Asimov’s, January 2008

The January 2008 issue of Asimov’s offers a variety of tales, ranging from straightforward SF to subtle fantasy.
In “Alastair Baffle’s Emporium of Wonders” by Mike Resnick, Silver and Gold are two old men who met each other as kids in the titular shop, which purports to sell magic tricks. They are now ninety-year-olds in […]

Black Gate, # 11, Summer 2007

Eleven issues in, Black Gate seems to be finding a distinctive voice. Of course, the downside of a distinctive voice is becoming predictable, but so far, there’s been no sign of that. The table of contents contains nine stories, four from authors new to the magazine and three continuing stories. Of these, […]

Realms of Fantasy, December 2007

Some reviewers seem to be blessed with total recall. They can remember in great detail every story and every author they’ve ever read and make scholarly comparisons to boot. I, on the other hand, seem to have lost ground in the memory department these past few decades, especially since my preschool grandchildren moved […]

Electric Velocipede #12

Electric Velocipede (No. 12, Spring 2007) is a very well put together little magazine. It is straightforwardly but comfortably designed, there’s nothing in the way of internal art, but the presentation and sensible typography mean that the plain pages of text are easily navigated and contribute to a pleasurable physical experience. The quality of the […]

Analog, July/August 2007

In his Hugo-nominated novel, Eifelheim, based on a short story of the same name that appeared in Analog (11/1986), Michael F. Flynn demonstrated an understanding of the way the thought processes of Medieval man differ from modern man. It is so much more than just a matter of believing in “superstitions.” In “Quaestiones Super […]

On Spec #69

On Spec is a Canadian magazine publishing speculative fiction of all stripes (SF, fantasy, magical realism, horror, and anything in-between). Because it receives public grants—a concept we here south of the border should consider—from the Canadian government, 80% of the fiction published within its covers must be by Canadian authors. Although I have little […]

Analog, October 2007

Is it possible in the twenty-first century for science fiction to be sustained solely by ideas? Should the intention to generate a sense of wonder be the summit of the genre’s ambition? As children, when we read, we tend to be more forgiving of weaknesses in style, characterisation, and ambition, particularly if the story manages […]

GUD Magazine, #1

There’s one hell of a lot of content in #1 of GUD Magazine: over 200 pages with most of the contributors unknown to me. Starting the magazine felt like sitting down at a banquet without quite knowing what was on the menu and realising that it’s going to be a long meal. Was it […]

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 2007

Cover by Cory and Catska Ench

“Osama Phone Home” by David Marusek is a bold choice to open December’s issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. This is the story of a group of old college friends who come together with one common goal—to track down Osama Bin Laden. They pool their collective talents, […]

Analog, December 2007

Analog’s December 2007 issue felt like a hat-tip to the more “golden age” themes of science fiction: eccentric aliens, self-thinking robots, and traveling back through time. These are the sorts of stories that can be fully associated with the genre, but without something to make them special, they can be considered a rather unoriginal […]