ADAM CHRISTOPHER
Tor.com
Free novelette, available online only
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Dropped on a frozen planet under suspicious circumstances, a group of marines struggles to discover the true objective of their mission. “Cold War” is set in the same universe as Adam Christopher’s novel The Burning Dark.
My Review: MilSF is a pleasure to some of us, a bane to others. I'm a fan, usually. In the case of this tale, I'm more a fan of Christopher's imagination than I am of this particular story. I'm intrigued by the concept of Psi-Marines. I like the boots-in-the-dirt (well, snow in this case) reality of the PoV character, Kat Grec. I am pleased with the tone of the piece, its matter-of-factness and its clarity. These remind me of Karl Marlantes' wonderful novel Matterhorn, and that's praise indeed.
The aliens, the Spiders...a little 1959 for my own taste. The story itself, being so short, can't give more than a quick hit of the scariness of the Spiders. But really...from Starship Troopers down to Ender's Game, the trope is well, well, well-worn.
That said, it's Adam Christopher, and he's a man to watch. Still...I feel...
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