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This is a memorable murder mystery set in a world of insects, or insect-like creatures (Ian McHugh's catchy illustration helps set the visual tone from the start). CitrusPeel is an old fashioned model, a Gimel, a soldier, one not often cloned any more now that civilization and technology are taking root. She does police work, usually just making her intimidating presence felt to prevent violence. However, when an advanced-model architect, and politically sensitive individual, dies under mysterious circumstances, she is called in as an unbiased officer to handle the case. Her mission: was it accident, or suicide?

Mystery readers, of course, implicitly tack on the inevitable, or murder?

This is not exactly a whodunit, although it draws on some of the standard elements there. Nor is it quite a political thriller, but it pulls in those elements as well: the architect, you see, was designing an entirely new kind of bridge that would span the ocean, connecting the land to another, wholly unknown place. The No-Bridgers and the Go-Bridgers were equally passionate. Moreover, one of the deceased's creations recently collapsed, casting doubt on her skill, and on the promise of the great bridge.

What makes the story so much fun is Cooper's richly imagined insect world: where new models of clones are tested in society, and subject to recall if found defective; and where communication and navigation are conducted primarily by scent. Not only is there a mystery to solve, but CitrusPeel has her own worries: are her bulky soldier genes obsolete in this slimmer, faster, sleeker world? Is she even competent to undertake so important an investigation? How will it reflect upon her type, and her clone-sisters if she fails? And, what does the bridge mean for her?

One element that works particularly well is the tension between the communal good and the individual. A world where a whole sub-species can be recalled and destroyed obviously does not give much weight to the individual, yet we view this story within the perspective of a single mind. CitrusPeel has individual desires and fears, and although she thinks in larger terms than just her own personal benefit, she remains an individual who must make individual choices along the way. Indeed, she even bucks authority while pursuing that favorite of crimewriters everywhere, the hunch!

This is truly a fine, fun story--and another indication that Andromeda Spaceways has the potential to join the first tier of publications.

Constance Cooper tells a neat xenological parable in "The King's Tail", slyly setting out the arrogance of conquerors and their resulting comeuppance[.]

In Constance Cooper's "The Longest Nights" the reader is swept away by the exuberant gallop of the narrator's meter and rhyme on a pilgrimage from pole to pole, always seeking the "winter countries" and fleeing the spring as the seasons change. Cooper is a master of rhyming forms, and like the snow and other artifacts of winter, this poem's images are delicate yet strong ("rivers shelled with ice").

This clever ballad reminded me of Kipling's Barracks-Room songs, although it goes on a little long. A classic yarn with an ending worthy of Heinlein's blind poet, Rhysling. SH

Constance Cooper tells "The King's Tail" from a reptilian point of view. From the opening sentence, "The king's tail had nearly grown back" to the twist ending, Cooper's monarch maintains a dignity beyond that of his captors--referred to as the Hunters. With a Gandhi-meets-alien-lizards sensibility, the king endures the hardship of imprisonment so that he may be an example of piety and discipline. Though short, this tale is graceful and memorable.

Issue 17 kicks off with Constance Cooper's exploration of a speculative insect society: "Trouble Leaves a Scent Trail." Before I wander off into the difficulties of writing from a non-human point of view, I want to state that I liked this story. The mystery the author uses as the backbone to this story is interesting and does a lot to keep the story from dragging. For the inner 29-year-old-man, its exploration of the repercussions of technological change in this speculative society makes for an interesting commentary on its repercussions in our society. And, to be honest, the fact that the main character is a big bug that would give the Incredible Hulk feelings of physical inadequacy appeals to the inner 8-year-old-boy. Crunch! Crack! Squish! So, I recommend giving this story a read if you get the opportunity.

Great, all that is out of the way, and I can expound upon non-human points of view. Every character in this story is a bug of some sort, yet they never feel non-human to me. The narrative describes that they are communicating via pheromones rather than vocalizations, but I didn't feel that fact in their, for lack of a better term, voices. Is this a problem, though? Probably not. The idea of a truly alien story about aliens appeals to my inner artiste and rates a Provisional Cool-Factor of about M. However, I've found that I really don't like to read stories where I can't connect to the characters in some way, which would seem to be the measure of a truly alien alien. So, as cool and artistic as it might seem, purposefully writing a story where all the characters are completely alien seems a questionable idea, and "Trouble Leaves a Scent Trail" the better for being less than alien.

Constance Cooper's second work in this issue is "The Team-mate Reference Problem in Final-Stage Demon Confrontation." It's a fictional lecture on the difficulties caused by fighting something that can Do Bad Things if it knows your name. Well, it's either fictional, or the author lives a much more interesting life than I do. It's probably best to go ahead and read it, just in case.

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