★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
(SF Fairy Tale) In 2095, a giant starship heads for the stars despite the fact that it’s nowhere near ready. (19,566 words; Time: 1h:05m)
Recommended By: GDozois+1 RHorton+2 NClarke+2
Although this was originally published in the UK in 2017, the first US Publication was in March 2018, so it should be eligible for the 2019 Hugo Awards at the 2019 WorldCon, to be held in Dublin.
"The Tale of the Alcubierre Horse," by Kathleen Ann Goonan [bio] (edited by Nick Gevers), appeared in Extrasolar (RSR review), published on March 1, 2018 by PS Publishing.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: They eventually succeed in finding a new planet that people (with modifications) can live on.
Con: The story starts out as hard SF, but gradually gets more fantastic and ultimately mystical before reverting to SF at the end. For me, that made the story almost unreadable. It doesn’t help that the story is very, very long.
The children were completely unsympathetic characters. Selfish. Foolish. Dangerous. Pele is sympathetic, but she never becomes interesting enough to make the story work.
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Kathleen Ann Goonan Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: The story starts out as hard SF, but gradually gets more fantastic and ultimately mystical before reverting to SF at the end. For me, that made the story almost unreadable. It doesn’t help that the story is very, very long.
The children were completely unsympathetic characters. Selfish. Foolish. Dangerous. Pele is sympathetic, but she never becomes interesting enough to make the story work.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Kathleen Ann Goonan Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
i have been reading short scifi/fantasy since 1974. i hate to say it but this is the worst story i have ever read. cant believe it was included in neil clarkes best of the year.
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