Showing posts with label Tom Purdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Purdom. Show all posts

Friday, July 10, 2020

We All Lose if they Take Mizuba, by Tom Purdom

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆

(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)


Wednesday, March 11, 2020

So Long as We Both, by Tom Purdom

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆

(SF Drama) Jobarto wants a child, but Rebeka isn’t ready. He’s willing to wait, but, even though they’re immortal, he doesn’t want to wait forever. (5,044 words; Time: 16m)


Wednesday, March 6, 2019

January March, by Tom Purdom

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Near-Future SF) It’s a little too windy to use their flying elephant in the parade, but Kevin is overruled and has to somehow make it work. (6,975 words; Time: 23m)


Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Parallel Military Cultural Evolution in a Non-Human Society, by Tom Purdom

[Asimov's]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(SF Adventure) Ulman’s studies of war and violence aren’t popular, but he’s seeing something new from the natives of Sagittarius One, if he can just get the funding to observe it properly. (13,646 words; Time: 45m)


Saturday, October 28, 2017

Afloat Above a Floor of Stars, by Tom Purdom

Find this issue
(SF Adventure) Revali and Kemen are on a 36-year mission to be the first people to view the Milky Way from well above the galactic plane. Their mission is scientific, but also symbolic, and it’s the latter that’s problematic. (7,190 words; Time: 23m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Monday, January 9, 2017

Fatherbond, by Tom Purdom

Find this issue
(Planetary SF) After taking fifty years to reach planet Kendavala, colonists are disappointed to find strict regulations on where they can settle. But is anyone actually going to enforce those rules? (12,109 words; Time: 40m)

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Day Job, by Tom Purdom

Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, April/May 2015; ~8,800 words
Rating: 3, Good, ordinary, story

Len has empathy problems, so after losing yet another job, his girlfriend gets him to go to a clinic where they can fix things like that--most of the time.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: The concept is nice, but this piece is about tension. It builds a bit at a time. Hints that law enforcement worries about guys like Len. That is treatment isn't working right. Meanwhile Toni keeps irritating him. He comes close to using force in bed. We know he's got the sword.  At the end, it's super intense when we wondering if Len is going to kill Toni.

Con: But the ending is a letdown. All the energy goes out with a whimper, not a bang. We're left wondering if the story was really meant to be about Rafe (as the title suggests), but in that case, what is it trying to say?