Isaac Asimov's Skin Deep

Rating:
Summary: One of the best collections yet from the magazine.
Review: This another in the "Isaac Asimov's" series that collects stories from his magazines and publishes them on a comment theme. This theme is sexuality in science fiction -- no, not about sex and robots as the cover suggests; yes, I was disappointed by that. Of the ten stories, five are great -- they flow well, the characters make you care, the dialog is realistic, and the plot ties together well throughout. These five are: Brian Stableford's "Bedside Conversations" about sex change and childbirth in unlikely bodies; Peni R. Griffin's "The Goat Man" about how the beastly man is not always the beast your mother told you to avoid; Connie Willis' "Even the Queen" about alternatives to "naturalness" and the willingness to forgo it for less pain; Tanith Lee's "Zelle's Thursday" which is thankfully about robots and domestic problems of human beings; and finally Deborah Wessell's "The Last One to Know" that has shows gender extending into marital roles in surprising ways. The other five are either a bit too confusing, a bit too long, or a bit too, well, much for my personal tastes -- that's coming from a BDSM erotica folks!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best collections yet from the magazine.
Review: This another in the "Isaac Asimov's" series that collects stories from his magazines and publishes them on a comment theme. This theme is sexuality in science fiction -- no, not about sex and robots as the cover suggests; yes, I was disappointed by that. Of the ten stories, five are great -- they flow well, the characters make you care, the dialog is realistic, and the plot ties together well throughout. These five are: Brian Stableford's "Bedside Conversations" about sex change and childbirth in unlikely bodies; Peni R. Griffin's "The Goat Man" about how the beastly man is not always the beast your mother told you to avoid; Connie Willis' "Even the Queen" about alternatives to "naturalness" and the willingness to forgo it for less pain; Tanith Lee's "Zelle's Thursday" which is thankfully about robots and domestic problems of human beings; and finally Deborah Wessell's "The Last One to Know" that has shows gender extending into marital roles in surprising ways. The other five are either a bit too confusing, a bit too long, or a bit too, well, much for my personal tastes -- that's coming from a BDSM erotica folks!