"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.

"Planet of Mystery", Terry Bisson

NV F&SF Jan 2006/Feb 2006
pulp fiction sci-fi
<<- F&SF Jan 2006 cover by Max Bertolini for "Planet of Mystery"

A manned space mission to the planet Venus improbably discovers a cool surface and breathable air on Venus. Astronauts Aeneas Hall and Lu-Hsun Chang are captured by amazon women riding centaurs. Lost robotic lander RB1011, or Robbie, has gained sentience. Chang falls in love with Queen of the Amazons Sha-Nee-La. After Hall reports seeing a flying saucer, orbital pilot Collins says that she considers the UFO more plausible than the centaurs and amazons because it's more scientific.

This is a lightweight tale that pokes fun at the ridiculousness of some old time sci-fi. Mission Control is mentioned as Houston and Burroughs (Mars). This novella was serialized. Part one is in the January 2006 F&SF issue, part two in the February issue.