(Planetary SF) The Terravine colony has grown to where it needs to build a sewage plant, and, as Magistra Descendant, Sara is right in the middle of it. (3,326 words; Time: 11m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Light, Like a Candle Flame," by Iona Sharma [bio] (edited by Jane Crowley and Kate Dollarhyde), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 05/15/17, published on May 15, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The story is about the members of a colony making the transition from living off materials they brought to being self-sufficient. There is strong conflict between their desire not to destroy their new world as they ancestors destroyed the old one and the need for them to disturb the world at least a little or else not survive at all.
The personification of their ship and the inevitability of its death make a nice contrast. They loved the AI that had cared for them and their ancestors, but to minimize their impact on the new planet, they have killed her.
Con: Nothing is resolved. The only real plot element was building the sewage plant, and we’re only indirectly told that that was approved. “They’re building a sewage plant next to our house.”
It feels like we’ve read an interesting setup for a longer story, but we only got a taste of it.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 05/15/17)
Iona Sharma Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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The personification of their ship and the inevitability of its death make a nice contrast. They loved the AI that had cared for them and their ancestors, but to minimize their impact on the new planet, they have killed her.
Con: Nothing is resolved. The only real plot element was building the sewage plant, and we’re only indirectly told that that was approved. “They’re building a sewage plant next to our house.”
It feels like we’ve read an interesting setup for a longer story, but we only got a taste of it.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 05/15/17)
Iona Sharma Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Good and interesting, but does feel like an excerpt. You're kind of dropped into the middle and then left with unanswered questions at the end.
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