Clarkesworld Podcast February 2010: Torquing Vacuum (Jay Lake)

[james_davis_nicoll]

Torquing Vacuum (Jay Lake)

Read by Kate Baker.

A space mechanic finds himself entangled by infatuation in the affairs of the genetically enhanced aristocrats who rule the Imperium Humana.

Spanich vaguely recognized him from the Bar Gin, dude with space-black skin and eyes that shade of violent green that said that one of his ancestors had come from Falkesen sometime post-Mistake. Nobody from a human norm gene line had retinas that color.

I think the word Lake wanted here was "iris".

On the plus side, how often does one see an SF story about a working class character? On the minus side, the story isn't really about what Spanich does or who he is, but his connection to a wandering aristocrat [1] and whether or not he can survive it. Why are so many SF worlds feudal, anyway?

1: Who Spanich assumes has to be smarter than he appears but given the fellow's grand escape plan I think Spanich is kidding himself. Again.

Baker flirts with the listener at the end of this. I hope this is not something that is repeated in future episodes.

Comments

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Space mechanic in "The Star Pit?"

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

There's a big SRD-shaped hole in my reading.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Basically, I've read The Fall of the Towers, The Ballad of Beta-2, Empire Star, Babel-17, Dhalgren and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, and I've started but not finished Triton.