Space: the final frontier. Those are the immortal
words which began the original Star Trek, a show that was famously
pitched as a wagon train to the stars. The concept of the frontier has played a
big role in science fiction for many years. After all, are tales of rugged men and women taming the Wild West really so different from stories of settlements being
established on other worlds? To be sure, the outward trappings are different.
On the whole, however, I think that science fiction stories of space
colonization have more in common with Westerns than at first glance. Let’s just
hold that thought for a moment, shall we?
Alright, that’s all well and good, but what’s it got
to do with The Audio File? Well, as you may have guessed, our theme for this
post is space colonization. There’s not much more to add to the pre-show spiel,
so let’s get on to the Podcast Role-Call. The stories featured today are
brought to us thanks to the good and hardworking people of Escape Pod, Cast
of Wonders, The Drabblecast, Lightspeed Magazine
and Clarkesworld Magazine The Journey into Podcast, and The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine.
Now, saddle up because it’s story time…
This story follows a group of intrepid pioneers who
have set out to colonize the planet Soror in the Tau Ceti system. Two small
scale nuclear wars have occurred on Earth, so it was decided that having at
least a few humans in space would be for the best. The crew has just awakened
from cryosleep, but it turns out someone has already made it to Soror: their
fellow humans! How will the would-be colonists react to this discovery?
Okay, the description isn’t much, but I promise that
it is well worth your time. This story is a good example of the lightspeed
leapfrog trope. It is certainly a concern when you send out generation and
sleeper ships. After all, the technology of the ship stays the same, but
technology on Earth continues to advance. That is, assuming some calamity
doesn’t befall Earth. Still though, somebody’s got to get the ball rolling so
that those future advancements can be made.
That, more than anything else, is the central theme of
this story. The pioneers may have failed in their initial mission, but because
they dared to try it made the actual colonization of Soror possible. The title
of this story is a reference to that famous Stephen Hawking quote: “If I see
further it is because I am standing on the shoulders of giants.” I won’t give
the ending away, but I will say that space is a very big place. There’s always
somewhere new to discover and/or colonize.
Now for a brief note on narration. Back when this
episode premiered Serah Eley was still known as Steve Eley. Overall, I’d say
that Mrs. Eley did a good job with the narration and bringing the story to
life. Though whenever humans from Soror spoke it was a little unintentionally
funny because they kind of sounded like Hermes from Futurama.
“The Shoulders of Giants” is a story that really
captures the pioneering spirit of humanity. It is more than worth your time, so
give it a listen.
This story follows a group of astronauts who are
setting up a colony on Mars. Unfortunately, a planet-wide civil war has broken
out on Earth. It’s been quite a while since they last received a resupply
package from Earth. The astronauts are scraping the bottom of the barrel and
are faced with a difficult question: do they want to die on Mars or Earth?
Again, the description doesn’t do much, but I promise
you this story is worth your time. I kind of get the feeling that this story is
how The Martian would have turned out if Andy Weir had been
feeling extremely cynical. One of the things that caught my attention was just
how blasé the astronauts were every time a new disaster or setback occurred.
Then again, considering just how many things had gone wrong, maybe it just
didn’t faze them anymore. The central theme of this story seems to be that
perhaps we ought to get our own house in order before we go setting other
worlds.
In terms of narration, I think that Mur did a good
job. The way she gave the characters a detached cadence to their speech really
fit the story.
“Three-Quarters Martian” is a cautionary tale about
the perils of settling the frontier. It’s also a story I happily recommend.
This story is set on a partially terraformed Mars and
follows a girl named Nara. She’s obsessed with old Westerns, especially with
regards to horses like Trigger and Silver. Unfortunately, there are no horses
on Mars. As luck would have it, however, her class has been assigned to write
reports on items from Earth. The Corcoran Museum, founded by one of the
benefactors of the colony, has just opened its doors. It contains many items
from the Old West, including the skin of Trigger himself. Could this be the
opportunity that Nara has been waiting for?
When I listened to this story I was reminded of a historical
reenactment of the Pilgrims I’d once seen. I remember one of the women talking
about all of the little things she missed about England, such as the sound of
church bells ringing, and how her children were growing up not knowing of those
things. I wonder what it will be like when we set up colonies on other worlds.
What seemingly insignificant things will our descendants lack personal
knowledge of?
