Analog Science Fiction and Fact

• Vol. 126 No. 5, May 2006, $3.99/C$4.99, 144pp, cover art by John Allemand
• Near-monthly (10 times/year) magazine of science fiction and nonfiction; published since 1930 (originally Astounding); edited by Stanley Schmidt
• Website: http://www.analogsf.com/
• Message Board: http://www.analogsf.com/discus/

• The May issue begins a four-part serial by Edward Lerner, "A New of Order of Things", along with a novella by Harry Turtledove, a novelette by Rob Chilson, and short stories by Geoffrey A. Landis and Jerry Oltion. There's also a poem, "Apologies to the Dead", by Wil McCarthy.
• The science fact article by Catherine Shaffer is "The Terrestrial Search for Extraterrestrial Life". Departments include Stanley Schmidt's editorial; John Cramer's "The Alternate View" column about Stephen Hawking; a Biolog of Catherine Shaffer by Richard A. Lovett; book reviews by Tom Easton, covering John Darnton, James Patrick Kelly, Christopher Priest, and others; "Brass Tacks" letters; and "Upcoming Events" from Anthony Lewis.
• The magazine's website has an excerpt of Edward Lerner's serial.
• Rich Horton covers the issue in the April Locus Magazine, recommending Rob Chilson' "Farmers in the Sky" -- a "very enjoyable and charming story that is very much pure Analog".

(Tue 14 Mar 2006)

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Asimov's Science Fiction

• Vol. 30 No. 4&5 (whole #363&364), April/May 2006, $5.99/C$7.99, 240pp, cover art by Bob Eggleton
• Near-monthly (10 times/year) SF magazine; published since 1977; edited by Sheila Williams
• Website: http://www.asimovs.com/
• Message Board: http://www.asimovs.com/discus/

• This anniversary double-issue has novellas by William Shunn and Paul Melko, novelettes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Mary Rosenblum, and short stories by Wil McCarthy, James Maxey, Steve Bein, Robert Silverberg, Liz Williams, Greg van Eekhout, R. Neube, and Constance Cooper. Poetry is by W. Gregory Stewart, Sue Burke, Greg Beatty, Bruce Boston, and William John Watkins.
• Departments include Sheila Williams' editorial Coming of Age; Robert Silverberg's "Reflections" column, Tracking Down the Ancestors; a 'Thought Experiments' nonfiction essay by Brian Bieniowski, A Possible Planet: SF & Electronic Music; book reviews by Norman Spinrad, covering five books published by Pyr; and Erwin S. Strauss' convention calendar.
• The magazine's website has the table of contents with links to several departments and to excerpts of the Shunn and Melko novellas.
• Nick Gevers reviews the issue in the March issue of Locus Magazine, recommending the stories by Bein, Melko, and Shunn -- concerning Melko's novella, he says "If SF is unable often to break new ground, it can always re-interpret and enrich its staples, and 'The Walls of the Universe' adds ingenious maturity to its long-established subgenre." In the same issue of Locus, Rich Horton also likes Melko and Shunn, as well as Mary Rosenblum's story.

(Tue 14 Mar 2006)

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The Bulletin of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

• Issue 168, Vol. 39 No. 3, Winter 2006, $4.95, 40pp, cover art by Lynette Cook
• Website: http://www.sfwa.org/

• Featured in this issue is an essay by Leslie What, Copycat: When Your One and Only is a Clone (available online as a PDF file), an article by Bud Sparhawk, "Your Literary Legacy"; a 10th year anniversary tribute to Challenger; and an article by Sheila Finch on "How to Rate a Writing Program".
• Columns includes Mike Resnick & Barry Malzberg's "Dialogues", this time about theatere, Robert Metzger's "State of the Art", Steve Carper's "Writers' Bloc", about "Reviewing Book Reviewing", Bud Webster's "Anthopology 101", about macabre anthologies, and Cynthia Ward's Market Report (available online as a pdf file).
• Departments include a message from SFWA President Robin Bailey, an editor's message by Mark Kreighbaum, and various items about new SFWA members, officers, and webstaff.
• The website's current issue page has a partial Table of Contents, with links to the What essay and Cynthia Ward's Market Report.

