"Lord Weary's Empire", Michael Swanwick

NV ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) December 2006 - science fantasy
Will escapes his pursuers into the underground infrastructure of Babel. There he encounters the high-elf Lord Weary and his small Army of Night, and defeats their champion Bonecrusher in combat. Will becomes the new champion and takes residence in their subterranean shantytown. As flamboyant Captain Jack Riddle, Will defeats the Breakneck Boys and becomes a hero. He leads a raid to capture some underground horses. Lord Weary, perhaps unwisely, starts a war.

The protagonist, Will, experiences an adventure with grungy fey folk in the underground. In the end, nothing is truly changed. This story is a roundabout trip to nowhere, with some dark techno-fantasy scenery along the way.

"Inclination", William Shunn

NV ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) April/May 2006 – science fiction
Young Jude Plane takes a job outside the safety his Machinist Quarter on Netherview Space Station. His people live simply and worship the Builder, a religion that seems a mix of engineering and Christianity. On the space docks Jude works with the Sculpted, who are people that have been physically modified in various ways. What Jude learns challenges his previous views.

Maybe I had problems relating to this teenage boy's issues. I couldn't really get into this story, although there were some interesting bits.

"All the Things You Are", Mike Resnick

NT Jim Baen's Universe October 2006 - science fiction
A man saves a girl by confronting armed robbers and is mortally wounded. This wasn't the first time he put himself in such danger. Another man had repeatedly risked his life playing the hero too. A spaceport security man learns that both men saw service in the Patrukan War on the deserted planet of Nikita. What affected the battle survivors on Nikita? The security man travels lightyears on his vacation to find out.

This is a readable story, but, in my opinion, hardly groundbreaking. Plus, if you know something is an illusion, even if it's a pleasant illusion, why would you fall for it?

"Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth", Michael F. Flynn

NT ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) October/November 2006 – science fiction
One morning a ferry heading from Seattle to Bremerton mysteriously vanishes into the fog with nearly a thousand people aboard. No wreckage is found and eyewitnesses and radar report anomalous circumstances at the time of the ferry's disappearance. This story tells how some people are affected by this tragedy and what scientists determine happened.

This is an interesting, readable novelette. I could have done with more admirable bereaved folks and less about adultery, though. I particularly liked the viewpoints of the fisherman and The Adventure Club and the realistically kooky Internet postings.

"The House Beyond Your Sky", Benjamin Rosenbaum

SS Strange Horizons September 4, 2006 – science fantasy)
A powerful yet compassionate priest called Matthias has a library that contains worlds such as our own. He is building a bubble universe behind his house. A pilgrim from far away, one of the ancient ones, visits Matthias and wants to become ubiquitous in Matthias's new universe. Matthias hides his keys from the pilgrim.

I found this short story rather odd, and I couldn't get into it. The plot line in the world like ours, with its scenes of domestic violence, was a bit unsettling. I guess I'll give brownie points to the author for writing something different -- a tale about God-like universe-spanning beings -- and for some clever phrases.

"Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)", Geoff Ryman

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) October/November 2006 - fantasy
This fantasy tale is set in a time like today in Phnom Penh in Cambodia. According to the author "this is a completely untrue story about someone who must exist." The story is about a rich young woman named Sith, who is Pol Pot's daughter. She lives an eccentric, narrow life trying to avoid unpleasantness. Sith falls in love with Dara, a young salesman working at a mobile phone shop. Sith is afraid to admit who she is. Sith is haunted by ghosts with no one to mourn them that call on her cell phones, and whose faces appear on her photocopier.

An exotic, colorful, (dare I say) haunting novelette. I enjoy tales with modern day ghosts. I was very impressed with this story. A very worthy Hugo award nominee.

"Eight Episodes", Robert Reed

SS ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) June 2006 - science fiction
In 2016, a series called Invasion of a Small World debuted. It was poorly promoted, and had only adequate production values, unglamorous characters, and sloppy dialog. The series was cancelled after the fifth episode. But months later the final three episodes create a buzz by showing planetary vistas and a Permian ecosystem. Who was behind this series, who sent it?

This short story may present a more realistic view of life in the wide universe, but it lacks something in fun. Some of the golden age sci-fi genre tropes are near impossibilities, but why discourage us from reaching for the stars?

"Kin", Bruce McAllister

SS ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) February 2006 - science fiction
<<- Asimov's Science Fiction February 2006 cover by Dominic Harman for "Kin"
In an overpopulated California of the future, a twelve-year old boy named Kim Tuckey-Yatsen wants a man killed because he is going to kill his sister. At a local tourist spot, the boy handed out notes. A scary, dangerous Antalou alien answers the boy's note. Seems the intelligent boy knows much about the Antalou. The boy's case strikes a chord with the alien, even though what little money the boy can offer is not worth a kill. The boy understands the alien better than either imagined.

This is a memorable science fiction short story. An unusual way to bend regulations, and a neat way to make a bureaucrat think. Plus five years later, a nice added bit for the boy.

"The Bible Repairman", Tim Powers

SS anthology (The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year edited by Jonathan Strahan) - fantasy
Mr. Torrez does Bible repair by scorching out verses his customers find intolerable then re-sanctifying the book with holy water. He conducts ransom negotiations for stolen ghosts by offering some of his blood and his soul. His own dead daughter's ghost was kidnapped and was used as TV channel-changer. There are broken souls and urban magic.

This is a story filled with intriguing ideas. I recommend this story for that alone. It's like magic realism, but taken multiple steps from reality. But since the situations are really out there, and this isn't a long story, it was sometimes hard to put myself in the character's shoes. Nonetheless, an interesting tale.

