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Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine
October 1997

In this month's editorial, Schmidt looks at all the publicity kicked up by the first clone produced from an adult animal, Dolly (a sheep) and wonders what all the fuss is about. As he points out, stories about cloning, both good and bad, have been fodder for science fiction for a long time. He also finds it amazing that people now think that cloning shouldn't appear in SF stories anymore just because it has become fact, much like people thing that space-flight stories in SF are at an end because Sputnik was launched many years ago.

Stories featured in this issue are:

"O Pioneer!" by Frederik Pohl (Part One of Three). In this story, we follow the story of Evesham Giyt as he, along with his newly married wife, decide to migrate to Tupelo, a colony planet that is shared with five other alien races who try to live in peaceful co-existence. But as he finds out, peace is a relative term and there are sinister undertones that should be developed in the next parts of this serialisation.
"Laser Weapons" by Ben Bova is a science-fact article about the development of the laser. Bova describes his own personal involvement in laser weaponry, especially the design of the first power gas lasers.
"Cease and Deceased" by Jerry Oltion is a story about two 'ghosts' (intelligent particles of former men held together by magnetic fields) who are preparing a ship for interstellar travel. Being 'ghosts', they can accelerate at higher rates, cutting down travel time. But outside forces may be interested in their ship and may stop at nothing to get it.
"Dream to LIve By" by David J. Strumfels is a quiet story about a man who has a visitor from the future. In contrast to other time-travel stories where the traveler tries not to reveal the future, this one does, although it small doses, to help the man live through his own future. An interesting story with thoughts on free will, determinism and hope.
"The Krasnikov Tube: A Subway to the Stars" by John G. Cramer is an 'Alternate View' article about another way to travel to the stars other than using wormholes. A Krasnikov tube is a defect in space that wraps both space and time, allowing travelers to travel vast distances in a shorter time. But problems with causality may prevent such tubes from forming. A fascinating article that begs for SF stories to be written to explore the possibilities of such a tube.
"Variations in Dreampaint" by Marc Stiegler is a fascinating story about a man who meets two women that may be from the future. But, as the story shows, the future (from the viewpoint of the present) may not be as permanent as thought.
"Content with the Mysterious" by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff is a fascinating story that examines what is means to be a skeptic. In the story are two characters, one bitterly opposed to all forms of supernatural phenomenon, the other more accepting. As their argue over such phenomenon in the story, the former begins to experienc ESP and struggles to explain it. As a skeptic, I find the well balanced between presenting viewpoints on complete skeptism and utter belief.

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Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine October 1997

Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine
October 1997