Now, for those of you wondering why Nara couldn’t just
take a vacation to Earth, it is mentioned she flunked a psychological readiness
test. Though personally, I would have thought that the bigger problem would be
that Earth has three times the gravity that Mars does. There’s some nice
foreshadowing towards the beginning of the story about Nara’s dad building
robots and weevils thriving on Mars.
It is always a pleasure to hear Marguerite Kenner
narrating a story. “Red Dust and Dancing Horses” is a fun little story that you
won’t want to miss out on.
“Contamination”
by Jay Werkheiser
Narrated by Dave Thompson
Originally Published in Analog
This story takes place in orbit above the planet
Nouvelle Terre in the Alpha Centauri system. It follows a young man named Ari.
He’s studied Nouvelle Terre his whole life and longs to see it from the
surface. Unfortunately, that would go against the wishes of the orbital colony
leaders, who want to protect the planet’s native life forms from contamination.
One day a shuttle arrives from Earth with the intention of setting up a colony
on the surface of Nouvelle Terre. Worse, Ari’s ship is on a crash course with
the shuttle. Can a solution be found in time?
One of the interesting aspects of this story, for me,
was how the orbital colonies were founded. They were established by two women
sent from Earth with a supply of frozen embryos. Believe it or not, that is
actually a plan that has been proposed for interstellar colonization.
Personally, I’m highly skeptical about how well it would work out in the real
world. There are way too many things that could go wrong. Anyway, let’s get
back to the review.
Inadvertently causing the extinction of alien life
forms is a concern about space exploration we’ve had for quite some time.
Humanity has certainly done quite a number on life forms here on Earth, just
ask the dodo or the moa. At the same time, we might have to put these concerns
aside if a calamity befalls Earth and we’re forced to find a new home among the
stars. So I do appreciate that this story did show both sides of the debate.
Realistically, would contamination be a concern? Well,
I’m not entirely sure. Remember, alien life is going to be subject to a
different evolutionary history, and the lock and key mechanism of Earth
microbes might not work. On the other hand, maybe life evolves along similar
lines regardless of planets. Until we find multicellular life to compare to
that of our own planet, we can only speculate.
Dave Thompson is another of those narrators I always
enjoy hearing from. “Contamination” is a story that weighs the ethics of space
colonization, and I one that I happily recommend.
Narrated by Stephanie Malia Morris
Originally Published in Mothership Zeta
This story takes place in the not too distant future.
Black Americans have decided to secure the existence of their people and a
future for black children. To this end, they establish an ethnostate on the
Moon. Things go somewhat well until a group of white racist come to attack the
black separatists. No matter who wins, we all loose.
Wow, just wow. What a disgustingly racist story. No,
I'm serious. This story is basically say that blacks and whites can't live
together and that we ought to stick to our own kind. It also advocates for
black to create an ethnostate where they can be free of white people. Let's
see, who else says that sort of thing? Oh, yeah, the Alt-Right and Neo-Nazis
do! This story is basically admitting that those groups were right all along,
even if it might not have planned to. And I though this was just going to be a
fun blaxploitation parody.
It almost felt like, for lack of a better term, black
propaganda. Black propaganda is where you pretend to be for position A, but
you're really for position B, and are trying to make people who support
position A look bad. It was like this story was written by a white supremacist
who wanted to make black people look bad. Mur Lafferty claimed she found this
story so fun she bought it twice. We must assume one of two things: either she
leaned so far left that she looped around and accidentally became right-wing,
or she's secretly a white supremacist. Yeah, I'm appalled at the politics of
this story. Any person with an ounce of decency would be.
Look, you can put out a fire with fire, and you can't
cure bigotry and hate with more bigotry and hate. If you would be appalled at
this story if it was about white people creating a lunar ethnostate, then you
should be equally appalled at a story about black people creating a lunar
ethnostate.
"At the Village Vanguard (Ruminations on
Blacktopia)" is one of the worst Escape Pod stories I've ever listened to.
It is racist and disgusting, and should be avoided at all cost.
“Alive, Alive
Oh” by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
Narrated by Sile Bermingham
2013 Nebula Award Nominee
This story takes place on the planet G851.5.32. Our
protagonist is a woman who was part of a team who were tasked with terraforming
the planet for ten years, after which time they could return to Earth. She and
her husband thought it would be fun if their daughter was born on the planet.
Unfortunately, a virus from the planet wreaked havoc on Earth, so G851.5.32 has
been quarantined indefinitely. Is such an acidic planet really the best place
to raise a child?
