Locus Magazine, Science Fiction FantasyThe October issue features interviews with James Patrick Kelly and Annalee Newitz, a column by Kameron Hurley, an obituary and appreciations of Jerry Pournelle, reports and photos from Worldcon 75 in Helsinki, and reviews of short fiction and books by John Crowley, R.S. Belcher, Ann Leckie, Elizabeth Bear, JY Yang, and many others.

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Table of Contents

October 2017 • Issue 681 • Vol. 79 • No. 4
50th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and Interview Designs by Francesca Myman

INTERVIEWS
James Patrick Kelly: Alterations / 10
Annalee Newitz: Reprogramming / 32
MAIN STORIES / 5
Jerry Pournelle (1933 – 2017) • 2016 Sidewise Awards Winners • 2017 Dragon Awards Winners • Joan Aiken Prize • 2017 National Book Award Longlist • SFWA Call for Grants • Women Injured at Dragon Con • 2017 Man Booker Shortlist
THE DATA FILE / 7
2017 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists • Sarem Removed from Times List • Patterson Grants • Awards News • Publishing News • Announcements • Financial News • International Rights • Other Rights • Audiobooks Received • Publications Received • Catalogs Received
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Robert J. Sawyer, Margaret Atwood, Michael Swanwick, Hannu Rajaniemi, Adam Christopher, and many others
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary: Kameron Hurley: What Comes After the Ship Is Sunk? / 31
WORLDCON 75
Worldcon 75 Report / 34 2017 WSFS Business Meeting / 43 Complete 2017 Hugo Voting / 44
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: August / 48 Books Received: August / 49 British Books Received: July / 60 Bestsellers / 62
OBITUARIES
Jerry Pournelle (1933 – 2017) / 5 Appreciations from Larry Niven, David Gerrold, Tim Powers, Gregory Benford, Stephen Kotowych, and John Goodwin / 5 Other Obituaries: Len Wein / 73 Appreciation from David Gerrold / 73
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 74
Helsinki • Subscription Drive • This Issue/Next Issue
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by Gardner Dozois / 12
A Flight to the Future, Kathryn Cramer, ed.; Asimov’s 5-6/17, 7-8/17; F&SF 7-8/17; The Best of Subterranean, William Schafer, ed.
Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 13
Lightspeed 8/17, 9/17; Tor.com 8/17; Apex 7/17; Interzone 7-8/17; McSweeney’s #49; Mightier than the Sword K.J. Parker; Totalitopia, John Crowley; The Book of Swords, Gardner Dozois, ed.
Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 14
Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr, John Crowley; Tool of War, Paolo Bacigalupi; Quillifer, Walter Jon Wil­liams; A Long Day in Lychford, Paul Cornell; A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, Nat Segaloff.
Reviews by Faren Miller / 17
The Queen of Swords, R.S. Belcher; The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin; The Last Magician, Lisa Maxwell; The Strange Bird, Jeff VanderMeer.
Reviews by Russell Letson / 19
Provenance, Ann Leckie; Iain M. Banks, Paul Kincaid.
Reviews by Adrienne Martini / 20
The Stone in the Skull, Elizabeth Bear; Upon This Rock: Book 1 – First Contact, David Marusek; The Real-Town Murders, Adam Roberts; Vallista, Steven Brust.
Reviews by Stefan Dziemianowicz / 21
Haunted Nights, Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton, eds.; Gwendy’s Button Box, Stephen King & Richard Chizmar; Fever Dream, Samanta Schweblin.
Reviews by Liz Bourke / 22
The Black Tides of Heaven, JY Yang; The Red Threads of Fortune, JY Yang; Horizon, Fran Wilde; In Evil Times, Melinda Snodgrass.
Reviews by Colleen Mondor / 24
Sovereign, April Daniels; Wild Beauty, Anna-Marie McLemore.
Reviews by Carolyn Cushman / 25
The Furthest Station, Ben Aaronovitch; Tumble & Blue, Cassie Beasley; Buried Heart, Kate Elliott; Ghost Garages, Erin M. Hartshorn; The Squirrel on the Train, Kevin Hearne; The Imposters of Aventil, Marshall Ryan Maresca; Mask of Shadows, Linsey Miller; The Unicorn in the Barn, Jacqueline K. Ogburn; Strange Practice, Vivian Shaw.
Reviews by Divers Hands: Rich Horton, Rachel Swirsky / 27
Infinite Stars, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, ed.; Six Months, Three Days, Five Others, Charlie Jane Anders.
Audiobook Reviews by Amy Goldschlager / 28
Meddling Kids, Edgar Cantero; Julia Defiant, Catherine Egan; The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Theodora Goss; Gwendy’s Button Box, Stephen King and Richard Chizmar; Steal the Stars: Episodes 1-5 (of 14), Mac Rogers; The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland.
Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 17, 24, 29

