Review: The "Political" SciFi Megapack Issue
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2014
Ponderous monologues and lengthy diatribes about politics and war. Having said that, I found "The Astronaut from Wyoming" to be a well-paced and not boring story that deals with issues of prejudice and politics. One of Arthur Clarke's best short stories in this volume is repeated in another Megapack book - same goes for the story from Philip K. Dick.The thought of Hillary Rodham orbiting any planet is both confusing and somewhat frightening. I could not finish "The Jewels of Adaptor", a 2-part story by Sam Delany because the story is entombed in this overly poetic language. The 2-part "Syndic" has a nice premise, but the story is confusing and belabored.  A few stories have a corny ending "The Record", "The New Reality" (a tale of things yet to come?),  and "Maybe Just a Little One".There are some great and unique stories here - "Consignment", "Walking John and Bird", "Remembrance of Things To Come","Cat and Mouse". Two first-contact stories: "Out of All Them Bright Stars" and ""Membership Drive". "Suns Up" is a great story about an AI satellite that gets itself out of trouble.  Get Shanghaied to the "Cancer World" and experience the psychological trauma that many have actually experienced in space flight in an "Egocentric Orbit".Overall 11 out of 23 (not counting two repeats stories).