Nameless He, by Robert Reed

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆

(Space Opera; Great Ship) A captain on the Great Ship gives a nameless robot the task of studying the enigmatic wreck of an ancient starship. (8,983 words; Time: 29m)

Who Carries the World, by Robert Reed

[F&SF]

★★★☆☆

(Space Opera; Great Ship) It’s not a big deal when Perry dies in the avalanche. It’s just a little death, but the person who digs him out and puts him back together has been missing for 12,000 years. (10,144 words; Time: 33m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Bonobo, by Robert Reed

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆ Average

(SF Epic) In which we learn the impact on a family of a daughter’s decision to turn herself into an animal. (5,731 words; Time: 19m)

Painwise, by Robert Reed

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Medical SF) By mid-century, most of the world’s problems are solved, so it seems unfair that a disease called Rampart is spreading out of control and condemning billions to a slow, painful death. (6,723 words; Time: 22m)

The Province of Saints, by Robert Reed

[F&SF]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Medical SF) The Billings family had all the power and wealth in town, but they all died in a house fire except for one survivor, whom the police struggle to interview to learn what really happened. (5,877 words; Time: 19m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Reboot, by Robert Reed

[Analog]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Military SF) In the midst of a nuclear war, two computers chat with each other about how serious it really is. (906 words; Time: 03m)

The Esteemed, by Robert Reed

[Asimov's]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Time Travel; Veritas) When President Gerald Ford announces the arrival of a time traveler, America changes in lots of ways, and Jason’s family will never be the same. (25,718 words; Time: 1h:25m)

Although this is technically part of a series, the connection with the other stories is limited to the idea: there are no shared characters, no shared events, and no shared settings.

Every Color of Invisible, by Robert Reed

[F&SF]

★★☆☆☆ Not a Stand-Alone Story

(Modern Fantasy; Amerindian) Young Raven Dream grew up in a secret community of Lakota Indians who live underground. Now he lives with his uncle, and he’s struggling to adapt to our world. (13,642 words; Time: 45m)

This story seems to be heavily dependent on previous stories in the series. Worse, this story clearly contains spoilers for the previous content. All four previous stories are collected into a single volume called “Raven Dream.” Readers interested in this story should probably read that first.

Denali, by Robert Reed

[Asimov's]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Allegory) The DENALI machine gives America an edge over other countries, but the public has to take regular votes as to what it’s supposed to do. (12,089 words; Time: 40m)

Kingfisher, by Robert Reed

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Far-Future SF; Great Ship) Kingfisher searches an endless icefield for a woman he can’t forget. He’s been searching a long time—tens of thousands of years at least. But he’s not giving up. (11,943 words; Time: 39m)

Some familiarity with the Great Ship universe is required to make sense of this story

The Residue of Fire, by Robert Reed

[Anthology]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Space Opera; Great Ship) Ash sends a creature that lives outside time to summon a man who wants to kill him. (7,156 words; Time: 23m)

Recommended By: GDozois+2

Although this was originally published in the UK in 2017, the first US Publication was in March 2018, so it should be eligible for the 2019 Hugo Awards at the 2019 WorldCon, to be held in Dublin.

Two Point Oh, by Robert Reed

[Analog]

★★★☆☆ Average

(SF Adventure) Aliens stranded on Earth trying to replace their ruined spaceship unexpectedly try to hire an extremely unlikely human to help with “personnel problems.” (5,798 words; Time: 19m)

Love Songs for the Very Awful, by Robert Reed

[Asimov's]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Near-Future SF) Bodden’s a handsome young guy who agrees to participate in an invasive brain experiment solely because he wants to romance the researcher who recruits him. (5,785 words; Time: 19m)

Obliteration, by Robert Reed

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆ Mixed

(Near-Future SF) Kleave’s life is upended when a freak accident disables all three of the archives where he stores copies of his experiences and memories. (4,971 words; Time: 16m)

An Equation of State, by Robert Reed

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(SF) The army wakes in the new solar system and prepares to face enemy attack. But the enemy doesn’t show up. While they wait, one of them decides to study one of the inner planets. (3,625 words; Time: 12m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Luscinia, by Robert Reed

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(Dystopia) Luscinia doesn’t want to spend money—she just wants more of it. And more. And more. (1,396 words; Time: 04m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Leash on a Man, by Robert Reed

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(SF) Porous enjoys being a prison guard up until a new prisoner arrives who stirs things up. (11,908 words; Time: 39m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

The Significance of Significance, by Robert Reed

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(SF) A young woman reacts to the news that our universe is just a simulation by making wild choices that her family has to deal with. (5,330 words; Time: 17m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Two Ways of Living, by Robert Reed

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(Near-Future SF) Each sleep takes Artemus two years closer to his goal, but he wakes up weak and starving after each one, and he doesn’t need nosey neighbors bothering him while he recovers. (3,614 words; Time: 12m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:4

Dunnage for the Soul, by Robert Reed

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(SF) When scientists find a way to test people and animals for what everyone assumes are souls, the narrator feels left out because he’s one of the people without one. (7,755 words; Time: 25m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average