Another Asimovs story: I loved Ian R. McLeod's The Hob Carpet. McLeod's work has been hit or miss for me in the past; you have to be in the right mood for his stories, which tend toward being slow-moving and thoughtful rather than action packed or gripping, as such. This story is an alternate history, of sorts, in which an alternate species exists which is exploited by humanity. The world-building is beautifully done, and I found the depth to the story impressive. The Hobs are a clever invention; the insertion of an *actual* other species of human-like creatures is used to comment on our propensity for creating arbitrary divisions among ourselves in our own timeline. Highly recommended.

From ASIM #33 I enjoyed Sarah Totton's The Stone Man, a nicely crafted story about a drug trial of fear-suppressants. The characterisation is strong, the ideas engaging and the story is set in an intriguing dystopic setting which I'd love to know more about.

I must admit to being a fan of Greg Egan, so I approach a new Egan story with something akin to reverence. Crystal Nights, from Interzone, is a lovely piece of fiction, about a man who sets about evolving an artificial intelligence in much the same way that humanity has evolved, in an electronic environment. Of course, along the way he must make decisions which affect their development, and which have implications for his quest. The parallels with our development are clear and thoughtful; the story is believable as a piece of SF, but also offers a great deal of food for later thought, in terms of power, religion, evolution, and exploitation. Highly recommended.

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