Profile of Jason Stoddard

At Strange Horizons, September 13 and 20, Jason Stoddard offers a novelette, "Revision," featuring Gillam Anderson, also the main character of his earlier story "Unfinished." Gillam is an Editor--he prunes unneeded memories from very old people. But he has retired -- and we slowly learn why. It seems unethical Editors use the process to slowly change people's personalities -- to add capabilities -- and Gillam found himself fatally tempted to do the same with a past lover. Now, he's approached by an old man, the head of a starship program, who seems nearly to have lost himself completely in a series of disastrous Edits. Gillam decides to try to restore the man's personality, and in so doing comes in conflict with the man's estranged daughter. I think the central idea here is fascinating, and Stoddard is using it to ask good questions about the nature of personality and the dangers of meddling with it.

Jason Stoddard's 'Winning Mars' is a glittering string of pearls and Finney's illustrations push the boundaries of what you can do with two-tone interior printing. I for one hope to hell that Andy and his crew are saving the color versions and think they might want to consider partnering up with someone like PS Publishing, Hill House, or even Cemetery Dance to produce extremely costly but extremely desirable full-color versions of this magazine. It might require a bit of market research to see if there are enough folks out there willing to pay the price for a four-color slick version, but I know for one I would in a heartbeat, especially with work like Stoddard's & Finney's.

And then it got really wierd. I'm . . . talking about one of the most deranged, inventive, and original pieces we've seen all year. Oh, and probably a little blasphemous, too.