★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(SF) Seven months pregnant, mourning the recent loss of her husband, Kate tries to run the ranch by herself, rejecting offers of help from friends and family. The thing in the lake is another matter. (8,124 words; Time: 27m)
"Seven Months Out and Two to Go," by Rachel Swirsky [bio] and Trace Yulie [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 03-04|18, published on February 15, 2018 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The writing is beautiful and touching. The scenes with the farm animals are perfect.
The aliens seem to have been here just to record our world and then move on. They seem very pleased with what they got.
To some degree it also seems to represent Kate contemplating suicide. “Going home” is a common metaphor for dying. But she’s surrounded by new life, including the life inside her, and ultimately she decides to stay here.
Con: There’s very little action in the story, and the stream-of-consciousness scenes run on for too long.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Rachel Swirsky Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Trace Yulie Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
The aliens seem to have been here just to record our world and then move on. They seem very pleased with what they got.
To some degree it also seems to represent Kate contemplating suicide. “Going home” is a common metaphor for dying. But she’s surrounded by new life, including the life inside her, and ultimately she decides to stay here.
Con: There’s very little action in the story, and the stream-of-consciousness scenes run on for too long.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Rachel Swirsky Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Trace Yulie Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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