"How to Talk to Girls at Parties", Neil Gaiman

SS story collection (Fragile Things) - science fantasy
Two English teenage boys -- one is outgoing, the other, the narrator, is shy about talking to girls – head off to a party, but they forget to bring the directions. They find a party, but girl they know isn't there. The girl who meets them at the door is very beautiful. Turns out it's a different party entirely, and the girls at the party are quite different indeed.

A charming story. Gaiman wisely doesn't try to explain or describe things entirely, and that helps to make the story work.

"The Djinn's Wife", Ian McDonald

NT ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) JULY 2006 - science fiction
In the near-future in Delhi India, young female dancer Esha meets a handsome admirer who appears out of nowhere, like a djinn. He is the diplomat A.J. Rao, an artificial intelligence or aeai. That he spends time with her is noticed by government Inspector Thacker, a so-called Krishna cop. When Esha marries A.J. Rao she becomes a tabloid celebrity. But soon her husband's differences begin to annoy Esha.

A clever, well-written story set in an exotic future. Includes an interestingly different love scene. This story shares the same background as McDonald's story "The Little Goddess".

"The Small Astral Object Genius", James Van Pelt

SS ASFM (Asimov’s Science Fiction) OCT/NOV 2006 - science fiction
Can a Peek-a-boo, a small plastic device using AA batteries, take a photograph light years away and return instantaneously? Young obsessive teenage boy Dustin sends his Peek-a-boo out over and over again to take pictures of the stars, hoping to contribute to man's knowledge of the universe. Meanwhile his parents are heading towards a divorce.

A good forward-looking science fiction story set in the near future with well-drawn characters.

"Home Movies", Mary Rosenblum

NT ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) APR/May 2006 - science fiction/romance
Kayla is hired to record a family wedding, week-long reunion for an old woman who is a Mars Colony administrator. Kayla is more than a cameraman, she is what is called a chameleon. She takes a nano that records vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. After the job she downloads her recording and loses all memory of it. The old woman who wants the wedding covered is especially interested in one of her extended family, a handsome young man named Ethan.

The science fiction background is mainly a framework for a what ends up being a love story. A pleasant tale.

"The Age of Ice", Liz Williams

SS ASFM (Asimov’s Science Fiction) Apr/May 2006 – science fiction
On Mars in the far-future, The Matriarchy of Caud is preparing for war with Winterstike. Hestia Memar of Winterstrike is furtively searching the destroyed library of Caud for rumored information. The story includes a flayed warrior, scissor-women, and weird haunt-tech.

This short story is packed with ideas. There is technology I could relate to, and technology not unlike dark fantasy. I wonder if Liz Williams has more fiction set in this world. I liked this.

"Impossible Dreams", Tim Pratt

SS ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) July 2006 - science fcition
Pete discovers a video store from a parallel universe which rents DVDs of movies that were lost in our world or were never actually filmed. Paying for and trying to play a DVD from another universe humourously complicates things. Pete befriends the store clerk who shares his love of movies.

A charming, fun story. I enjoyed it.

I wonder if that store has a copy of the lost 1917 version of Cleopatra starring Theda Bara? (I'm using a picture for Theda Bara for my profile picture.)

"Penultima Thule", Chris Willrich

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) AUG 2006 - fantasy
A thieving couple, Persimmon Gaunt and Imago Bone, take a "cacography" book to the northern rim of their flat world to throw it off the edge. This book, Mashed Rags Bound in Dead Cow, is so magically malicious that reading it is fatal, sort of like Monty Python's Killer Joke. In the far North, Gaunt and Bone encounter Stonekin, Hunger Stones, and Tornarssuk, which are tool-using polar bears.

A strange, but imaginatively strange, fantasy trek. Apparently previous stories have featured these characters.

"Another Word for Map is Faith", Christopher Rowe

SS F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) AUG 2006
In a future very Christian America, a teacher/reverend and her students try to make the world as it was mapped. They are in the wilds of Kentucky. They want to correct a ridge and valley of its so-called sins.

Some interesting details, but I wasn't sure for most of the story where it was going.

"Damascus", Daryl Gregory

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) DEC 2006 - science fiction
This is a story that slowly and interestingly unfolds. It features a disease that CDC is concerned about, a strange communion, and a woman with her own personal Jesus.

"Damascus" is an impressive speculative fiction story which is set in the present day.

"Shambhala", Alex Irvine

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) March 2006 - science fiction
Shambhala is a commercial virtual world, where people move to escape their physical bodies. But now Shambhala is crashing. Mike Chancey and various professional Nerds somewhere on earth, see computer status indicators are going yellow and red and worry about the legal ramifications. Shannon DeWalt, who is in the virt or virtual world, searches for Charon, who is knowledgeable, and sees the apocalypse from the inside.

I like the idea of and many of the details of this story, but the characters didn’t really draw me in.

"Yellow Card Man", Paolo Bacigalupi

NT ASFM (Asimov's Science Fiction) DEC 2006 – science fiction
Ethnic Chinaman Tranh has lost everything and is merely surviving in the slums of Bangkok. He once ran a shipping business in Malaysia, but his family was killed and his livelihood destroyed. Now he is just another yellow-card refugee without a steady job. But he does have a fine white linen suit. Tranh encounters a rich man whom he once fired.

This story is set in the same future as Bacigalupi's "The Calorie Man", but the science fictional elements aren't as integral to the plot. This is a well-written story, but it's really grim.