★★★☆☆ Kind of fun
(Hard-SF Adventure) A scientist has a great idea for a revolutionary new space telescope, but he can’t get approval to build it. (4,320 words; Time: 14m)
"Birds Of A Feather," by Gregor Hartmann [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 01-02|20, published on December 19, 2019 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.013 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The best part of the story is the interactions between the two very different brothers. By the end, I felt they each had real strengths—neither was a wimp—but also that they really loved each other.
I’m not sure the kaleidoscope telescope has a hope of working, but the story made it very real, and I was definitely rooting for it to somehow get launched.
It was a nice touch that Frank’s boss wasn’t fooled by their stunt to steal his materials, but she let him get away with it in exchange for doing something for her.
Con: The plot requirement that the department head wouldn’t even let Frank explore his idea on his own struck me as very hard to believe.
There seem to be some editing problems. The opening paragraphs in particular are more awkward that I expect in a professional publication. Once it gets going, it’s fine, but the takeoff was pretty rough.
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Gregor Hartmann Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The best part of the story is the interactions between the two very different brothers. By the end, I felt they each had real strengths—neither was a wimp—but also that they really loved each other.
I’m not sure the kaleidoscope telescope has a hope of working, but the story made it very real, and I was definitely rooting for it to somehow get launched.
It was a nice touch that Frank’s boss wasn’t fooled by their stunt to steal his materials, but she let him get away with it in exchange for doing something for her.
Con: The plot requirement that the department head wouldn’t even let Frank explore his idea on his own struck me as very hard to believe.
There seem to be some editing problems. The opening paragraphs in particular are more awkward that I expect in a professional publication. Once it gets going, it’s fine, but the takeoff was pretty rough.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Gregor Hartmann Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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