Analog Science Fiction and Fact, June 2006

Reviewed date: 2006 Aug 27
144 pages
cover art

Puncher's Chance was good, and I liked Original Sin a lot. The comical Preemption was less satisfactory. The science fact is fascinating.

  • Serial (2 of 4): A New Order of Things, by Edward M. Lerner - After decades of interstellar communication with other races, mankind is treated to a genuine first contact. The species called Snakes arrive in an antimatter-powered spaceship, but their ship is damaged and needs to be refueled. But the untrustworthy Snakes are hiding something.
  • Novella: Puncher's Chance, by James Grayson and Kathy Ferguson - An accident on board a spaceship carrying critical medical supplies for the Mars colony leaves the captain with a choice: save his ship, or risk everything to see that the supplies are delivered on time.
  • Novelette: Original Sin, by Richard A. Lovett - A cross-country coach uses a new invention to motivate his star runner: a virtual reality headset that can record and replay full sensory experiences.
  • Short story: Preemption, by Charlie Rosenkranz - Flying saucers attack Earth's dogs.
  • Short story: The Door That Does Not Close, by Carl Frederick - Thorvald helps Roger--an alien inhabiting a replica body of a twelve-year-old boy--search through Roman ruins to find evidence that Roger's alien civilization visited Earth in ancient times.
  • Science fact: Solar System Commuter Trains: Magbeam Plasma Propulsion, by James Grayson and Kathy Ferguson - A potential alternative to rockets and ion drives is the magbeam: a focused beam of plasma that sends charged ions to the spacecraft, which are then tapped for power and propellant.


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