 

Magazine Issues reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer) —

Apex Magazine July 2017 (Rich Horton)
Asimov’s May/June 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
Asimov’s July/August 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
F&SF July/Aug 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
Interzone Jul-Aug 2017 (Rich Horton)
Lightspeed August 2017 (Rich Horton)
Lightspeed September 2017 (Rich Horton)
McSweeney’s #49 2017 (Rich Horton)
Tor.com August 2017 (Rich Horton)

Books reviewed in this issue, listed by author (indicating reviewer) —

Aaronovitch, Ben • The Furthest Station (Carolyn Cushman)
Anders, Charlie Jane • Six Months, Three Days, Five Others (Rachel Swirsky)
Bacigalupi, Paolo • Tool of War (Gary K. Wolfe)
Bear, Elizabeth • The Stone in the Skull (Adrienne Martini)
Beasley, Cassie • Tumble & Blue (Carolyn Cushman)
Belcher, R. S. • The Queen of Swords (Faren Miller)
Brust, Steven • Vallista (Adrienne Martini)
Cornell, Paul • A Long Day in Lychford (Gary K. Wolfe)
Cramer, Kathryn, ed. • A Flight to the Future (Gardner Dozois)
Crowley, John • Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (Gary K. Wolfe)
Crowley, John • Totalitopia (Rich Horton)
Daniels, April • Sovereign (Colleen Mondor)
Datlow, Ellen, & Lisa Morton, eds. • Haunted Nights (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Dozois, Gardner, ed. • The Book of Swords (Rich Horton)
Elliott, Kate • Buried Heart (Carolyn Cushman)
Hartshorn, Erin M. • Ghost Garages (Carolyn Cushman)
Hearne, Kevin • The Squirrel on the Train (Carolyn Cushman)
Jemisin, N. K. • The Stone Sky (Faren Miller)
Kincaid, Paul • Iain M. Banks (Russell Letson)
King, Stephen, & Richard Chizmar • Gwendy’s Button Box (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Leckie, Ann • Provenance (Russell Letson)
Maresca, Marshall Ryan • The Imposters of Aventil (Carolyn Cushman)
Marusek, David • Upon This Rock (Adrienne Martini)
Maxwell, Lisa • The Last Magician (Faren Miller)
McLemore, Anna-Marie • Wild Beauty (Colleen Mondor)
Miller, Linsey • Mask of Shadows (Carolyn Cushman)
Ogburn, Jacqueline • The Unicorn in the Barn (Carolyn Cushman)
Parker, K. J. • Mightier than the Sword (Rich Horton)
Roberts, Adam • The Real-Town Murders (Adrienne Martini)
Schafer, William, ed. • The Best of Subterranean (Gardner Dozois)
Schmidt, Bryan Thomas, ed. • Infinite Stars (Rich Horton)
Schweblin, Samanta • Fever Dream (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Segaloff, Nat • A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison (Gary K. Wolfe)
Shaw, Vivian • Strange Practice (Carolyn Cushman)
Snodgrass, Melinda • In Evil Times (Liz Bourke)
VanderMeer, Jeff • The Strange Bird (Faren Miller)
Wilde, Fran • Horizon (Liz Bourke)
Williams, Walter Jon • Quillifer (Gary K. Wolfe)
Yang, JY • The Black Tides of Heaven (Liz Bourke)
Yang, JY • The Red Threads of Fortune (Liz Bourke)

These reviews, and all book reviews in Locus Magazine since 1984, and special to Locus Online since 2001, are indexed here by author.