April 2003
Much of human history has been a matter of ethnic conflicts and animosities, and many people have fervently wished a way could be found to lay them to rest. But would that really be a final solution to the underlying problem, or would our descendants find–or invent–new hatreds to replace the old? Catherine Asaro suggests an intriguing, if disturbing, answer in our April cover story, "Walk in Silence." Set in the same Ruby Dynasty universe as her previous Analog tales, it’s naturally set against a rich and colorful background, making for a highly dramatic cover by George Krauter.
A year ago Robert Zubrin had a science fact article here called "Galactic Society," outlining a rationale for believing life and technological civilizations are common in the Galaxy and speculating on how they might interact. Now Ben Bova offers a quite different view of the same subject, suggesting that such civilizations may be quite rare–perhaps so rare that the late Isaac Asimov’s vision of a Galaxy dominated solely by humans was quite accurate. Which, if either, is right? Read both, and judge for yourself. . . .
Our April issuel also presents fiction by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, Kyle Kirkland, and Mary Soon Lee–and, of course, Part Three of Rajnar Vajra’s Shootout at the Nokai Corral.
