Issue 724 Table of Contents, May 2021
The May 2021 issue of Locus has interviews with Nnedi Okorafor and Nghi Vo and a spotlight on Spanish magazine Windumanoth. News includes the 2021 Hugo Awards Ballot, changes to the 2021 Worldcon dates and venue, Pillai’s promotion to head Tor, News Corp’s acquisition of HMH, Stine’s Philip K. Dick Award win, Jones’s Bradbury Prize win, BSFA winners, and more. Photo reports cover the 2021 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts and Norwescon 43. Cory Doctorow‘s column is entitled “Qualia” and a special feature by Douglas F. Dluzen & Christopher Mark Rose examines “Seasonal Bias in Speculative Fiction Awards Nominations”. Obituaries remember John C. Pelan, Wanda June Alexander, and Margaret Wander Bonanno. Reviews cover new titles by P. Djèlí Clark, Sarah Pinsker, Zen Cho, Karin Tidbeck, Nick Mamatas, Katherine Addison, T. Kingfisher, Django Wexler, Alexandra Oliva, Robbie Arnott, Natasha Pulley, Sam Riviere, Priyanka Champaneri, Patrick Allington, Nino Cipri, Kate Milford, Kosoko Jackson, Anna Carey, Nadia Afifi, Joe R. Lansdale, Rivers Solomon, Namina Forna, Bruce Sterling, David Brin, and others.
TABLE of CONTENTS
May 2021 • Issue 724 • Vol. 86 • No. 5
54th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and Interview Designs by Francesca Myman
INTERVIEWS
Nnedi Okorafor: That Which Is Hers / 10
Nghi Vo: Stories About Stories / 28
MAIN STORIES / 5
2021 Hugo Awards Ballot • 2021 Worldcon Changes Dates and Venue • News Corp to Acquire HMH • Stine Wins PKD Award • Pillai to Head Tor • Jones Wins Bradbury Prize • BSFA Awards Winners • Aurealis Awards Finalists
THE DATA FILE / 7
American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Awards • International Booker Prize Longlist • Westercon 73 Canceled • GRRM Signs HBO Deal • Beagle Regains IP • Audie Awards Winners • Prometheus Award Finalists • Amazing Stories on Hiatus • Magazine News • Publishing News • B&N Children’s YA Book Awards Shortlist • Announcements • Serial Box Becomes Realm • International Costumers Gallery Relaunches • Campaign to Buy Tolkien’s House Fails • L’Engle Library Auctioned for Charity • World Conventions News • Royal Mail Classic Science Fiction Stamps • Awards News • SFWA News • Financial News • International Rights • Audio Rights • Publications Received
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Jean-Claude Mourlevat, J.R.R. Tolkien, Margaret Atwood & Douglas Preston, Mark Lawrence, Sarah J. Maas, and many others
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary by Cory Doctorow: Qualia / 26 Seasonal Bias in Speculative Fiction Awards Nominations by Douglas F. Dluzen & Christopher Mark Rose / 33 Spotlight on Windumanoth / 34
CONVENTIONS
2021 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts / 30 Norwescon 43 / 32
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: March / 35 Books Received: March / 36 British Books Received: February / 44 Bestsellers / 46
OBITUARIES / 57
John C. Pelan • Appreciation by Brian Keene • Wanda June Alexander • Margaret Wander Bonanno
LOCUS LETTERS / 57
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 58
Returning to Normal • Locus Awards • This Issue/Next Issue
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 13
Uncanny 3-4/21; Weird Tales #364; Pulp Literature Winter ’21; Fusion Fragment 3/21; Galaxy’s Edge 3/21; The New Yorker 3/8/21.
Short Fiction Reviews by Karen Burnham / 14
Clarkesworld 3/21; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 2/25/21, 3/11/21; Lightspeed 3/21; Tor.com 3/3/21, 3/24/21; Strange Horizons 3/1/21, 3/15/21; Giganotosaurus 2/21, 3/21; Departure Mirror Quarterly Winter ’21; Flash Fiction Online 3/21.
Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 16
A Master of Djinn, P. Djèlí Clark; We Are Satellites, Sarah Pinsker; Black Water Sister, Zen Cho; The Memory Theater, Karin Tidbeck; The Planetbreaker’s Son, Nick Mamatas.
Reviews by Liz Bourke / 18
The Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison; Paladin’s Strength, T. Kingfisher; Hard Reboot, Django Wexler.
Reviews by Katharine Coldiron / 19
Forget Me Not, Alexandra Oliva; The Rain Heron, Robbie Arnott; The Kingdoms, Natasha Pulley.
Reviews by Ian Mond / 20
Dead Souls, Sam Riviere; The City of Good Death, Priyanka Champaneri; Rise & Shine, Patrick Allington; Defekt, Nino Cipri.
Reviews by Colleen Mondor / 22
The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book, Kate Milford; Yesterday Is History, Kosoko Jackson; This is Not the Jess Show, Anna Carey.
Reviews by Gabino Iglesias / 23
The Sentient, Nadia Afifi; Fishing for Dinosaurs and Other Stories, Joe R. Lansdale.
Reviews by Divers Hands: Paula Guran, Maya C. James, Russell Letson, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro / 24
Sorrowland, Rivers Solomon; The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna; Robot Artists and Black Swans: The Italian Fantascienza Stories, Bruce Sterling; Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood, David Brin.
Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 17, 21, 25
Magazines reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 2/25/21 (Karen Burnham)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 3/11/21 (Karen Burnham)
Clarkesworld 3/21 (Karen Burnham)
Departure Mirror Quarterly Winter ’21 (Karen Burnham)
Flash Fiction Online 3/21 (Karen Burnham)
Fusion Fragment 3/21 (Rich Horton)
Galaxy’s Edge 3/21 (Rich Horton)
Giganotosaurus 2/21 (Karen Burnham)
Giganotosaurus 3/21 (Karen Burnham)
Lightspeed 3/21 (Karen Burnham)
The New Yorker 3/8/21 (Rich Horton)
Pulp Literature Winter ’21 (Rich Horton)
Strange Horizons 3/1/21 (Karen Burnham)
Strange Horizons 3/15/21 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 3/3/21 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 3/24/21 (Karen Burnham)
Uncanny 3-4/21 (Rich Horton)
Weird Tales #364 (Rich Horton)
Books reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Addison, Katherine • The Witness for the Dead (Liz Bourke)
Afifi, Nadia • The Sentient (Gabino Iglesias)
Allington, Patrick • Rise & Shine (Ian Mond)
Arnott, Robbie • The Rain Heron (Katharine Coldiron)
Brin, David • Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)
Carey, Anna • This is Not the Jess Show (Colleen Mondor)
Champaneri, Priyanka • The City of Good Death (Ian Mond)
Cho, Zen • Black Water Sister (Gary K. Wolfe)
Cipri, Nino • Defekt (Ian Mond)
Clark, P. Djèlí • A Master of Djinn (Gary K. Wolfe)
Forna, Namina • The Gilded Ones (Maya C. James)
Jackson, Kosoko • Yesterday Is History (Colleen Mondor)
Kingfisher, T. • Paladin’s Strength (Liz Bourke)
Lansdale, Joe R. • Fishing for Dinosaurs and Other Stories (Gabino Iglesias)
Mamatas, Nick • The Planetbreaker’s Son (Gary K. Wolfe)
Milford, Kate • The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book (Colleen Mondor)
Oliva, Alexandra • Forget Me Not (Katharine Coldiron)
Pinsker, Sarah • We Are Satellites (Gary K. Wolfe)
Pulley, Natasha • The Kingdoms (Katharine Coldiron)
Riviere, Sam • Dead Souls (Ian Mond)
Solomon, Rivers • Sorrowland (Paula Guran)
Sterling, Bruce • Robot Artists and Black Swans: The Italian Fantascienza Stories (Russell Letson)
Tidbeck, Karin • The Memory Theater (Gary K. Wolfe)
Wexler, Django • Hard Reboot (Liz Bourke)