This is another of those stories about all those
things space colonists might miss. Some of the most memorable scenes are the
small moments. For example, the protagonist’s daughter Megan expresses surprise
that the meals on Earth aren’t all pre-cooked, or that people can dig in the
dirt without thick protective clothing. There’s also a constant theme of Megan’s
need to rebel and find her own way despite the strict rules of colony life.
Now, I’ve already gone over why it’s highly unlikely that a virus from the
planet could affect humans on Earth. I’d also add that we never observe any
native life more advanced than shellfish, so it doesn’t appear there would be
any host organism for the virus to survive in.
Speaking of those shellfish, there’s one point where a
character eats them and dies. I thought that meant they were parasites, but
then I thought about how acidic the planet is repeatedly described as.
Presumably, human stomach acid wouldn’t even put a scratch in creatures evolved
for such a caustic world. In terms of narration, I thought that Sile did a
pitch-perfect job.
“Alive, Alive Oh” is a story of youth and rebellion on
an exosolar planet. I recommend it.
This story takes place on the planet Zobranoirundisi.
It is a lush and vibrant world where the living is easy and colonists don’t
have a single care. That is, until scientists make a shocking discovery about
the velvet fields the colonists use to graze their cattle.
Okay, there’s no way to talk about this story without
spoiling the ending so I’ll give it to you straight. Those velvet fields
weren’t just velvet fields. Turns out they’re the first stage in the
development of the local sentient plant aliens, who are now maimed. To make
amends for this the colonists maim themselves in turn.
Personally, I found this solution to be extremely
draconian and rather nonsensical. Most, if not all, of the colonists had no
idea that the velvet fields were sentient beings. You could make a case that
maybe the scientists suspected that something was up, and chose not to act on
it, but the colonists? The colonists, especially the children, were innocent
bystanders just trying to go about their lives. It makes zero sense to punish
them. Maybe McCaffrey was trying to show the future humanity has different
morals, but I don’t buy it.
This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy this story, I
really did. It’s just that perhaps it could have been written slightly better
so that the morals weren’t so clunky. Now, in terms of narration I thought that
Paul did an excellent job, as always.
“Velvet Fields” has morals that are a bit off kilter,
but it’s still worth your time.
“Breakaway,
Backdown” by James Patrick Kelly
Narrated by Gabrielle DeCuir
Originally Published in Asimov’s
This story follows a woman named Cleo as she tries to
get the heel of her shoe repaired. She regales the clerk, Jane, with tales of
her time as a temporary worker on the space station Victor Foxtrot.
I`m pretty sure you know the drill for descriptions
like this by now. I liked how this story focused on the less than glamorous
side of space colonization. There’s a lot of work to be done on the space
station. Not just the work Cleo was there to do, but also the constant exercise
needed to prevent bone and muscle loss. We also get some fairly detailed
descriptions about what happens to the human body when you spend too much time
in zero-g. It is mentioned that centrifuge wheels are only available on the
stations used by tourists due to being too expensive. I can sort of buy that,
but you’d think that their benefits would potentially offset the cost of
production.
There seems to be a theme that, even though the
stations represent freedom and breaking free, maybe the grass isn’t so green on
the other side. The writing style was really enjoyable. Technically, Cleo and
Jane are having a conversation, but we never hear Jane speak. We only hear
Cleo’s responses, and I did enjoy her catty dialogue. Speaking of dialogue, I
thought that Gabrielle did a pitch perfect job with the narration.
“Breakaway, Backdown” is a story that examines the
less than idealistic side of space colonization. I very much recommend it.
Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki
Originally Published in Future Affairs Administration
This story follows a man named Seth Calder. He is
working for the European Space Agency with a probe that lets him explore
Saturn's moon Titan using VR technology. Lately, however, he's been noticing
some strange flying objects zipping around. Could somebody else have started a
mission to Titan?
This story was annoying on multiple levels. First of
all, the authors seems to be appealed at the notion that being physically fit
is a requirement for space travel. Let's just ignore that basically everything
in space is out to kill you, and that being in top shape is a must for
survival. She has stated that this story was meant to be a rebuttal of the
gung-ho stories of pulp science fiction. However, given how whinny, pedantic
and generally self-center this story was, it made the pulps look fantastic by
comparison.
Carolyn Ives Gilman says she wants to live in a world
where we can explore space, but then come home and eat curry chicken and watch
television and stuff. In essence, she wants not the square-jawed men of action
of yesteryear, but a new breed of science fiction protagonist. Ones who are
fat, lazy and have not sense of wanderlust or adventure. In other words, she
demands to see herself reflected at all times.
