Alas, not even a Robert Silverberg story could save this issue. ( )

This month’s issue of Lightspeed Magazine was my plane reading for my trip to Virginia Beach to see my sister and my nephew (he turns 2 today!). To be fair, I traveled on four hours sleep, so this isn’t highest quality reading or reviewing. I didn’t really enjoy this months issue. The characters in the fiction were lacking in personality. Too much third person maybe? Too much alienness? Maybe I was just too tired to connect.

As for the non-fiction, I liked Jeff Hecht‘s piece on future weapons, and Gerald Nordley’s on the physics of space ship engines. Introductory information is all, but since I know very little about the subjects, I personally enjoyed them. Perhaps if you think more than I about the physics of such things it’ll be less interesting. The author profiles were mixed. Without the interview with Yoon Ha Lee, I wouldn’t have understand her story. Robert Silverberg’s profile told less about him than Adams’ preface/introduction to Silverberg’s story in the issue. I didn’t like the interview with Cat Rambo, but that was because it was too brief. Her answers were philosophical, but direct and based on solid reasoning. I’d love to see her writing critical pieces for a place like Tor.com (ala Jo Walton’s work there, which I love).

Full review here: http://reading.kingrat.biz/story-reviews/lightspeed-magazine-september-2010 ( )