgis Afternoon" - Delia Sherman
6. "An Incident at the Luncheon of the Boating Party" - Allen M. Steele
7. "Poppies by Moonlight" - Sydney J. Van Scyoc
8. "Cannibal Farm" - Ron Goulart
Now Playing = Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
Just Checked Out from the Library = Dogs in the Moonlight - Jay Lake
3 comments:
Hero Kai is definitely a story I'll revisit in a few days -- I also had some misgivings about it but was simply knocked out by the quality of Ryman's writing. I thought Foster had some really great images/atmosphere. For me it was a real edge-of-your-seat story, even though I was reasonably sure how it was going to end. I'm glad Gordon bought it, though, even if it isn't actually genre.
I'm even farther behind that you: I didn't get past "Walpurgis Afternoon" in the December issue. I read all of that story but haven't found time for any more. I'm not sure what to think about it. Different? Some. Compelling? Not really. Evocative? Not particularly. She did nail the characterization of the disinterested husband and distant daughter, though.
Sherman has a really fun story in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens called "CATNYP" that I thought was much better.
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