★★★☆☆ Average
(SF Adventure) A middle-aged man mourning his wife visits a famous set of volcanic lakes on another planet, where he finds the local wildlife a bit more interesting that expected. (5,608 words; Time: 18m)
"The Billows of Sarto," by Sean Monaghan [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: Kaufman starts the story empty, looking for something to make him whole again. He doesn’t find a lover—it’s not clear that’s what he wanted anyway—but he does find what he really needs: a friend, with whom he shares a unique experience.
The description of the volcano and the Billows themselves, together with the spectacle of their mass mating, make the story feel real and solid.
Con: The speculative element is very weak; moving the action to anywhere on Earth and substituting any unusual natural phenomenon would have worked just as well.
It’s hard to believe in a future where we can travel to the stars for a vacation but still can’t cure cancer nor replace lost body parts.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Sean Monaghan Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
The description of the volcano and the Billows themselves, together with the spectacle of their mass mating, make the story feel real and solid.
Con: The speculative element is very weak; moving the action to anywhere on Earth and substituting any unusual natural phenomenon would have worked just as well.
It’s hard to believe in a future where we can travel to the stars for a vacation but still can’t cure cancer nor replace lost body parts.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Sean Monaghan Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Yeah, like the Nayler story, this one killed my suspension of disbelief - even more so, as this story has routine interstellar travel. The protagonist has sentient luggage, but one of his daughters has a landscaping business. And we have sophisticated reconstructive surgery for women who have had to have mastectomies now: this just struck me as a clumsy indicator that the woman was a cancer survivor.
ReplyDelete