★★★☆☆
(Military SF) Elio controls a group of combat machines in a battle to defend his asteroid city from attack by humans who’ve modified themselves to be extra aggressive. (5,980 words; Time: 19m)
"We All Lose if they Take Mizuba," by Tom Purdom [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 07-08|20, published on June 18, 2020 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.348 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The background is interesting. A future where most people are nearly immortal, and where people don’t hesitate to submit themselves to personality modifications for various purposes. Elio seems to be naturally peaceful, since it took them longer than usual to turn him into a fighter, but their enemy seems genuinely scary.
There’s plenty of action and tension during the fight, particularly when the enemy pick Elio as the point to focus their attack.
Con: Much like war itself, the story has moments of action and periods of boredom. My eyes glazed over more than once. We never learn much about Elio, other than that he’s 236 years old and has kids. It’s a little hard to identify with him.
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Pro: The background is interesting. A future where most people are nearly immortal, and where people don’t hesitate to submit themselves to personality modifications for various purposes. Elio seems to be naturally peaceful, since it took them longer than usual to turn him into a fighter, but their enemy seems genuinely scary.
There’s plenty of action and tension during the fight, particularly when the enemy pick Elio as the point to focus their attack.
Con: Much like war itself, the story has moments of action and periods of boredom. My eyes glazed over more than once. We never learn much about Elio, other than that he’s 236 years old and has kids. It’s a little hard to identify with him.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Tom Purdom Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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