★★★☆☆ Mixed
(Near-Future SF) A woman found an alien space probe in the dry valleys of Antarctica, and three generations of her family try to decide what it really means. (5,977 words; Time: 19m)
"Dandelion," by Elly Bangs [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 144, published on September 1, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2018.494 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: This is an idea story, and it’s a fairly cool idea: a recovered alien probe with Earth-compatible bacteria shows that life came from space. But the technology level of the probe shows that it doesn’t get much better than what we’ve already got. From that revelation, the world unifies, dedicates itself to taking care of this planet—knowing it’s all we’ll ever have—and even launches its own probe to spread life to other star systems.
Con: You have to believe in UFO conspiracy theories to really enjoy this story. The kind where the government is hiding evidence of alien life just because that’s how the government is.
This is more an account of events than it is a plotted story.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 144)
Elly Bangs Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: This is an idea story, and it’s a fairly cool idea: a recovered alien probe with Earth-compatible bacteria shows that life came from space. But the technology level of the probe shows that it doesn’t get much better than what we’ve already got. From that revelation, the world unifies, dedicates itself to taking care of this planet—knowing it’s all we’ll ever have—and even launches its own probe to spread life to other star systems.
Con: You have to believe in UFO conspiracy theories to really enjoy this story. The kind where the government is hiding evidence of alien life just because that’s how the government is.
This is more an account of events than it is a plotted story.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 144)
Elly Bangs Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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