Monday, June 19, 2017

Alouette, Gentille Alouette, by Andrew Barton

[Analog]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Near-future SF) Véronique and Emily have to retrieve the Alouette 1 satellite for a museum, but there’s a problem getting it inside their ship. (2,637 words; Time: 08m)


"Alouette, Gentille Alouette," by (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in issue 07-08|17, published on by .

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

Review: 2017.469 (A Word for Authors)

Pro: There really is an Alouette 1 satellite, and it really is still up there in an orbit that won't decay for 1,000 years.

Véronique is determined to capture it intact, and she succeeds. In the song at the end, she changes the words to the French original. Instead of saying, “I will pluck you” she sings “I will protect you.”

Con: Since the museum doesn’t really care if they have to clip the antenna, the stakes in this story are really, really low. Véronique gains almost nothing from her success, and her obsession with protecting this old satellite makes it seem like there's something wrong with her.

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