Thursday, January 14, 2016

Geologic, by Ian Sales

(Hard SF) On 61 Virginis b, Keller endures the cold, the two gravities, and the poisonous air at 30-atmospheres to study the only alien artifact ever found by humans. (~3,100 words)

Rating: 2, Not recommended
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"Geologic," by appeared in the January-February 2016 issue of Interzone Magazine (Issue 262), published by

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: The science is good, the dialogue is realistic, the setting is interesting, and the artifact is fascinating.

Con: And then nothing happens. All that setup, but there's not a story here.

2 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. Couldn't agree more - the story just stopped! Given the interesting setup I was massively frustrated.

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    Replies
    1. The beginning makes it clear that Keller's objective is to figure out the mystery of the rock. This isn't just a slice-of-life story. I actually looked around to see if there was a "part 1" or "to be continued" somewhere.

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