Oh, but that's not the worst of it. Apparently, those
flying probes were made by China. They're giving real-time video feed of Titan
that can be experience in VR by anyone in the world. And you can tag stuff for
the probes to get a closer look at. The story celebrates how space exploration
has been democratized by China, and nobody gives a damn about America's manned
mission to Mars. Yeah, one of the biggest human-rights violators of the 20th
and 21st century has democratized something. I know this was for a writer's
workshop sponsored by the Chiense government, but that is just pathetic in how
blatantly tankie it is.
Also, I serious doubt people would care more about VR
than a manned mission. VR might be fun, but it isn't really. You aren't
actually going anywhere, not that Carolyn Ives Gilman seems to care. Not even
Stefan's narration could save this dumpster fire.
"On the Shores of Ligeia" gets two thumbs
way down. Don't waste your time with this one.
“The
Middle Rages” by Joseph L. Kellogg
Narrated by John Cmar
A Cast of Wonders Original
This story is set aboard a generation ship and follows
three teenagers named Bendrick, Jillian and Cale. They have formed their own
rock band and are going through a bit of an existential crisis. They are fully
aware that their entire lives will be spent aboard the ship, but what will
their legacy be? The ship is about to fly close to a star for a gravitational
boost, and there is a big gala to mark the occasion. Perhaps the occasion also
calls for a little old fashioned rock and roll.
When it comes to generation ships, it sucks to be
stuck in the middle. Everyone will remember the crew who launched the ship and
the crew who landed the ship, but the ones in the middle? Yeah, usually not so
much. The middle crew also have the psychological dilemma of knowing that
they’re going to be spending their entire lives in a tin can. How do you cope
with that sort of knowledge? That, of course, is the heart of this story. It
certainly makes for some heavy themes, but overall the story is actually fairly
lighthearted.
In terms of narration, I thought that John did an
excellent job bringing the story to life. “The Middle Rages” is a story about
finding meaning in life on a generation ship. I recommend it.
“Amicae
Aeternum” by Ellen Klages
Narrated by Rikki LaCoste, Isis LaCoste and Fiona Van Verth
A Cast of Wonders Original
This story follows two young girls named Corry and
Anna. Corry and her family have been selected to be part of the crew of a
generation ship that will be launching soon. She and Anna are spending one of
their last days together experiencing as many Earth things as possible.
Yes, the description sucks, but the story is worthy of
your time. This story, where do I even begin? There is tragedy in that Corry is
so young, has so much to experience, but is being denied the wonders of Earth
because of a choice that her parents made. Yet despite that, even though the
time she has to spend with Anna is short, there is beauty and there is love in
all the small moments they share together. This story is almost like a more
extreme version of having a friend who moves far away from you. I remember the
day I listened to this story. I had some other stories to listen to, but then I
listened to this story. It was so beautiful, so touching, so perfect that I
didn’t think anything else could top it.
All three narrators did an excellent job, and I
especially liked the little song that Isis and Fiona sang. I think that we can
expect great narration from both of them in the future. Oh yes, great
narrations indeed.
“Amicae Aeternum” is a touchingly beautiful story that
you won’t want to miss. Very much recommended.
Narrated by Alethea Kontis
A Cast of Wonders Original
This story follows a girl named Ana. She lives on a
mining colony in the asteroid belt. It isn't the most successfully of colonies,
and it always seems like they're on the verge of getting shut down, but hey,
its her home. One of the main drills, which is also the colony's main oxygen
generator, has broken down. The shaft leading to the drill is quite small, but
Ana can fit easily enough. The fate of the colony is in her hands now.
This story felt like an modern day updated version of
those kid's stories Robert Heinlein wrote. At one point, Ana's parents are
hesitant to let her go, on the grounds that she might get killed. I mean, I
know it's different when it's your kid and all, but still. If she hadn't gone
then the entire colony would have been killed. Given the alternative, why the
hell not? Granted, they do eventually relent. I'm not sure what else I have to
say. It is a very fun story about a working class heroine in the asteroid belt.
Though you might want to skip the host segment at the end, it gets a bit
preachy and doesn't add anything to the experience.
Oh, I know what else I can say. I can say that I
enjoyed Alethea's narration. "Ana's Asteroid" is a fun Heinleinian
inspired story about rising to the occasion. I happily recommend it.
