Author: locusmag

Announcements News 

Immigrant Authors Protest US Border Conditions

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A number of immigrant and refu­gee authors published an open letter in The Na­tion calling on the US Congress to take “imme­diate steps to rectify the atrocious conditions for asylum seekers being detained” after attempting to enter the US. Isabel Allende, Lelsey Nneka Arimah, Neil Gaiman, Salman Rushdie, Gary Shteyngart, and Art Speigelman are among the 120+ signatories. The letter reads, in part:

Dear Members of the United States Con­gress: ...Read More

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Features 

Photo Story: 2019 Butler Scholarship

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‘Pemi Aguda received the 2019 Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the Carl Brandon Society to support a writer of color admitted to the Clarion Workshop, held this year June 23, 2019 – August 3, 2019 in San Diego CA. Aguda also received an owl necklace designed by artist Laurie Edison.

 

 

 

 

This story and more like it in the September 2019 issue of Locus.

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Reviews Short Fiction 

Rich Horton Reviews Short Fiction: Uncanny, Galaxy’s Edge, Bourbon Penn, and Writers of the Future 35

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Uncanny 5-6/19 Galaxy’s Edge 5/19 Bourbon Penn 3/19 Writers of the Future, Vol. 35, David Farland, ed. (Galaxy Press) April 2019.

Uncanny‘s May-June issue is also a bit slight. Still, Ellen Klages, as one might expect, doesn’t disappoint with “Nice Things“. Phoebe Morris is dealing with her late mother’s things and, in so doing, dealing with memories of her perfection­ist mother, how she wouldn’t let her ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Colleen Mondor Reviews When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

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When the Sky Fell on Splendor, Emily Henry (Razorbill 978-0-451-48071-2, $17.99, 340pp, hc) March 2019.

The publisher makes a direct comparison to Stranger Things in the dust jacket copy for Em­ily Henry’s latest, When the Sky Fell on Splendor. While I can see some similarities – teens on bicycles in a sleepy midwestern town who encounter some­thing otherworldly with very negative results – I find that the novel ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Gary K. Wolfe Reviews Million Mile Road Trip by Rudy Rucker

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Million Mile Road Trip, Rudy Rucker (Night Shade 978-1-94094838-6, $24.99, 504pp, hc) May 2019.

There’s little doubt that Rudy Rucker deserves his reputation as one of the founders of cyberpunk – his Software predated Neuromancer by a couple of years – but his own literary origins seem to reach as far back as Lewis Carroll and Edwin A. Abbott, to whose Flatland Rucker paid a kind of parodic tribute ...Read More

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Features 

Photo Story: Launch Pad

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The Launch Pad astronomy workshop was held July 22-28, 2019 at the University of Wyoming in Laramie WY. The workshop, founded by SF writer and astronomer Mike Brotherton, focuses on teaching astronomy principles to SF writers.

This story and more like it in the September 2019 issue of Locus.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader ...Read More

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Reviews Short Fiction 

Karen Burnham Reviews Short Fiction: Strange Horizons, Samovar, Constellary Tales, and Deep Magic

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Strange Horizons 4/19, 5/19 Samovar 3/19 Constellary Tales #2 Deep Magic Spring ’19

At the end of April Strange Horizons set aside an issue to focus on Nigerian science fiction and fantasy that featured two original stories: “The Storm Painter” by Avodele Olofintuade and “Where the Rain Mothers Are” by Rafeeat Aliyu. Both happen to hit on themes of return­ing. Olofintuade’s story features an artist, ...Read More

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Awards News 

Ndlovu Wins Barry Ronge Fiction Prize

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The Theory of Flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (Penguin) won the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize, part of the 2019 Sunday Times Literary Awards, which “are considered the most prestigious literary accolade in South Africa.” The R100,000 Barry Ronge prize, “now in its 19th year, honours the authors who enthral with their imagined worlds.” The award was judged by Ken Barris (chair), Wamuwi Mbao, and Nancy Richards. Winners were announced September ...Read More

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Awards News 

2019 HWA Scholarship Winners

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) announced the recipients of its 2019 scholarships.

The $2,500 Horror Writers Association Scholarship went to Sara Adams. First awarded in 2014 and open to all horror writers, the scholarship is “designed to assist in the professional development of horror writers.”

