Synthetic Voices #19 – June 2013 Top Picks

*Top Picks from June 2013* "The Penitent" by M. Bennardo Beneath Ceaseless Skies Ep. 106 ~30 mins -- This story of a nameless prisoner will take you into a dark rabbit hole. Finding his cell door unlocked, the long-isolated prisoner finds the outside world incredibly different from what he expected. I found myself rooting for him, hoping his sanity would last the length of the story. While not all of your questions may be answered, I expect you'll find the ending as unsettling as I did. This one was a little out of character for the traditionally sword and sorcery-themed Beneath Ceaseless Skies, but I enjoyed it and hope this story heralds a more unpredictable menu of stories from the magazine. "The Tale of the Golden Eagle" by David D. Levine Escape Pod Ep. 402 ~50 mins -- This was a lovely story. I'd like to call it space fantasy with a bit of science fiction thrown in for authenticity; for example, interstellar ships piloted by cybernetic birds. The description of these ships is really beautifully done. On top of that, there is a bit of epic storytelling, a wonderful gambling scene, and an ending that I personally found quite satisfying. "The Urashima Effect" by E. Lily Yu Clarkesworld Magazine's June Issue ~30 mins -- I've always enjoyed the conundrum of what to do while waiting around in a "sleep ship," that is a ship where the occupants are put to sleep for an extended period of travel. In this story, our sole passenger awakes ahead of landing (I believe in order to fully recover from sleep), and begins paging through pre-recorded messages from home. In those messages he discovers a shocking truth about the nature of his voyage. The "psychological action" of the story takes a little while to get going, but I think you'll discover that all of the pieces eventually weave together into a massive decision for our lonely sojourner. "Turning Point" by Poul Anderson The Drabblecast Ep. 284 ~40 mins -- Here, through the eyes of a few explorers, we meet an alien race on their home planet. They turn out to be quite adept at our language and it seems that the more our explorers learn about the clever, but simple race, the more unsettled they become. There are no secrets with these alien people, but there is a frightening realization, and subsequently a devious plan on the part of the humans. I'll leave you to judge the ethics of our protagonists' actions. "Neighbourhood Watch" by Greg Egan Pseudopod Ep. 340 ~55 mins -- As soon as I heard this story, I knew it would be a top pick this month. First of all, the narration by Ron Jon Newton was fantastic, beautifully capturing the essence of an instinct-driven villain. The writing, too, is spectacular, weaving in and out of various scenes easily. To sum up as much as I dare, the story follows a monster, who lives underground in a planned community. There is a deadly deal, an overconfident homeowners association diva, and an irascible little boy. This story has a LOT going for it already, and I guarantee there's more in store. "Dead Men Walking" by Paul J. McAuley Clarkesworld Magazine's June Issue ~50 mins -- Sleeper agents, secret assassins, and subterfuge abound in this far-future story. Many stories ask, "What would you do if you found out you were a sleeper agent?" Well, this one dispenses with that, instead asking, "What's it like to have always known you were a sleeper agent? And what will you do after your mission is complete?" It's a smart story, and while I found the non-linear organization a bit taxing, it was done with purpose and I found the ideas at work in the fictional world kept me interested through the ending.