This story is set at an American research base on the
Moon. A severely underfunded research base. The scientists at the base have
stumbled across what appears to be lunar planet life, but they’re severely
strained for resources. As a result, they do the unthinkable: ask the nearby
Chinese research base for help. Hank, one of the Americans, soon finds himself falling in love with a Chinese scientist named Liang Lei.
Unfortunately, tensions between Washington and Beijing are beginning to flare
up. Will all their hard work be for naught?
This story was almost depressingly realistic. It’s
seems that a new Space Race occurred between America and China, but that once
they’d planted their flags and left footprints, they more or less stopped
caring about lunar exploration. Sad thing is, that’s a pretty accurate
description of the original Space Race. NASA received the budget for the Apollo
mission not so much out of a sense of scientific exploration, but more because
the military wanted to know if they could put some nukes up there. Well, that
and it wouldn’t do to have a Soviet flag flying on the Moon.
There are so many amazing things that we could
discover, and yet it could all be snatched away with little more than the
stroke of a politician’s pen. Yet perhaps there is a glimmer of hope after all.
The two teams of scientists seemed to get along fairly well together. Perhaps
this story isn’t the end, but merely a dream deferred. Though there’s also the
question of how long that dream will be deferred. Then there’s the tragedy of
how Hank and Liang Lei’s relationship was sacrificed as a result of the
political maneuverings. All of it really makes you ask, what could have been?
Not just for this story, but for our own history.
What can I say? “Across the Terminator” is tragic, touching
and sure to make you think for days to come. Do I even need to say that I
recommend this one?
“The Urashima Effect” by E.
Lily Yu
Narrated by Kate Baker
2014 Theodore Sturgeon Award Finalist
This story follows an astronaut named Leo Aoki who is
en-route to the planet Ryugu-jo on a relativistic spaceship. He is tasked with
setting up a colony, and will be joined by his wife Esther a few years later.
While Leo journeys towards Ryugu-jo he watches video recordings Esther has made
for him about Japanese culture and folklore. The first tells the story of
Urashima Taro, but it seems that Esther is hinting at something. What could it
be?
This story was the first time I ever heard the story
of Urashima Taro. It was great to learn more about Japanese folklore. So good
was it, in fact, that it inspired me to create my own retelling of Urashima
Taro: “Irwin
Tarheel and the Fair Folk“. Now it’s pretty much impossible to discuss this
story without spoiling the twist, so I’m going to have to do it here. Skip now
if you don’t like spoilers.
Okay, people who don’t like spoilers gone? Good, let’s
talk about the twist. It turns out that a cyber-attack has been launched on the
United States, and is believed to have originated in Japan. Prejudice against
Japanese-Americans reaches new heights, and there’s talk of bringing back the
internment camps. Esther’s mission has been canceled, but Leo can use the
ship’s escape pod, but Esther will be an old woman by the time he gets to
Earth. He can, of course, continue the mission and hope that things get worked
out.
We never do find out what Leo chooses. Normally, I’m
not a big fan of stories with ambiguous endings, but it works out here.
Personally, I think he kept going to Ryugu-jo. It is mentioned that the mission
was his dream for many years. The story’s dilemma almost brings to mind a
non-lethal version of “The Cold Equations”, but I like to think that Esther’s
mission eventually gets back on the books. Call me a wide-eyed idealist, but I
like happy endings. I do find it odd that it only took one cyber-attack, of
questionable origin, to strain relations between America and Japan. That having
been said, I can understand that it served a purpose within the story.
This story packs some really strong emotions, and
Kate’s narration manages to capture them all. “The Urashima Effect” is a
beautifully elegant story with quite an emotional punch. It goes without saying
that I recommend it.
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in Universe 15
This story takes place on Mercury in a future where
humanity has colonized the solar system. The mobile city of Terminator
constantly moves across Mercury to stay out of the sun. The story follows the
great detective Freya on her latest murder mystery case.
This story is very much a futuristic science fiction
Sherlock Holmes sort of tale. So it is a somewhat fun story. What really caught
my attention, however, were all of the worldbuilding details that often
factored into the case. For example, as I've stated, Terminator moves across
Mercury on a series of train tracks. This is to keep it on the night side of
Mercury. The heat of day is too intense given how close Mercury is to the sun.
The worldbuilding is good and all, but I'm not sure if the actual story
completely hooked me. It wasn't bad enough for a thumbs down, but not quite
good enough for a thumbs up.
I'll leave it from you guys to see for yourselves what
you think of "Mercurial."
