★★★☆☆
(SF Adventure) An advanced alien civilization offers Earth a technical boon if a single human being can solve a technical puzzle in a limited time. (3,670 words; Time: 12m)
"The Grass Bows Down, The Pilgrims Walk Lightly," by Izzy Wasserstein [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: 2020.009 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: It’s a decent hard-SF story. There’s also a subtext involving the importance of memory, both in the old Norse myths and in Erika’s loss of her partner.
Con: I’m not really sure the solution is all that great. It depends on the pilgrimage happening on exactly the same day each year? So wouldn’t she have noticed that the grass wouldn’t bend for her? Also, prions exist on Earth, but who’s to say that’s the only chemistry that could accomplish this?
Beyond that, I had trouble feeling anything for Erika for some reason; she just never came alive as a character to me.
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Izzy Wasserstein Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: It’s a decent hard-SF story. There’s also a subtext involving the importance of memory, both in the old Norse myths and in Erika’s loss of her partner.
Con: I’m not really sure the solution is all that great. It depends on the pilgrimage happening on exactly the same day each year? So wouldn’t she have noticed that the grass wouldn’t bend for her? Also, prions exist on Earth, but who’s to say that’s the only chemistry that could accomplish this?
Beyond that, I had trouble feeling anything for Erika for some reason; she just never came alive as a character to me.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Izzy Wasserstein Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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