I didn't really enjoy the Short Stories - again. But Ken Liu is coming up as a clear favourite of mine. His work is diverse and clever, without sacrificing the emotional side.
Hartmut's World by Albert E. Cowdrey
A wealthy man imports more than he bargained for when he has a European castle transported - brick by brick - to America. I hate reading accents. I didn't like it in Lorna Doone and I still don't. It doesn't work for me and neither did this short story.
The Woman Who Fooled Death Five Times by Eleanor Arnason
A folk tale told for an alien race. Saying at the end of the story that this doesn't have an emotional pay-off for humans because humans aren't the intended audience does not forgive it not having an emotional pay-off for the only sentient species who can read it. I believe strongly that stories have to reach me both emotionally and intellectuelly. If I don't get it in my gut, my head isn't interested. Personal preference, but that's where I stand.
A Natural History of Autumn by Jeffrey Ford
A chance meeting of a businessman and a hostess takes a nasty turn. Clever, but I didn't really care in the end.
Wizard by Michaele Jordon
An ordinary teen meets a handsome wizard - okay, it's a bit better than that sounds. But not by much. It feels like a first chapter in a type of book that there are already too many of. Honestly suprised to find it in F&SF.
Real Faces by Ken Liu
A woman doing an interview in a world only ever so slightly in the future. Definitely the best of the short stories in my opinion. It takes a few current trends, pushes them ever so slightly further and examines the results. Made sense on an emotional, psycological level; made me think; made me feel. Ten out of ten!
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