Author: locusmag

Books Reviews 

We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson: Review by Niall Harrison

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We Are All Ghosts in the Forest, Lorraine Wilson (Solaris 978-1-83786-144-6, 400pp, £18.99, hc). November 2024. Cover by Jo Walker.

The image that I think will stay with me longest from Lorraine Wilson’s resonant new novel, We Are All Ghosts in the For­est, comes a little over halfway through the book. The novel’s protagonist, Katerina, has completed a trade in a village on the shore of Lake Peipus, ...Read More

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Conventions News 

ICon: Tel Aviv 2024

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The 28th ICon was held October 20-22, 20-24 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and included almost 350 panels, lectures, workshops, games, and roleplaying. Some 11,000 tickets were sold to the different events. In each of the three days, at a certain point, entrance to the venue had to be restricted to those who had tickets, because the 1,800 people limit on premises, set for health and safety reasons, was reached.

The ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Sargassa by Sophie Burnham: Review by Liz Bourke

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Sargassa, Sophie Burnham (DAW 978-0-7564-1936-3, $28.00, 416pp, hc) October 2024.

Sophie Burnham’s Sargassa is another first novel, and another novel that flits with playful seriousness between the trappings of fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history, using all three to question and upend the reader’s assumptions about the world of the novel (and perhaps the world at large) and how it works. Sargassa takes the aura of Rome – perennial ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

The Presidential Papers by John Kessel: Review by Gary K. Wolfe

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The Presidential Papers, John Kessel (PM Press 979-8-88744-058-3 , $16.00, 160pp, tp), October 2024.

PM Press’s series of “Outspoken Author” collec­tions, reaching its 30th volume with John Kessel’s The Presidential Papers, has long provided use­ful short overviews of the fiction and nonfiction of some of our field’s most distinguished writers (always accompanied by insouciant but revealing interviews by the late series editor Terry Bisson). While some authors have ...Read More

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New & Notable New Titles & Bestsellers 

New & Notable

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Aliette de Bodard, In the Shadow of the Ship (Subterranean 9/24) This far-future SF mystery novella is the latest installment in the author’s popular and ambitious Xuya universe. Khuyĕn, now a magistrate, returns to the sentient ship Nightjar and the family she hasn’t seen since fleeing as a teen to attend her grandmother’s funeral… but a disappearance forces her to face the past. “A sharp-edged and glittering science-fictional gem.” ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister: Review by Ian Mond

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The Bog Wife, Kay Chronister (Counterpoint 978-1-64009-662-2, $28.00, 336pp, hc) October 2024. Cover by Nicole Caputo.

Like all conscientious and well-meaning read­ers, I strive to bring an open mind unsullied by prejudice and bias to any fiction work. However, based solely on the title and cover of Kay Chro­nister’s new novel, The Bog Wife, I assumed it was a revisionist fairytale based on Celtic mythology that takes place ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy: Review by Alex Brown

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The Sapling Cage, Margaret Killjoy (The Femi­nist Press 978-1-55861-331-7, $17.95, 336pp, tp) September 2024.

The trope of gender-based magic is an old one in fantasy fiction. It never fails to annoy me, and not just because I’m gen­derqueer. Besides the whole gender essentialism thing, I just find it to be lazy and uninspired. At this point, the only time I’ll read a ‘‘girls do this magic and boys do ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle: Review by Jake Casella Brookins

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On the Calculation of Volume I, Solvej Balle (New Directions 978-0-81123-725-3, 160pp, $15.95, tp) November 2024.

In Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume I, translated from the Danish by Barbara Haveland, rare book dealer Tara Selter has found herself trapped in a time loop on the 18th of November; the first entry in Balle’s septology begins with November 18 #121. For reasons unknown, time for her has “fallen ...Read More

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Announcements News 

SFWA Statement: Writers in Crisis

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The Board of Directors of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has released a statement on the freedom of expression for writers residing in conflict areas and poor living conditions:

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in education, SFWA is restricted from political campaign intervention in particular forms. At the same time, our mission is to inform, support, promote, defend, and advocate for writers of science fiction, fantasy, and related ...Read More

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Features Spotlight 

Spotlight on Illumicrate & Starbright

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DAPHNE TONGE is the founder and CEO of Illumi­crate, the UK’s first specialist book subscription box. She is also the founder and MD of Daphne Press, a science fiction and fantasy publisher. She’s judged for book prizes and is an event chair. Previously, she was an award-winning book blogger. She lives in London, but is Chinese-Filipino born and was raised in Manila.

Tell us about your book subscription box ser­vice, ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

New Year, New You edited by Chris Campbell: Review by Alexandra Pierce

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New Year, New You, Chris Campbell, ed. (Im­mortal Jellyfish Press 979-8-99077-550-3, 312pp, $25.00, tp). Cover by Melinda Smith. October 2024.

