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What a great issue! A lot of heartfelt stories of character adapting to ever-changing technology. The focus on character might upset the people more into the 'sci' of sci-fi, but I really appreciated it. Jay O'Connell's novela, "What We Hold Onto" was a special delight. It's a touch story of loss and romance, and what it takes to move on. The futuristic world was both strange and completely believable. The character eminently human despite all the mods and technology at their fingertips. Mercuri...
Another collection of very good SF stories.
Terrific novella by Jay O'Connell, with a sweeping, detailed portrayal of the future, and an ordinary person dealing with ordinary problems amidst it all
"Project Symmetry" by Dominica Phetteplace is the third in her excellent series of novellas about Bel, Blue Cup and AI in a near-future plutocratic dystopia. I am looking forward to the next two novellas, which are slated to appear in Asimov's in the near future.
This is specifically a review of Jay O'Connell's splendid novella, "What We Hold Onto," not the Asimov's issue as a whole.... "What We Hold Onto" presents a layered and evocative vision of the future. Differences between our world and the story's future are unobtrusively threaded into the narrative. Some differences are large (climate change has already taken place); some medium (people can modify their bodies so that their skin displays images); some small (pet insurance has become hugely expen...
This is book very excelent
Too many poemsa problem I also haveat least it was free.
Asimov's SF continues to be one of the best sources of high quality science fiction stories available. I wanted to mention two stories in particular in this issue.Jay O'Connell's novella "What We Hold Onto" is an immersive experience and one I think will particularly appeal to older readers who are dealing with or have had to deal with reaching that stage of life when our parents are passing on and we have to decide what to do with all of the stuff they - and we - have accumulated in life. It de...
One novella, one novelette, four short stories, and five poems in this issue. Among my favorites: "Project Symmetry." This story is set in the same universe as Dominica Phetteplace's earlier stories, "Project Empathy" and "Project Synergy." Told as diary entries by Bel, who discovers she has a Watcher chip, an AI implanted in her brain. "What We Hold On To" is the novella, and tells the story from the POV of a middle-aged woman who is divorced, with two nearly grown sons. Her mother is in a coma...
A couple of the stories really impressed me (especially "Unreeled" by Mercurio D. Rivera). The book reviews mentioned some fiction releases set in a quantum mechanics world, which has piqued my interest. I'm planning to track one down now.
An average issue that tends to focus more on the 'softer' side of SF, covering mental states and people's relationship with things and memories. Not much 'meat' for those into hard SF but if you keep reading, the stories by Rick Wilber, Paul McAuley and Jay O'Connell may be of interest.- "Clearance" by Sara Pinsker: looking through clearance material at a beach conference sounds boring but some items may lead the user to see strange beaches and to reconciliation with her daughter.- "Unreeled" by...
"What We Hold Onto" by Jay O'Connell - Thought-provoking look at holding onto and letting go of stuff, people, emotions, and memories. Starting out, I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical seeing a menopausal female main character in first-person point of view being written by a male author. But my doubts were quickly put to rest, and I was impressed with all the characterization. I also found the near-future setting both completely believable and seamlessly woven into the story. **** (3/11/17)[Th...
Found this via Duotrope, where curiosity about a writer who'd had two acceptances to Analog in a week led me to a blog and a superb novella. This entire issue could end up in a best anthology.
It was an okay issue. I really couldn't get into the title story, "What We Hold Onto." I think it may have been as simple as that I wasn't the target audience here. I didn't really understand the themes because perhaps I haven't had much experience with them myself. Or I just didn't get it. Either way, this one wasn't great for me. I still love Dominica Phetteplace's ongoing story arc. That near-future, believable-technology aspect of science fiction is one of my favourites. Clearance, like What...