fter years of planning, Artemis Magazine has finally arrived.
The magazine, edited and published by Ian Randal Strock, is devoted to
science fact and fiction that relates to the settlement of the moon. It's
affiliated with the Artemis Project, a commercial venture that plans to
return to the
moon and establish a permanent base. The first issue of
the magazine contains four short
stories, three articles, two essays, a book review column, and Strock's
editorial.
The articles are quite varied. For example, Joseph J. Lazzaro's "The
Universal Moonbase: Applying Universal Design to Space Environments"
explores the necessity of designing the moon base to be
accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Strock's
"Selling Our Way to the Moon: The Artemis Project" gives an overview of the
goals and strategies of the Artemis Project, including how Artemis
Magazine fits in. Marianne J. Dyson's "The Dozen Who Walked" lists the
twelve astronauts who walked on the moon, with some facts about their
missions. In his essay "What Wonder Was to Me," Jack Williamson talks
about
his early life and introduction to science fiction, and how his sense of
wonder has changed over the years. Cover artist and Apollo astronaut Alan
Bean discusses his cover illustration, inspired by fellow moonwalker Jack
Schmitt.
Among the short stories, Fred Lerner's "Rosetta Stone" explores an
abandoned alien settlement found on the far side of the moon. In
"Moonlighting," Ron Collins and Linda J. Dunn try to save their lunar
mining
company from being liquidated after a strike leaves them unable to make
their loan payments. Jeffrey D. Kooistra's "Trajectories" follows a lunar
love affair during wartime. And finally, Stanley Schmidt, in "Generation
Gap," tells the
story of a man who tries to send a message back to his teen self, in order
to change the choices he made during the Vietnam War.
Interesting articles, mediocre fiction
It's obvious from the beginning that Artemis--starting with
Bean's attractive cover illustration--will have the most
appeal for those who are seriously interested in colonizing the moon.
The strength of this first issue is definitely in its non-fiction.
Lazzaro's "The Universal Moonbase"--which makes a convincing case for
the application of Universal Design--is surprisingly interesting and may well be
the highlight of the issue. Lazzaro discusses concepts that are rarely explored in articles
about space settlement, and he illustrates why it's important to assume
that the moon's settlers will be a diverse group with a variety of design needs.
Williamson's essay, though shorter
than readers might wish for, is also insightful. Williamson recounts how his
childhood under primitive conditions in Mexico
and the American Southwest influenced his sense of wonder and shaped his
love for science fiction.
Strock's overview of the Artemis Project is an effective summary of the
project to date, and it also details a
business strategy that's unconventional for a start-up. (One example--they're using auto
racing as an inspiration, planning to plaster as many sponsorship logos on
their spaceships as possible.) It will be
fascinating to see how The Artemis Project turns out.
The fiction is less impressive, with mostly idea-centered stories that are on
par
with the work found in the second tier of SF magazines.
Schmidt's "Generation Gap" is the best story, mainly because it's the only
one with strong characterization and a protagonist that has difficult, but
realistic, choices to make. The
end of Lerner's "Rosetta
Stone" suggests that it should be part of a much longer, more complex story
that has the potential to be quite good. Kooistra's "Trajectories",
written as a diary, doesn't have strong enough characterization to carry
this approach effectively, but could potentially be a strong story with a
different tack and more attention to his characters.
Given the difficulties that SF magazines have had during the
last few years (especially with declining circulation), it will be
interesting to see how Artemis evolves.
However, its exclusive focus on the moon might actually work in its favor
if
marketed properly. It's definitely worth a look for readers who are at all
interested
in seeing humans returning to the moon.
