★★★☆☆ Mixed
(Military SF) Stick was made to pilot Phoenix in the war against the apostates. Stick never feels entirely human, but the final battle approaches, and Stick looks forward to it. (10,682 words; Time: 35m)
"A Stick of Clay, in the Hands of God, is Infinite Potential," by JY Yang [bio] (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in Clarkesworld issue 164, published on May 1, 2020.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.269 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: At its heart, I’d say this is a coming-of-age story which tells how Stick decided to be a human being. A he? A she? A they? Or still an it? We don’t know, but we don’t need to know. It’s sufficient to know that Stick (in Config C) thinks of Stick-self as a person; from this point, growth is possible.
Con: Some key plot elements just seem contrived. For example, why can’t the church make new mechs?
Versus wins this fight too easily. Out of the eight members of the squadron—all raised in a theocracy—there should have been at least one true believer who couldn’t be swayed.
The story seems to be set at least a thousand years from now, so it seems anachronistic that people are still squabbling over pronouns.
Other Reviews: Search Web
JY Yang Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: At its heart, I’d say this is a coming-of-age story which tells how Stick decided to be a human being. A he? A she? A they? Or still an it? We don’t know, but we don’t need to know. It’s sufficient to know that Stick (in Config C) thinks of Stick-self as a person; from this point, growth is possible.
Con: Some key plot elements just seem contrived. For example, why can’t the church make new mechs?
Versus wins this fight too easily. Out of the eight members of the squadron—all raised in a theocracy—there should have been at least one true believer who couldn’t be swayed.
The story seems to be set at least a thousand years from now, so it seems anachronistic that people are still squabbling over pronouns.
Other Reviews: Search Web
JY Yang Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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