Galaxy's Edge #17 by Mike Resnick
A review by Sandra Scholes
This issue takes a slightly darker turn from the look of the cover with a wraith like figure stood in a church among other wraiths, armed with a sword. The reason I like it is due to the face an part of its body seems robotic and sinister. Moving swiftly to The Editor's Word, Mike looks favourably on Galaxy's Edge's stint at WorldCon and takes a look back at a column he wrote for the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction some twenty years ago he thinks is still relevant today as it is on the amazing gems found on the dealers' rooms many have overlooked at cons. By this he means the books on sale there.
Story wise, it's a nice mix so read on:
From the Moment I Laid Eggs in You by Josh Vogt. Blind dates can go wrong, and Greg finds out the hard way in this sf short, which ranks his second appearance in Galaxy's Edge. It's not what his girlfriend was, but what she really is, and it's not going to be great for him. It's funny, surprising and for my money should be made into a short film, just for comedy's sake.
Kill Me! by Sabina Theo is her second appearance in Galaxy's Edge and she is a Bulgarian writer and journalist who has had stories published worldwide. Diana Jones is in love, but not with an ordinary man, a robot and Jason is the most amazing "man" she has ever known, and for a while, Diane is happy with Jason in a way other men have never made her feel and the story raises questions of whether loving a robot is perverted, or is it better to have one as he won't lose interest in her when she gets old and infirm, he will be loyal to her and only her. Translated by Bouyana Dimitroba, it is an enjoyable modern tale that has readers questioning what they would do in her circumstances.
Out of Africa by David Drake has readers question something else, the idea of life on other planets getting on Earth and evolving. Two men discuss the topic of elephants in Africa and come to the subject of a certain find one has kept that no one would believe him about.
Wait 'Till Next Year by Jody Lynn Nye has all the action and fantasy of a Vallejo painting as Eschael fights serpents and demons to please a god and hope that the end of days can be stalled a bit. Jody is a very prolific author and short story writer whose husband is also a reviewer in Galaxy's Edge. Wait 'Till Next Year starts out with a series of fights, the a quest to find out what it's like to be human.
My First Duty by Eric T. Reynolds concentrates on a robot in a lunar colony, searching for anything he can salvage while his partner, Old Marvin stays away from the harmful air and dust that can kill humans. When regolith has the nasty ability to get through their suits, Marvin's robot can be relied upon to look after him, but can he really? I found this story to be daunting thanks to Reynolds's ability to start out his story as innocent as possible.
The Mood Room by Paul Di Filippo is a story of how Val Hallogren and his men created a Total Immersive Environment called The Mood Room. It took a while to get right, but their work came to fruition, but what happened later makes them change their mind on what The Mood Room can do to humans, and how it can hurt the ones who used it the most.
In The Power and The Passion by Pat Cadigan, Mr Soames is hired by a handful of people who know what he can do when put on an assignment. He is send on a mission to infiltrate a family, but not just any family - ones who may not take kindly to the sight of his tattoo. This, for me was an interesting take on a certain horror genre that has been seriously overdone on many occasions. Pat does the ending justice with his flamboyant Mr Soames.
In Book Reviews, Jody Lynn Nye and Bill Fawcett comment on the latest in sci-fi and fantasy novels starting out with 1636: The Cardinal Virtues by Eric Flint and Walker Hunt for Baen Books, a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle for Square Fish, Clockwork Lives by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil pert for ECW Press, Legends of the Dragon edited by Nancy Knight and Mary Marella for Gilded Dragonfly Books and Googolplex by KG Johansson for Affront Publishing.
Columnwise, Gregory Benford's Living on the Lesser Light That Rules the Night reminds readers about us space fans discussing in 2014 that the Russians said they were going to build a manned moon base. Gregory Benford continues with his column, Living In The Lesser Light That Rules the Night where he tells all about the Russians announcing that they were planning to build a manned moon base which led to discussions about how our moon is used by others. Barry N. Malzberg's From the Heart's Basement tells us about Inside the Volcano. Here he says more about science fiction writing and what each writer understood of his craft. The Galaxy's Edge Interview is conducted by Joy Ward with Terry Brooks who is known for his Sword of Shannara and Elfstones of Shannara novels which have been made into a TV series on MTV. He is a very popular writer of fantasy and I for one was very interested in finding out more of his work and life. For the serialization, Reboots Part 3: Endgame by Mercedes Lackey is one of her best, though she has penned over a hundred novels, the Valdemar series is the more well-known. She is celebrated as one of the most famous authors in the field of science fiction and fantasy. For many who have a few favourite stories, and the interview should pique the curiosity of most who, like myself, have never seen a Terry Brooks interview.
