The Children Star
On a planet with fascinating alien biology, an orphan colony becomes entangled in a struggle for the world's survival. Slonczewski delivers extraordinary science and thought-provoking ideas, but uneven pacing, shallow relationships, and a rushed final act keep this installment from reaching the heights of its predecessors.
Extra Ellies
A nine-page science-fiction story about a society so obsessed with mortality statistics that people have practically stopped living. Julia Ecklar's imaginative worldbuilding shines, but its message about manipulating safety information hit very differently when I read it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Joy Wagon
I deliberately broke the rules of ForFemFan because the robot on the cover looked like Claptrap. What I got was a presidential campaign full of depressingly familiar politics, racism, sexism, and a robot considerably less charming than advertised.