Issue 720 Table of Contents, January 2021

The January 2021 issue of Locus magazine has interviews with Andrea Hairston and Alix E. Harrow and a spotlight on Apex Magazine. Ben Bova and Phyllis Eisenstein are remembered with obituaries and appreciations. News covers the three new Grand Masters (SFWA Grand Master Nalo Hopkinson, MWA Grand Master Charlaine Harris, and SFPA Grand Master Linda Addison), the Penguin Random House planned acquisition of Simon & Schuster, SFWA vs. Disney, the campaign to purchase and renovate Tolkien’s house, the Parallax and Kindred winners, the new Read the Room event series, changes at Fireside, and much more. People and publishing covers news this issue about J.R.R. Tolkien, Nicola Griffith, Anne Bishop, Tananarive Due, Ted Chiang, and others. Cory Doctorow‘s column is entitled “Neofeudalism and the Digital Manor”, and there is an International Report on SF in Germany from Udo Klotz & Christian Hoffmann. Additional obituaries remember Richard Corben and Dean Ing. Reviews cover new titles by Cory Doctorow, Liz Williams, Gautam Bhatia, Wole Talabi (ed.), Eden Royce, Gemma Files, George R.R. Martin & Melinda Snodgrass (eds.), Gregory Maguire, Linden A. Lewis, David Wong, Thomas McMullan, Catherine Hernandez, Guido Morselli, Charlie Holmberg, Kirsten Miller, C.L. Polk, Justin A. Reynolds, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Aliette de Bodard, Martha Wells, Rebecca Roanhorse, Marc Laidlaw, Neal Asher, R.F. Kuang, Paula Guran (ed.), Luke Arnold, K. Arsenault Rivera, Brooke Bolander, Gabino Iglesias, Sunny Moraine, S.A. Chakraborty, Susanna Clarke, Maria Dahvana Headley, Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor, K.J. Parker, Garth Nix, Brandon Sanderson & Mary Robinette Kowal, Philip Pullman, Natalie Zina Walschots, and others.

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Locus Magazine, Science Fiction Fantasy


TABLE of CONTENTS
January 2021 • Issue 720 • Vol. 86 • No. 1
53rd Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and Interview Designs by Francesca Myman

INTERVIEWS
Andrea Hairston: Conjure the World / 10
Alix E. Harrow: Questions of Power / 32

MAIN STORIES / 5
Ben Bova (1932 – 2020) Phyllis Eisenstein (1946 – 2020) • Appreciations for Phyllis Eisenstein from Richard Chwedyk and James Frenkel • Grand Masters • PRH to Buy S&S • SFWA vs. Disney • Best Books of 2020 Lists

THE DATA FILE / 7
Campaign for Tolkien’s House • Parallax and Kindred Winners • Read the Room Event Series • Fireside Changes • World Conventions News • Barnes & Noble News • Publishing News • Amazon News • Mythopoeic Awards Finalists • Prometheus Hall of Fame Finalists • Goodreads Choice • Awards News • Trade Show News • SFPA News • Legal News • AAR Becomes AALA • Announcements • Magazine News • Financial News • International Rights • Audio Rights • Publications Received • Catalogs Received

PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about J.R.R. Tolkien, Nicola Griffith, Anne Bishop, Tananarive Due, Ted Chiang, and many others

SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary by Cory Doctorow: Neofeudalism and the Digital Manor / 28 SF in Germany / 30 Spotlight on Apex / 35

LISTINGS
Magazines Received: November / 36 Books Received: November / 37 British Books Received: October / 46 Bestsellers / 48

OBITUARIES / 58
Appreciations for Ben Bova from Joe Haldeman, Stanley Schmidt, and Pierce Watters • OTHER OBITUARIES: Richard Corben • DEATH NOTED: Dean Ing

EDITORIAL MATTERS / 62
A New Year • This Issue/Next Issue

LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS

Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 13
Asimov’s 11-12/20; Analog 11-12/20; Interzone 11-12/20; Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 11/20; Bourbon Penn 11/20; Conjunctions Spring ’20.

Short Fiction Reviews by Karen Burnham / 14
Clarkesworld 10/20, 11/20; Breathe Fiyah 10/19/20; Tor.com 10/21, 10/28, 11/11, 11/18/20; Lightspeed 11/20, 12/20; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/8/20, 10/22/20; Strange Horizons 10/5/20, 10/12/20.

Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 16
Attack Surface, Cory Doctorow; Blackthorn Winter, Liz Williams; The Wall: Being the First Book of the Chronicles of Sumer, Gautam Bhatia; Africanfuturism: An Anthology, Wole Talabi, ed.

