Challenging Destiny
• Canadian near-quarterly magazine of fantasy and science fiction, published since 1997; edited by David M. Switzer
• Website: http://www.golden.net/~csp/
• Issue 14, June 2002, C$6.00, 118pp
• This fifth anniversary issue has fiction by Helen Rykens, E.L. Chen, James Viscosi, K.G. McAbee, and Hugh Cook ("The Trial of Edgar Allan Poe"). Also, there's an interview with Alison Sinclair, book reviews of Canadian authors by James Schellenberg, and the first part of a survey of SF & fantasy art, with black & white samples, by editor David M. Switzer. Switzer also offers an editorial consideration of John Gray's pop-psych book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus -- perhaps colored by his own "15 months of happiness" with girlfriend Lesley-Ann.. (Tue 25 Jun 2002)
Fantastic Stories of the Imagination
• Quarterly magazine of fiction and poetry, formerly Pirate Writings, published since 1992; edited by Edward J. McFadden
• Website: http://www.dnapublications.com/fantastic/
• Issue 23, Summer 2002, $4.95/C$5.95, 50pp, cover art by David Monette
• Now on glossy paper like other DNA Publications, this issue of Fantastic Stories has fiction by Nick Pollotta, O'Neil De Noux, James S. Dorr, Gerard Houarner, Edward J. McFadden III, and Chris Bunch; plus poetry by Claudia Carlson, Kendall Evans, and David Livingstone Clink. Nonfiction consists of an interview, conducted by Tom Piccirilli, of Spider Robinson; and an editorial by McFadden about DNA's purchase of The Whole Cat Journal, AOL, and life in New York City, post 9/11. (Sat 22 Jun 2002)
The New York Review of Science Fiction
• Monthly review and criticism magazine, published since 1988; edited by David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer, et al.
• Website: http://www.nyrsf.com/
• Issue 167, Vol. 14 No. 11, July 2002, $3.50, 24pp
• Ariel Haméon essays on two recent novels by John Shirley. The other front-page essay is a preview of the introduction by Hartwell and Cramer from their forthcoming anthology The Hard SF Renaissance, which discusses the evolution of hard SF in the context of '80s and '90s space opera, cyberpunk, and humanist SF. There's a lengthy rebuttal by Gregory Frost to a January editorial by editor Timothy A. Cooper, of webzine Speculon, called Toppling the Empire of Nostalgia, that dismissed the New Wave as a "failed experiment in literary SF" and accused Gardner Dozois of promoting "New Wave-style fiction". There's also an essay by Peter Watts, asking what hard SF is for; plus reviews by Walter Minkel, Paul Witcover, Joseph Milicia, Howard V. Hendrix, Joe Sutliff Sanders, and others, of books by Sarah Zettel, David Herter, Susan Shwartz, Alan Dean Foster, Ted Chiang, and others. (Mon 24 Jun 2002)
Seen earlier this month:
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
• Near-monthly (11 times/year) magazine of science fiction and nonfiction; published since 1930 (originally Astounding); edited by Stanley Schmidt
• Website: http://www.sfsite.com/analog/
• Vol. 122 No. 7&8, July/August 2002, $5.50/C$6.95, 240pp, cover art by Vincent DiFate
• This annual double-sized issue features a symposium, moderated by Lloyd Biggle Jr, in remembrance of Isaac Asimov (who died 10 years ago), with recollections by Poul Anderson, Ben Bova, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Martin H. Greenberg, Frederik Pohl, and Stanley Schmidt. Fiction includes novellas by Adam-Troy Castro and Brenda W. Clough (a sequel to last year's well-received "May Be Some Time"); novelettes by Kevin J. Anderson & Gregory Benford, Rajnar Vajra, and Ron Goulart; and short stories by Edward M. Lerner, Geoffrey A. Landis, Larry Niven, Tobias S. Buckell, Jack McDevitt, Shane Tourtellotte, and Jayge Carr. Dr. Steven D. Howe's science article considers using nuclear rockets for space exploration, Jeffery D. Kooistra's column recalls a forgotten classic science book, and Wil McCarthy contributes a poem. Also letters, editorial, book reviews, and complete results of the Analytical Laboratory, the readers' poll of stories published in 2001. (Tue 4 Jun 2002)
Artemis Magazine
• Quarterly magazine of "science and fiction for a space-faring age"; published and edited by Ian Randal Strock
• Website: http://www.lrcpublications.com/
• Issue 7, Summer 2002, $4.95/C$5.95, 62pp, cover art by H. Ed Cox
• Now printed on glossy paper with some color illustrations, this issue has fiction by James Killus, Shane Tourtellotte, Edward Muller, Lorren Stiles, Will Ludwigsen, Thomas A. Easton, and Edward Willett. Nonfiction pieces include John G. Hemry on Lunar military bases, Walter B. Hendrickson Jr. on possible successors to the space shuttle, Daniel M. Kimmel recalling Destination Moon, Robert E. Strong on a "lunar lighthouse", and an Allen M. Steele column on "Moon Age Daydreams". (Sat 1 Jun 2002)
Asimov's Science Fiction
