Very good issue, clearly better than average.
Swords And Saddles • novella by John G. Hemry
A cavalry company is transported by a thunderstorm to an alternative earth. Pretty pure fantasy, but ok. In that world there is no Bering Straight, and Asia and America are connected by a land bridge enabling more travel between the continents that has enabled the transfer more people over the years than in our world. (considering how inhospitable both Siberia and the northern parts of Alaska are, I wonder if that had made a great difference). Pretty good and interesting story, but there is an overlong and (at least for me) boring description of a battle in the end. More details of the society would have been more interesting, but one might hope for more stories happening in this world.***½
Snowflake Kisses • novelette by Richard A. Lovett and Holly Hight
A researcher who is more or less unhappy in her own love-life, studies the effects love have in the brain. Not really much happens, but very well written, something I really enjoyed. ****
A Sound Basis For Misunderstanding • shortstory by Carl Frederick
A cultural liaison is trying to impress a fairly unknown alien species trying to a get a valuable mining contract. Music might be a bit different for a race who has very limited hearing range. Amusing little story. ***½
Nothin' But Blue Skies • shortstory by Stephen L. Burns
A used car sales man makes a deal of a lifetime (trading well worn used cars to flying super-fast super-cars) with an alien looking just like a demon. Pretty good beginning for for a story. I demand to get the rest of it! ***½
When We Were Fab • shortstory by Jerry Oltion
A shopkeeper uses nanofabrication to meet a demand of older things. If there were so high demand for such products, there would a be supply for them. Okay story anyway. ***+
The Planet Hunters • shortstory by S.L. Nickerson
Astronomers who are seeking exoplanets find several solar systems with very similar planets than our own solar system. They then even manage to capture TV-transmissions from one of them. I suspected the solution from early on (those are some kind of “echoes” of our own solar system). The story takes fairly long time to get to the not so surprising, not so well explained end. **½
The Robots' Girl • novelette by Brenda Cooper
A young couple has just moved to a new neighborhood. They start to pay attention to a house next door, where a young girl seems to live alone, tended only by robots. They try to befriend with her, but the guard robots guard her very enthusiastically, and she herself doesn't seem to be very interested of making friends. But they won't give up so easily... Another very well written, good story, which seems like start for a longer tale. ****-
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