Narrated by Kate Baker
Originally Published in Life on Mars
This story is told by a man reminiscing about is time
on a Martian mining colony with his now deceased wife Sam.
Not much of a summary, but the actual story is
excellent. More likely than not, the real driver for space colonization will be
the extraction of mineral resources. Not just for shipping back to Earth, but
for supporting our colonies as well. I liked how this story felt like a western
that had been transported to Mars. You get that sort of cynical, melancholy
feeling you find in most post-1960 westerns. Space is a cold, uncaring and
uncompromising place. This story very much emphasizes that point. It's always a
bit award when I encounter a female character named Sam. This is more of a just
me thing, so I won't hold it against this story.
"Martian Heart" is a well-written science
fiction western that you won't to miss out on. I recommend it.
This story is set on the Moon and follows four
generations of women all named Chang E. Some sort of catastrophe has occurred
on Earth and there has been mass immigration to the Moon. In addition to hard
times, the Earthlings face discrimination from the people of the Moon. The
story follows the four Chang Es as they find their place in Lunar society and
forge their own identities.
You know the drill for descriptions like this, so
let’s go ahead and discuss the story itself. In many ways you can see this as a
science fiction take on a generational saga/immigrant story. Particularly, that
of Chinese immigrants moving to America. That is fitting, given that the moon
goddess in Chinese Mythology is named Chang’e. I also liked how there were
intelligent rabbits on the Moon; a reference to the story of the rabbit in the
Moon. There is a theme of the Chang Es wanting to fit in with the people of the
Moon, but also wanting to preserve their heritage. Yet paradoxically, the more
they fit in with Lunar society, the less they relate to their Terran heritage.
Like I said, it is very much an immigrant’s tale.
All four of the narrators did an excellent job with
this story. I’m giving this one a recommendation.
A Full Cast Production
This story follows a pair of pioneers named Anne and
Edward. They're part of a group of intrepid pioneers on a distant planet. These
pioneers has chosen to forsake most technology to live as their ancestors did
during America's pioneer days. Anne and Edward are doing their best to find
shelter and keep ahead of the scupshells, a type of ravenous insect aliens.
This story certainly had the feel of a western to it.
Though I suppose that was partially because the colonists were deliberately
trying to evoke the Old West. Anne and Edward don't have the happiest of
relationships. A life of hard work and constantly keeping ahead of the
scupshells, especially during their mating season, would certainly strain even
the strongest of relationship. Still, they manage to appreciate each other.
Edward is a bit indecisive and not the strongest willed, but he learns to be
strong when it counts. Likewise, Anne has become hardened by years on the
frontier, but she softens up towards the end of the story. I thought that
everyone in the cast did a good job.
"Respite" is a tale of rugged pioneers on an
alien world. I say give it a try.
Narrated by Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich
This story follows a young man who is going to be a
passenger on a colonization starship bound for another star system. The weight
is everything, and how much the colonists weigh determines how many, and much,
objects from home they can take with them on the voyage. He is doing everything
he can to ensure he can take at least on intact book with him.
Yes, this really is the name of the story. This story
presents the classic rocket problem. A bigger rocket requires more fuel, but to
transport more fuel you need a bigger rocket. This limits how far you can get
with chemical rockets, and it also means that very gram of matter counts. Some
of the other colonist try to get around this by shaving their heads, pulling
off their fingernails and toenails, and deliberately starving and dehydrating
themselves. It isn't that the protagonist wouldn't have reading material. The
ship has almost every book ever on its database. It's that he is a lover and collector
of books. I can certainly respect that. I could just as easily read comic books
digitally, but I'd rather read by holding a physical copy. On the flip side, I
prefer digital manga. Probably because you can display two pages easier with
manga digitally.
I won't give away how the story is resolved, but I
thought it was really heartwarming. Big and Rish do excellent with the
narration as always. Normally they'd have paid Scott, but he insisted that
money be donated to a charity of his choosing. He made them print a receipt and
email it to him and everything. This story was originally part of an anthology
destined to invoke the spirit of those kid's stories Robert Heinlein wrote. I
can say confidently that it succeeded and then some.
"Ass-Hat Magic Spider" is a heartwarming
story with a classic science fiction feel. I happily recommend it.
Conclusion
Our trek across the frontier is at an end. Let's all settle down are reflect on all those lovely, and occasionally not so lovely, stories we explored. Once again, I'd like to thank you for letting me be your wagon master once again. It wouldn't be nearly as much fun without all of you. Well, here is me wishing you all happy trails for now. I will see you guys next time.