In my experience, it’s often the case that once you hear a good idea, you think “Of course! Why has no one done that before?” In that spirit: the “new year, new you!” slogan seems a perfect theme for a speculative fiction anthology – now that Chris Campbell has ...Read More

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News Obituaries 

George Zebrowski (1945-2024)

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Author George Zebrowski, 78, died December 20, 2024.

Jerzy Tadeus Zebrowski (AKA George Thaddeus Zebrowski) was born December 28, 1945 in Villach, Austria. He moved to the US in 1951, and attended an early Clarion Writers’ Workshop in 1968.

Zebrowski’s first publications were collaborations with Jack Dann in 1970 (“Traps” and “Dark, Dark, the Dead Star”), and his first solo story was “The Water Sculptor of Station 233” (1970). He ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

A Simple Intervention by Yael Inokai: Review by Niall Harrison

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A Simple Intervention, Yael Inokai (Peirene 978-1-90867-087-8, 187pp, £12.99, pb). October 2024. Cover by Tessa Mackenzie.

There are different ways of writing medical SF. One, as in the case of Rajaniemi above, or Greg Egan occasionally, is to crank up the verisimilitude and extrapolate specific diseases or treatments in the best net-up hard-SF fashion; another is to lean into medicine as a system rather than a sci­ence and build ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

The Last Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison & J. Michael Straczynski: Review by Gary K. Wolfe

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The Last Dangerous Visions, Harlan Ellison & J. Michael Straczynski, eds. (Blackstone 979-8-212-18379-6, $27.99, 450pp) October 2024.

Speaking of unusual ways to assemble an anthol­ogy, here we have The Last Dangerous Visions, nominally edited by Harlan Ellison, but also by El­lison’s executor J. Michael Straczynski, who added seven stories he solicited himself after Ellison’s death. By my count, nine of the 24 stories were among the nearly 90 ...Read More

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Conventions News 

Can*Con 2024

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Can*Con 2024 was held November 1-3 in person at the Sheraton Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. Guests of honour were Jennifer Brozek, Sarah Gailey, Diana M. Pho, Waubgeshig Rice, and Arley Sorg. A separate virtual Can*Con was held on April 20 with roughly one hundred attendees.

There were 400 in-person registered attendees. Programming featured 115 panelists and 107 items on writing, literature, and more, such as ‘‘Post-Colonial Perspectives on the Post-Apocalypse’’ ...Read More

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News Obituaries 

T. Jackson King (1948-2024)

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Writer T. Jackson King, 76, died December 3, 2024 in Santa Fe NM.

Thomas Jackson King, Jr. was born May 24, 1948 in Houston TX. He was a journalist, activist, and archaeologist.

Debut novel Retread Shop appeared in 1988. His Vigilante series began with Star Vigilante (2012) and continued with Nebula Vigilante (2013), Galactic Vigilante (2013), and Anarchate Vigilante (2014). The Aliens series includes Earth vs. Aliens (2014), Humans vs. ...Read More

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Awards News 

2025 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award Finalists

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The Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS) has announced the finalists for the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for Best Classic Fiction.

  • Orion Shall Rise, Poul Anderson (Timescape)
  • “As Easy as A.B.C.”, Rudyard Kipling (London Magazine 1912)
  • “The Trees”, Rush (Hemispheres)
  • Singularity Sky, Charles Stoss (Ace)

Six other works were also considered: “Death and the Senator”, a 1961 short story by Arthur C. Clarke; That Hideous Strength, a 1945 ...Read More

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6 SciFi Covers for your Dad
New Titles & Bestsellers Staff Picks 

6 Science Fiction Books Your Dad Doesn’t Own Yet: A Gift Guide

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If you have a science fiction nerd for a parent, then you know it is impossible to shop for them over the holidays. They have read every SF title from the ‘Best of’ lists and have a personal pulp collection from decades past. Here are six recent science fiction titles reviewed by our experts that we think your dad hasn’t read yet (unless he has a Locus subscription), in ...Read More

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headshot of Barry Malzberg
News Obituaries 

Barry N. Malzberg (1939-2024)

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Author, editor, and critic Barry N. Malzberg, 85, died December 19, 2024 in Saddle River NJ.

Barry Nathaniel Malzberg was born July 24, 1939 in New York. He attended Syracuse University, graduating in 1960, and returned later to study writing in graduate school. He left the program to work as an agent for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency as well as a freelance writer. He married Joyce Zelnick in 1964; ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

At the Fount of Creation by Tobi Ogundiran: Review by Archita Mittra

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At the Fount of Creation, Tobi Ogundiran (Tor­dotcom 978-1-25090-803-2, $21.99, 224pp, hc) January 2025.

