Thursday, December 1, 2016

Supernova Rhythm, by Andrew Fraknoi

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(Hard SF) Eve thinks she sees an impossible pattern in supernovas in a distance galaxy, and she wants to organize her dissertation around it. (1,524 words; Time: 05m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

"Supernova Rhythm," by (edited by Michael Brotherton), appeared in (RSR review), published on by .

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

Pro: There really is a plot here: Eve wants to convince Yates that her finding is real and worthwhile, and she manages that completely.

Con: The narration is so intrusive and the dialogue is so unnatural (much of it "as you know Bob") that it spoils the story.

Because of speed-of-light delays, Eve won't see the supernovas in the same sequence as observers looking from a different direction; they won't be lined up right. That might be okay if she's just converting the times except that the supernovas ought to be thousands of years apart, and the story clearly takes place less than one thousand years from the present. Unless we're to believe that the galaxy is exactly face-on to Earth and the supernovas are in exactly the same plane.

Getting your dissertation topic approved makes for a very low-stakes story.

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