Mathematical SF?

Glory by Greg Egan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An ingot of metallic hydrogen gleamed in the starlight, a narrow cylinder half a meter long with a mass of about a kilogram.
A very abstract beginning. I skimmed past most of that science-tech babble, I confess. I liked the story that followed the info dump.

However…
“There’s more to life than mathematics,” Joan said. “But not much more.”
Math was always one of my best subjects at school, but still… too much! Math Fiction? Mathematical SF?

It was ok, nice idea of a vaguely Star Trekky set-up without the Prime Directive and more cloning and uploading of consciousness. Plus that hard SF thing with the needle that I skimmed… Did I miss the big reveal, aka Brig Crunch? It probably just flew right over my head.

Glory by Greg Egan can be read for free here: https://outofthiseos.typepad.com/blog…

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Redemption and a new start, maybe?

Lightspeed Magazine, September 2018 by John Joseph Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review for TRAVELLING INTO NOTHING, AN OWOMOYELA, ~18 p., ★★★¼☆
She was offered the comfort of a drug-induced apathy. She refused.
A story about a second chance. With a catch? More of an exploration of self than of space. A conscious and curious ship. A neural interface. Awareness, revelation and acceptance. Resolution and an open end—not a fan of those.

I can‘t decide if I liked this story or not. I definitely disliked the main character. There was unexplained backstory, that I would have preferred to explore more.

More by the author: http://an.owomoyela.net/fiction

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Seeing is believing?

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 50 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review for SEEING, GENEVIEVE VALENTINE, ~12 p., ★★★★★
After it was over, they pulled her from the sea.

I was very confused at first. Something pre-apocalyptic? Maye a dystopia? I felt the urge to go and study astrophysics, to understand what was going on. It took a moment, but I ended up really liking this. Not an easy story.

I think this is a story you need to read twice to make sense of it. Layers upon layers. In retrospect, skimming the story a second time, I am upgrading this to 5 stars. A lot going on for a mere 12 pages!

Can be read for free here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/valen…

About the author: https://www.genevievevalentine.com/ab…

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