At the Fount of Creation is a thrilling con­clusion to Tobi Ogundiran’s Guardians of the Gods duology, packed with cinematic action and with more deities from the Yoruba pantheon making an appearance. It continues the story of Ashâke, a failed acolyte who is later revealed to be the vessel for the surviving orisha, and is ...Read More

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Reviews Short Fiction 

GigaNotoSaurus, Diabolical Plots and Hexagon Fall ’24: Short Fiction Reviews by Charles Payseur

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GigaNotoSaurus 9/24 Diabolical Plots 9/24 Hexagon Fall ’24

September’s GigaNotoSaurus is Monte Lin’s “Here in the Glittering Black, There is Hope”, which introduces Kavita, the captain of a ship contracted out to the ultrarich to go out and bring back previous materials from the reaches of space, staying young thanks to cryo-sleep while generations pass on Earth. She’s part of a tradition, a movement to the stars ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune: Review by Colleen Mondor

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Somewhere Beyond the Sea, TJ Klune (Tor Books 879-1-250-88120-5, $28.99, 416pp, hc) September 2024.

Fans of TJ Klune’s enormously popular The House in the Cerulean Sea were no doubt thrilled to hear about the unexpected sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. The continuing story of Arthur, Linus, and the group of orphaned magic children they care for is as heartfelt and political as readers could want. Make no mistake, ...Read More

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Announcements News Publishing 

Winterbottom Joins Transworld

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Rachel Winterbottom has joined Penguin Random House UK imprint Transworld as sci-fi and fantasy publishing director. Winterbottom is scheduled to start working in the newly created role in March 2025, reporting temporarily to managing director Kimberly Young. Winterbottom has worked as an editor for Gollancz as well as HarperVoyager UK. Young said,

Rachel brings with her a magical combination of a deep passion for the SFF genre and a genuine ...Read More

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Announcements Milestones News 

New York Public Library Best Books and Top Check Outs

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The New York Public Library (NYPL), the Brooklyn Public Library, the Queens Public Library, and others have released their annual lists of most-borrowed books. The 2024 announcement features a list of books tabulating check outs for the combined boroughs.

On the “Citywide” list, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Knopf) was the most checked out book for the combined boroughs of New York for 2024. Third place was ...Read More

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News Obituaries 

John Marsden (1950-2024)

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Author John Marsden, 74, died December 18, 2024 in Australia. He wrote more than 40 books in various genres and was best known for his Tomorrow series of young-adult SF novels.

Marsden was born September 27, 1950 in Melbourne, Australia. He moved to Sydney with his family at age ten and later attended Sydney University for a time before dropping out. He worked various jobs before becoming an English teacher, ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim: Review by Sean Dowie

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Blood of the Old Kings, Sung-il Kim (Tor 978-1-25089-533-2, $27.95, 368pp, hc) October 2024.

Sung-il Kim’s 2016 fantasy novel Blood of the Old Kings features heroic characters and an innovative, engaging magic system. It makes for a breezy fantasy story where exposition is skillfully allotted in brief bursts that don’t mar its pacing. And the action scenes are breathlessly propulsive. Those ingredients launch a tale of a band of ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold: Review by Liz Bourke

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Demon Daughter, Lois McMaster Bujold (Subter­ranean Press 978-1-64524-219-2, $45.00, 224pp, hc) January 2025. Cover by Lauren Saint-Onge.

I first read Lois McMaster Bujold’s Demon Daughter when it was initially released in e-book. Now that it is coming out from Subterranean Press in hardcover – the latest of the Penric and Desdemona novellas set in the World of the Five Gods to do so – I have read it again ...Read More

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International News Publishing 

The Bookseller Ranks British and Irish Acquiring Editors

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The Bookseller has created a list of their top 30 UK and Ireland editors of 2024, using available data from Circana Bookscan and factoring in other achievements like literary prizes. The rankings feature several editors and works of genre interest, including:

  • Natasha Bardon (HarperCollins/HarperVoyager, acquisitions include Yellowface by R.F. Kuang)
  • Romilly Morgan (Brazen, acquisitions include The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood)
  • Michal Shavit (PRH/Jonathan
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Awards News 

2024 HWA Scholarship and Grant Recipients

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) announced the recipients of its 2024 scholarships and diversity grants.

Amanda Helms, Somto Ihezue, Elis Montgomery, A.W. Prihandita, Ayida Shonibar, Tehnuka, and Ash Vale are winners of the $500 Diversity Grants, given to “underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers.”

Catherine Yu won the $2,500 Horror Writers Association Scholarship. ...Read More

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