Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 222, March 2025 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"From Enceladus, with Love" by Ryan Cole -- (4*) Nice premise, a what-if all electronics became self-aware, and humanity's inevitable conclusions. The twist, however, is an old one, even if it's one I've always approved.

"Pollen" by Anna Burdenko -- (5*) Very, very good. A perfect mix of SF and Horror, with all the ghost feels mixed with survival madness. I love this kind of thing.

"Mindtrips" by Tlotlo Tsamaase -- (4*) I'm of two minds on this one. I tend to love any kind of mindspace, memory-resolution kind of story--and this one is pretty decent. I just... kinda wish it had gone a step beyond.

"Those Uncaring Waves" by Yukimi Ogawa -- (3*) While I do appreciate the SFnal parts of this story, I did start to get somewhat annoyed by the interwoven abuse/self-harm threads that had to be *necessary* for the plot.

"Hook and Line" by Koji A. Dae -- (4*) A very pretty ode to death and memory that just happens to be on a starship. Most notable is the "sinker" motif in the title. lol

"The Sound of the Star" by Ren Zeyu -- (4*) A pleasant alien-rich series of vignettes that really focus on snappy imagination.

"Funerary Habits of Low Entropy Entities" by Damián Neri -- (5*) This is easily my absolute favorite story this month. Lyrical, deeply fascinating, wildly imaginative, and spanning the cosmos. I love it.



The "Funerary Habits of the Low Entropy Entities" was easily the best of the lot, but my second favorite of the month was "Pollen". Both for different reasons, but the writing and creativity for both really stood out.

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