Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 227, August 2025 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"A Shaky Bridge" by Marissa Lingen - (4*) Buyer's remorse and an EXTREMELY plausible advertising tack our modern companies would pull on the most vulnerable among us. Easily a rage-bait story if there ever was one.

"And The Planet Loved Him" by L Chan - (5*) I love a great first-contact story and this one was rich with depth and speed, getting to the heart of the question of choice. I may not agree with the decision by the end, but it certainly put me right to the edge.

"Sleeper" by R.T. Ester - (5*) Beautiful SF that has a lot of everything I love: virtual clones, black site mystery, cults of personality, and truly interesting murder. Rich story. It was only after reading it that I realized I had already read the author's debut novel--which I also loved. So, bonus!

"Memories Are Only Valuable if They Can Be Lost" by Ai Jiang - (4*) Delightfully detailed look at the lifestyles of a rich future, from a laid off worker now stuck in the floating city, now unable to survive or return to his home.

"Sea of Fertility" by Bella Han - (5*) Probably my favorite story this month. I couldn't help but see it all play out beautifully in my mind's eye. Very colorful, exciting, interesting... and eventually profound. I would absolutely love to see this as a full-out movie. It'd probably become one of my all time favorites if it played out closely to the source.

"Heart of Thunder" by Raahem Alvi - (2*) I honestly enjoyed the back and forth tale of an old augmented soldier, what was done to him, what he'd done, and the endlessness of it. But the end twist? It just stole all the thunder and left me flat.

"A Dream of Twin Sunsets" by Ryan Cole - (3*) An old, old romance tale, with pollen filled SFnal trappings.

"Vwooom!" by Uchechukwu Nwaka - (5*) Sharp, rich writing in this short story. Evocative, stimulating, and smart. It's a whole thing in a spicy package.



Sea of Fertility was easily my favorite. The richest sensations. Followed by Vwooom! for the experience. Sleeper came in really close, though. I could live in all these words.





Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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