I have very mixed reactions to Jay Lake’s stories. When they haven’t worked, they really haven’t worked. But sometimes he gets really inventive and I’m just suckered right in. You know, like a tentacle just grabbed me.

But oddly, while "Torquing Vacuum" wasn’t particularly inventive, I still liked it. A starship mechanic working on a job for a V.I.P. is forced to take a rest after zoning out on the job. During his break, he gets a little nooky from a hot young pretty but not too bright boy toy on the station. But on waking up in the morning, he’s got a call from high mucky mucks and is in trouble for reasons he doesn’t know but suspects have to do with his late night dalliance.

I won’t spoil the cause of the trouble, but you’ve probably seen it told before. I didn’t actually figure it out until the revelation, but at that point I thought "Ah! This all fits!" It’s a comforting plot because it’s so familiar.

Also on my blog: http://reading.kingrat.biz/story-reviews/clarkesworld-podcast-february-2010 ( )