[Home Page][Index of Reviews][November 1997][February 1998]
|
ISFDB Content Listing |
Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine
December 1997
This month's issue of Analog features an editorial by
Stanley Schmidt on the topic of the mass extinction of large mammals
on the North American continent 13,000 years ago. Instead of finding
a single cause for the extinction, Schmidt feels that a combination of
causes (like changing weather patterns and the arrival of humans)
could be its cause.
Stories featured in this issue are:
- "Crossing Chao Meng Fu" by G. David Nordley
chronicles the crossing of a crater on Mercury. It doesn't sound
exciting until you find out they're doing it the 'old fashion' way; on
foot only. The description of the crater, especially the parts in a
chasm that does not feel the heat of the sun reminds me of some of the
fiction that Hal Clement used to write.
- "Biology at the Extremes" by Mark S. Lesney is a
science fact article that looks at the 'extremophiles'; bacteria and
other forms of life that can survive in what seems to us to be extreme
environments. These include those that can live near volcanos, hot
springs, polar areas, underground caves, rocks and even in extremely
polluted areas. He shows how they survive, and speculates on how they
can be used for projects like terraforming other planets or helping to
bring back to life polluted areas of the Earth.
- "Breaking the Standard Model" by John G. Cramer is an
'alternate view' science article that looks at the Standard Model,
used to explain the behaviour of sub-atomic particles. Despite being
able to successfully explain the sub-atomic world, the Standard Model
contains 'magic numbers'; constants that are there without
explanation. He hopes that new experiments being conducted with new
particle accelerators can help to reveal a more fundamental theory
that can explain the constants.
- "Easter Egg Hunt: A Christmas Story" by Jeffery
D. Kooistra is a detective story in a seasonal story. A rogue soldier
has planted a small egg-like nuclear device in a community and one
person has two days to find it before it goes off. He visits the
community, interviews people who may have seen him and give him clues
as to where it is located. And, in the best tradition of 'SF-mystery'
stories, the reader has a chance to solve it before the character, if
you are smart enough to pick out the relevant clues.
- "Arnold the Conqueror" by Steve Hockensmith looks at
a bureaucrat who is given the chance to lead a military expedition in
space to retake a colony that refuses to pay its debt to his company.
The resolution reminds me strongly of how some colonists deal with
soldiers in Eric Frank Russell's story,
...And Then There Were None.
- "The Cure" by Michael A. Burstein is a 'Probability
Zero' story that looks at a cure for lycantrophy (werewolves). But in
this case, the cure may turn out to be worse than the disease.
- "O Pioneer!" (conclusion) by Frederik Pohl concludes
Pohl's story about human colonists living on a world shared with
several other alien species. The Mayor of the human colony finds
hints that some people may be hiding a conspiracy against the other
aliens and investigates, leading him into danger. The ending is a bit
too 'convenient' for my tastes and seems a bit rushed.
[Home Page][Index of Reviews][November 1997][February 1998]
Copyright (C) 1997-2003 Soh Kam Yung
All Rights Reserved
Comments to author: firstspeaker.geo(at)yahoo.com
Generated: Thu, Apr 10, 2003