★★☆☆☆
(SF Adventure; In Our Stars) Harry travels all over the late 21st-Century world looking for answers to his questions about certain coincidental events that seem to be more than coincidences, suggesting there may be a meaning to life after all. (14,716 words; Time: 49m)
"In Our Stars," by James Gunn [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 03-04|20, published on February 20, 2020 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.115 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The best part of this story is the descriptions of the different parts of the world and the available technologies roughly fifty years from now. Some are more realistic than others (e.g. broadcast power is more fantasy than science, as is the “copy” of Harry’s wife, Lisa), but Harry’s world feels very real. Refreshingly, it’s a very positive view of the future.
Con: Harry’s search for the meaning of life sounds like a series of undergraduate bull sessions, and it’s hard to believe so many people indulge him in it. After a while, it just gets dull.
His conclusion that there’s an all-powerful, ancient AI that controls our lives is literally a deus ex machina.
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James Gunn Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The best part of this story is the descriptions of the different parts of the world and the available technologies roughly fifty years from now. Some are more realistic than others (e.g. broadcast power is more fantasy than science, as is the “copy” of Harry’s wife, Lisa), but Harry’s world feels very real. Refreshingly, it’s a very positive view of the future.
Con: Harry’s search for the meaning of life sounds like a series of undergraduate bull sessions, and it’s hard to believe so many people indulge him in it. After a while, it just gets dull.
His conclusion that there’s an all-powerful, ancient AI that controls our lives is literally a deus ex machina.
Other Reviews: Search Web
James Gunn Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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