★★★☆☆
(Alien Mystery) Something has been drilling long, narrow holes through plants, animals, even rocks, and Dr. Nino gives the US Senate a report on what it was about. (6,847 words; Time: 22m)
"The Swallows of the Storm," by Ray Nayler [bio] (edited by John Joseph Adams), appeared in Lightspeed Magazine issue 122, published on July 1, 2020.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.367 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: It definitely gets points for presenting inscrutable aliens. As the story says, most aliens you find in stories are really just human beings in drag, but in this story, I could well believe the aliens were vastly more advanced than us, conducting a sampling mission for reasons we might not ever comprehend.
Con: There’s not really a story here. Dr. Nino pretty much seems to have it figured out all along; the only tension is waiting for her to explain it to us. Once we do understand it, there’s nothing for humans to do but ignore it.
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Ray Nayler Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: It definitely gets points for presenting inscrutable aliens. As the story says, most aliens you find in stories are really just human beings in drag, but in this story, I could well believe the aliens were vastly more advanced than us, conducting a sampling mission for reasons we might not ever comprehend.
Con: There’s not really a story here. Dr. Nino pretty much seems to have it figured out all along; the only tension is waiting for her to explain it to us. Once we do understand it, there’s nothing for humans to do but ignore it.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Ray Nayler Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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