I looked quickly at "Attention Saint Patrick." It's the kind of silly comedy I don't care for, and the stereotyped Irish folks were a bit offensive. One star from me.
I also skimmed "Viewpoint." Just another gimmick, withholding information from the reader, but at least it wasn't promoting an unpleasant stance. Two stars.
I was quite impressed with "The Burning Bridge." It was interesting to have the protagonist be a man of faith, which is not typical in "Astounding." (Even in "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction," it's not usually a Protestant, so that was refreshing.) The future the author created was complex and multi-layered. I like the fact that the government back on Earth wasn't painted as 100% evil and the Constitutionalists as 100% good. The story was even poetically written at times, which I don't expect in "Astounding."
The rather odd way in which the sexes were segregated was worthy of discussion. I'm not sure I was convinced that the Constitutionalists, given that they are described as not very religious and somewhat libertine (in the view of the morally conservative protagonist, anyway) made me think they would object to such a thing. But it also added to the sense that I was reading about a truly different future, which is a rare pleasure.
"The Burning Bridge"
I also skimmed "Viewpoint." Just another gimmick, withholding information from the reader, but at least it wasn't promoting an unpleasant stance. Two stars.
I was quite impressed with "The Burning Bridge." It was interesting to have the protagonist be a man of faith, which is not typical in "Astounding." (Even in "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction," it's not usually a Protestant, so that was refreshing.) The future the author created was complex and multi-layered. I like the fact that the government back on Earth wasn't painted as 100% evil and the Constitutionalists as 100% good. The story was even poetically written at times, which I don't expect in "Astounding."
The rather odd way in which the sexes were segregated was worthy of discussion. I'm not sure I was convinced that the Constitutionalists, given that they are described as not very religious and somewhat libertine (in the view of the morally conservative protagonist, anyway) made me think they would object to such a thing. But it also added to the sense that I was reading about a truly different future, which is a rare pleasure.
I'd give that one a solid four stars.