• Near-monthly (11 times/year) SF magazine; published since 1977; edited by Gardner Dozois
• Website: http://www.asimovs.com/
• Vol. 26 No. 7 (whole #318) , July 2002, $3.50/C$4.95, 144pp, cover art by Darryl Elliott
• Fiction consists of a novella by Robert Reed, novelettes by Paul McAuley and Pat Cadigan, and short stories by Michael Jasper, Karen Traviss, Molly Gloss, and Lori Ann White. Poetry is by Mario Milosevic, Laurel Winter, Rebecca Lu Kiernan, and Bruce Boston. Robert Silverberg's "Reflections" column describes the reasons he compiled his anthology recently reprinted as Science Fiction 101, and Sheila Williams announces winners of the 2001 Isaac Asimov Award. (Tue 4 Jun 2002)
Dreams and Nightmares
• Magazine of fantastic poetry, published approximately quarterly since 1986, by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
• Website: http://home.earthlink.net/~dragontea/
• Issue 62, May 2002, $3.00, 24pp, cover art by GAK
• Included are poems by Bruce Boston & Marge Simon ("Reunion on Mars"), Alec Kowalczyk, Darrell Schweitzer, Ian Watson ("The Pleasure Surgeons"), Ann K. Schwader, Mike Allen ("No One"), and others; plus a cartoon, and a brief editorial. (Mon 17 Jun 2002)
Dreams of Decadence
• Quarterly Vampire poetry and fiction, edited by Angela Kessler and published by Warren Lapine
• Website: http://www.dnapublications.com/dreams/
• Issue 17, Summer 2002, $5.00/C$6.00, 50pp, cover art by Marianne Plumridge-Eggleton
• Stories are by Sarah A. Hoyt, Holly Phillips, and Elizabeth Slawinski, poetry by Wendy Rathbone (featured poet), Marina Lee Sable, C.W. Hobbs, and Amanda Watson. (Thu 13 Jun 2002)
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
• Near-monthly (11 times/year) magazine of fiction, reviews, and features; published since 1949; edited by Gordon Van Gelder
• Website: http://www.fsfmag.com
• Vol. 103 No. 2 (whole #609) , August 2002, $3.50/C$4.99, 162pp, cover art by Thomas Canty
• Fiction consists of a novella by Richard Chwedyk (a sequel to last year's "The Measure of All Things", just nominated for the Sturgeon Award); novelets by Michael Libling and Charles Coleman Finlay; and short stories by M. Rickert, Robert Thurston, and Harvey Jacobs. Departments include short book reviews by Charles de Lint; longer reviews by Robert K.J. Killheffer (examinations of Abbott's Flatland and Egan's Schild's Ladder); a Paul Di Filippo "Plumage from Pegasus" installment; Lucius Shepard's review of The Time Machine; and a Curiosities page by Bill Sheehan. (Thu 6 Jun 2002)
The New York Review of Science Fiction
• Monthly review and criticism magazine, published since 1988; edited by David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer, et al.
• Website: http://www.nyrsf.com/
• Issue 166, Vol. 14 No. 10, June 2002, $3.50, 24pp
• This special "Historical Crisis" issue leads with an essay by Don Webb examining R.A. Lafferty's technique of "effective arcanum", and a review by Tavis Allison of Ernest Hogan's Smoking Mirror Blues. Elsewhere in the issue is a review by Claude Lalumière of Richard Lupoff's three collections (from which Lalumière chooses Lupoff's top ten), and other reviews by Joe Sanders, Michael Levy, Steven H Silver, Donald M. Hassler, and others, of books by Karin Lowachee, David Brin, Anne McCaffrey, Robert J. Sawyer, and others; plus letters, editorial. (Thu 13 Jun 2002)
Science Fiction Chronicle
• Monthly SFFH trade journal, published since 1979 by Andrew I. Porter; current publisher and editor-in-chief Warren Lapine, with news editor Andrew I. Porter
• Website: http://www.dnapublications.com/sfc/
• Issue 226, Vol. 23 No. 7, July 2002, $4.95/C$5.95, 58pp, cover art by Jael
• In addition to news, newsnotes, author and editor news, obituaries, etc., contents include Steve Sawicki's short fiction reviews, Jeff Rovin's SF Cinema column (including retrospective reviews of various past sci-fi invasions), Alan Dean Foster's reviews of Attack of the Clones and The Fellowship of the Ring, Brian Keene's horror column, and book reviews by Don A'Ammassa. Andrew I. Porter's editorial explains why he's not nominated for a Hugo this year, and recalls his past Hugo hits and misses. (Mon 17 Jun 2002)
The Third Alternative
• Quarterly UK magazine of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, edited by Andy Cox
• Website: http://www.ttapress.com/
• Issue 30, Spring 2002, £3.75/$6, 66pp, cover art by Peter Gric
• The editorial summarizes status and plans of TTA and its associated magazines and websites. Fiction in the issue is by Neil Williamson, Douglas Lain, Ian Watson, Robert Wexler, Paul Meloy, and Christopher Kenworthy; other material includes an interview with Mark Morris, a comment (on commercial interruptions) by Allen Ashley, film reviews by Christopher Fowler, a film essay on the Coen Brothers by Philip Raines, an interview with Alan Moore, and reviews of books by Peter Tennant and others. (Thu 13 Jun 2002)