(Fri 17 Mar 2006)

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Interzone

• Issue 203, March 2006, £3.50/$7, 80pp, cover art by Mark Garlick
• SF magazine, currently bimontly, published since 1982, co-founded by David Pringle; edited since 2004 by Andy Cox
• Website: http://www.ttapress.com/IZ.html

• This issue has the conclusion of Richard Calder's 3-part novella "After the Party", plus stories by Karen D. Fishler, Paul Di Filippo, Joseph Paul Haines, Jay Lake, and Elizabeth Bear.
• Features include interviews with K.J. Bishop and Neal Asher. Regular columns include David Langford's "Ansible Link", film reviews by Nick Lowe (covering Narnia, King Kong, and others), anime reviews by Michael Bunning, John Clute's "Scores" book review column (covering titles by Stephen King, Jeffrey Ford, and Mike Resnick), other book reviews by Matt Hills, Paul Kincaid, and others, and manga reviews by Sarah Ash.
• Nick Gevers reviews Richard Calder's serial in the April issue of Locus Magazine, recommending it: "A companion to the author's imminent novel Babylon, this can be seen as a culmination of Calder's long fascination with issues of eroticism: the association of orgasm with death; the fetishization of the sexual Other as Object; decadence and the politics of 'perversion.' "

(Tue 21 Mar 2006)

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The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

• Vol. 110 No. 5 (whole #650), May 2006, $3.99/C$5.99, 162pp, cover art by Michael Dashow
• Near-monthly (11 times/year) magazine of fiction, reviews, and features; published since 1949; edited by Gordon Van Gelder
• Website: http://www.fsfmag.com/
• Message Board: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/discus/messages/378/378.html?1081904411

• This issue has novelets by Matthew Hughes and M. Rickert, and short stories by Gene Wolfe, Charles Coleman Finlay, Robert Reed, Steven Utley, Terry Bisson, and Albert E. Cowdrey.
• Departments include Charles de Lint's "Books to Look For", reviewing Audrey Niffenegger, Brom, Robert E. Howard, and Dean Koontz; book reviews by Elizabeth Hand, looking at David Marusek, George Saunders, and nonfiction by Jess Nevins and S.T. Joshi & Stefan Dziemianowicz; a "Plumage from Pegasus" vignette, about intelligent design, from Paul Di Filippo, "A Black Hole Ate My Homework"; film reviews by Kathi Maio, on Firefly and Serenity; a 'Curiosities' page by Dennis Lien about a book by Thorne Smith; and the results of F&SF Competition #71, "It was a dark and ion-stormy night..."
• Digital versions of F&SF are available from eReader.com and Fictionwise.
• Nick Gevers reviews this issue in the upcoming April issue of Locus Magazine, especially recommending the stories by Hughes and Rickert.

(Thu 9 Mar 2006)

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Realms of Fantasy

• Vol. 12 No. 4, April 2006, $3.99/C$5.99, 86pp, cover art by Kinuko Craft
• Bimonthly fantasy magazine, published since 1994; edited by Shawna McCarthy
• Website: http://www.rofmagazine.com/

• This issue has fiction by Karen L. Abrahamson, Richard Parks, Greg van Eekhout, Devon Monk, Sarah Prineas, and Jena Snyder.
• Features include Resa Nelson's movies column, about Silent Hill, plus a Spring 2006 movie roundup; a Folkroots column by Kristen McDermott, about faeries and theater; book reviews by Gahan Wilson and Paul Witcover, covering Neil Gaiman, Frederik Pohl, George R.R. Martin, and others; a Gallery feature by Karen Haber about artist Tom Kidd; and games reviews by Eric Baker.
• The magazine's recently enhanced website has this current issue page, with links to substantial excerpts from all the stories and features.

(Wed 22 Mar 2006)

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