Reviews by Paula Guran / 18
Root Magic, Eden Royce; In That Endlessness, Our End, Gemma Files; Deuces Down, George R.R. Martin & Melinda Snodgrass, eds.

Reviews by Katharine Coldiron / 19
A Wild Winter Swan, Gregory Maguire; The First Sister, Linden A. Lewis.

Reviews by Ian Mond / 20
Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, David Wong; The Last Good Man, Thomas McMullan; Crosshairs, Catherine Hernandez; Dissipatio H.G.: The Vanishing, Guido Morselli.

Reviews by Colleen Mondor / 22
Spellbreaker, Charlie Holmberg; Don’t Tell a Soul, Kirsten Miller; The Midnight Bargain, C.L. Polk; Early Departures, Justin A. Reynolds; The Silence of the Wilting Skin, Tlotlo Tsamaase.

Reviews by Divers Hands: Liz Bourke, Alex Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Maya C. James, Russell Letson, Elsa Sjunneson, Arley Sorg / 24
Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard; Fugitive Telemetry, Martha Wells; Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse; Underneath the Oversea, Marc Laidlaw; Attack Surface, Cory Doctorow; Lockdown Tales, Neal Asher; The Burning God, R.F. Kuang; The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: Volume One, Paula Guran, ed.

Audiobook Reviews by Amy Goldschlager / 26
Last Smile in Sunder City, Luke Arnold; Knox, Complete Season 1: Episodes 1–11, K. Arsenault Rivera, Brooke Bolander, Gabino Iglesias & Sunny Moraine; The Empire of Gold, S.A. Chakraborty; Piranesi, Susanna Clarke; Beowulf, Maria Dahvana Headley; The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor; How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It, K.J. Parker; The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, Garth Nix; The Original, Brandon Sanderson & Mary Robinette Kowal; His Dark Materials: Serpentine, Philip Pullman; Hench, Natalie Zina Walschots.

Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 15, 17, 21, 25


Magazines reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Analog 11-12/20 (Rich Horton)
Asimov’s 11-12/20 (Rich Horton)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/8/20 (Karen Burnham)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/22/20 (Karen Burnham)
Bourbon Penn 11/20 (Rich Horton)
Breathe Fiyah 10/19/20 (Karen Burnham)
Clarkesworld 10/20 (Karen Burnham)
Clarkesworld 11/20 (Karen Burnham)
Conjunctions Spring ’20 (Rich Horton)
Interzone 11-12/20 (Rich Horton)
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 11/20 (Rich Horton)
Lightspeed 11/20 (Karen Burnham)
Lightspeed 12/20 (Karen Burnham)
Strange Horizons 10/5/20 (Karen Burnham)
Strange Horizons 10/12/20 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 10/21 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 10/28 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 11/11 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 11/18/20 (Karen Burnham)


Books reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Asher, Neal • Lockdown Tales (Russell Letson)
Bhatia, Gautam • The Wall: Being the First Book of the Chronicles of Sumer (Gary K. Wolfe)
de Bodard, Aliette • Fireheart Dragon (Liz Bourke)
Doctorow, Cory • Attack Surface (Gary K. Wolfe)
Doctorow, Cory • Attack Surface (Maya C. James)
Files, Gemma • In That Endlessness, Our End (Paula Guran)
Guran, Paula, ed. • The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: Volume One (Arley Sorg)
Hernandez, Catherine • Crosshairs (Ian Mond)
Holmberg, Charlie N. • Spellbreaker (Colleen Mondor)
Kuang, R.F. • The Burning God (Elsa Sjunneson)
Laidlaw, Marc • Underneath the Oversea (Paul Di Filippo)
Lewis, Linden A. • The First Sister (Katharine Coldiron)
Maguire, Gregory • A Wild Winter Swan (Katharine Coldiron)
Martin, George R.R., & Melissa Snodgrass, eds. • Deuces Down (Paula Guran)
McMullen, Thomas • The Last Good Man (Ian Mond)
Miller, Kirsten • Don’t Tell a Soul (Colleen Mondor)
Morselli, Guido • Dissipatio H.G.: The Vanishing (Ian Mond)
Polk, C.L. • The Midnight Bargain (Colleen Mondor)
Reynolds, Justin A. • Early Departures (Colleen Mondor)
Roanhorse, Rebecca • Black Sun (Alex Brown)
Royce, Eden • Root Magic (Paula Guran)
Talabi, Wole • Africanfuturism: An Anthology (Gary K. Wolfe)
Tsamaase, Tlotlo • The Silence of the Wilting Skin (Colleen Mondor)
Wells, Martha • Fugitive Telemetry (Liz Bourke)
Williams, Liz • Blackthorn Winter (Gary K. Wolfe)
Wong, David • Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick (Ian Mond)

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