Asimov’s: Short Fiction Reviews by A.C. Wise

Asimov’s 9-10/24

“Heartshock” by Nick Wolven gets the Sep­tember/October issue of Asimov’s off to a strong start, looking at the immediate aftermath of a war and the hard decisions facing an injured captain who must choose whether to show mercy to an enemy offering surrender and information. The story is an effective exploration of different ideas of strength and weakness, and the question of whether the only way to lasting peace is through violence. “Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hard­wood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey is a sweet story reminiscent of John Wiswell’s Nebula-winning “Open House on Haunted Hill”. Evan finds himself living alone in what he suspects to be a haunted house after breaking up with his boyfriend. The former owner’s niece reaches out to him, the two form a friendship, and as they redecorate, the ghost of Uncle Mike finds peace – as does Evan, beginning to build a new life for himself and moving on.

“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer offers up a smoothly written and unique take on Selkie mythology. Morgan; her daughter, Cordie; and her husband, Stuart; rent a house on Cape Cod while Stuart is on a research sabbatical. Morgan’s own PhD research into seals was lost several years ago, and now she supports Stuart by editing (writing) his papers, while receiving no academic credit and generally going unappreciated. Observing the seals off the Cape and learning more of the town’s history leads Morgan to some discoveries about her own life, paralleling the ancient legends of seal women hav­ing their skin stolen, but also taking their revenge. “Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” by Stephanie Feldman also deals in ancient legends as Angie, the bride-to-be; Elle, her friend; and Bea, Angie’s sister; accidentally stumble upon a dark ritual in a small German town while seek­ing a unique and authentic experience for Angie’s bachelorette party. The narrative moves fluidly through each woman’s point of view, showing their complicated and messy relationship.

“An Unexplained Hold” by Zohar Jacob is a quiet and contemplative story about a man who used to work at NASA, and now finds himself inexplicably haunting their facilities, reflecting on his life, space flight, and exploration, unable to move on. “Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai” by Anita Vijayakumar does a lovely job portraying com­plicated family relationships and the pull between honoring tradition and the desire to forge your own path in life. Saanvi uses bits of ginger from a plant tended by the women in her family for generations to determine whether the men she dates will be a good match, leading to a happy life. She isn’t sure marriage is for her, but feels she owes it to her nani, who raised her and her sister after their parents’ death. It’s a nice look at individual versus family, and the expectations placed on women, among other themes.

“In the Dark” by James Patrick Kelly recounts a meeting between a firefighter named Zee who has gained unwanted fame after a video of him rescuing a young girl goes viral, a linked con­sciousness going by the name of Tosha, and a woman named Wispa who is writing a paper on them. “Lost Recall” by Robert R. Chase is a story told through multiple points of view, about a lost/forgotten branch of human evolution trying to keep their existence secret from the world. “Eter­nity Is Moments” by R.P. Sand is an evocatively written story perfectly capturing a complicated family relationship. It’s told as a series of moments between the narrator and her grandfather as they meet in a virtual world she has constructed based on her childhood memories, as she seeks his ap­proval and is repeatedly upstaged by her cousin, the favored grandchild who can do no wrong.

“And to Their Shining Palaces Go” by Betsy Aoki follows Mayumi as she gets the rare opportu­nity to work on the Great Game, which is designed to allow the Alariel – aliens who have come to Earth – to study and evaluate humanity. When she’s forced to witness the execution of one of her fellow workers for supposed treason, Mayumi discovers the dark truth behind the dream life she always believed she wanted. “Project Fafnir” by Susan Shwartz is an alternate history set in 1944, where a group of soldiers discover a secret Nazi project to unleash the legendary dragon Fafnir, made famous by Wagner’s Ring Cycle, forcing one of the soldiers to take on the role of Siegfried to face it down. In “A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler, Zhenya knows she’s dying. Her only real connection is to a woman named Agata who she interacts with via hologram, and who tries to get her to make the most of the time she has remaining. “All the Homes of Terror” by Robert Reed takes a cosmic-scale view, dipping in and out of moments across time and space to explore the story’s intricately built world, which includes the Great Ship, a mysterious vessel of unknown origin traveling across the galaxy.

Recommended Stories
“Heartshock”, Nick Wolven (Asimov’s 9-10/24)
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”, Naomi Kritzer (Asimov’s 9-10/24)
“Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai”, Anita Vijayakumar (Asimov’s 9-10/24)
“Eternity Is Moments”, R.P. Sand (Asimov’s 9-10/24)

This review and more like it in the December 2024 issue of Locus.

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