STG's

Intergalactic Medicine Show issue 26 was pretty good, with unusual story approaches to old themes. Remains of the Witch - Tony Pi - A neat look into Oz's witch of the West and her favorite winged monkey. Arkmind - Niall Francis McMahon - A ship's computer, all alone after all humans died, suddenly becames sentient. Lovely ending. Contaminant Source Removed - K.G. Jewell - Pretty funny magic story. The Lair of the Twelve Princesses - Amanda C. Davis - Neat turn on a classic fairy tale. Story with Pictures and Conversation - Brontops Baruq - This story won an award for best brazilian SF. It takes the form of a report of an official about a child's journal written while Earth is being invaded by hostile aliens. Somewhere on a Flattened Earth - David Lubar - Very short story about old "truths". Excerpt from Ruins - Orson Scott Card - Ruins is the second book in the Pathfinders series - I didn't read the first one, so the beginning of this had parts t...

Intergalactic Medicine Show issue 23 was - as usual - good but not great. The main story, The Discriminating Monster's Guide to the Perils of Princess Snatching , by Scott M. Roberts, looked interesting from the moment I saw the title, and didn't disappoint. Four Wizards and a Funeral by Mike Rimar - was a nice short story. This Is My Corporation, Eat by Lon Prater is a story about profiteering from religion going amok. The Hanged Poet by Jeffrey Lyman was pretty much beautiful. Into the West by Eric James Stone is based on a clever (even if a bit silly) premise about time stopping on a certain condition (avoiding spoilers here), and explores the consequences. Pretty good. Interview With Larry Niven - I've read many of Niven's books and I'm a fan. The interview was mostly about the changes in the status of current mainstream SF and why they happened.

A few neat items on this one: - Love, Cayce, By Marie Brennan. The kids of a group of adventure's - RPG style - go on together to quest around the world. The story consists of a series of letters to the parents. Pretty funny. - Exodus tides, by Alliette de Bodard. Unusual fantasy about the adaptation of merfolk to land life. - A very interesting interview with Robert Silverberg.