The $2,500 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship went to Theresa Derwin. Open to female horror writers and first awarded in 2014, it is given annually “to ...Read More

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Features Interviews Slider 

Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Take a Road Trip with the Mayan God of Death!

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Silvia Moreno-Garcia was born April 25, 1981 in Baja California, Mexico, and grew up in various places throughout the country. She attended Endicott College in Massachusetts, where she studied communications, then returned to Mexico, where she married her hus­band; they immigrated to Canada 15 years ago, and have two children. She studied journalism in Canada and recently earned a Master’s in science and technology studies. She now works in communications ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Amy Goldschlager Reviews Sal and Gabi Break the Universe Audiobook by Carlos Hernandez

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Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Carlos Hernandez; Anthony Rey Perez, narrator (Listening Library 978-1-98484579-5, $27.50, digital download, 9.5 hr., unabridged) March 2019.

Once again, I’m bending the general rules for this column to review a middle-grade book; suffice it to say that adults will not regret spending time engaging with it, whether or not they have tweens in their lives.

Twelve-year-old Sal, a clever aspiring stage magician, has ...Read More

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Contests News 

Cos­mos Prize Opens

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First Fandom Experience has announced the Cos­mos Prize, a contest inviting writers to create a new final chapter for the novel Cosmos, published seri­ally in Science Fiction Digest starting in June 1933. The novel was based on a plot by editor Raymond A. Palmer, who also coordinated the 16 writers who took part (including Edmond Hamilton, Otis Adel­bert Kline, and A. Merritt). The contest organizers think Cosmos “deserves a ...Read More

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Bookstores News 

Barnes & Noble Sale Complete

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On August 7, 2019, Barnes & Noble announced the closing of their deal to be acquired by Elliott Advisors Limited, which also acquired UK book­selling chain Waterstones in 2018. Each chain will operate independently, though Waterstones head James Daunt will serve as CEO of both companies, and plans to relocate from London to New York. Daunt says,

This is a very good day for bookselling. Barnes & Noble is the ...Read More

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Announcements Awards News 

Campbell Conference Renamed

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The Campbell Conference has been renamed the Gunn Center Conference. In a Facebook post on September 5 director Chris McKitterick said,

The Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction acknowledges and condemns the problematic words and actions of John W. Campbell. We had already been discussing changing the name of the Campbell Conference to the Gunn Center Conference, which is in any case more accurate, as we’ve added other ...Read More

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Awards Features News 

Photo Story: 2019 Alfie Awards

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Editors Jane Johnson and Malcolm Edwards received Alfie Awards for their editing, presented by George R.R. Martin at the Hugo Losers Party, held August 18, 2019 in Dublin Ireland during Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon. Martin created the Alfie Awards in 2015 and named them in honor of Alfred Bester (whose The Demolished Man was the first ever novel Hugo Award winner), with trophies created using ’50s hood ornaments.

While ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Colleen Mondor Reviews Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

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Opposite of Always, Justin A. Reynolds (Katherine Tegen 978-0-06-274837-9, $17.99, 464pp, hc) March 2019.

It is not a spoiler to state that Opposite of Always is a novel about time travel; specifically, the story of Jack traveling back over the same period of months again and again (and again and again) to save the life of his girlfriend, Kate. All of this is revealed on the book’s cover, which ...Read More

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Awards News 

Maskill Wins James White Award

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The James White Award Short Story competition has announced this year’s winner:

  • WINNER: “Limitations”, David Maskill
  • “The Last Words of Harry Niffen”, Stephen Cashmore
  • “Digital Nomad”, Koji A. Dae
  • “Property Crime”, Michael Donoghue
  • “Better Lost Than Loved”, Bryn Fazakerley
  • “Bug on Bug”, Mica Scotti Kole

A special commendation was also given to Donoghue.

Maskill receives £200 and publication in Interzone. His story will also be translated into Italian and published ...Read More

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Awards News 

Concept Art Association Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award

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The Concept Art Association has announced five recipients of its inaugural lifetime achievement award: Ron Cobb, H.R. Giger, Jean “Moebius” Giraud, Ralph McQuarrie, and Syd Mead. The award, which includes a trophy created by Legacy Effects, will be presented at the first annual Concept Art Awards, to be held September 7, 2019 during LightBox Expo at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena CA.

For more information, including a complete list ...Read More

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Books Reviews 

Katharine Coldiron Reviews No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah S. Daw­son & Kevin Hearne

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No Country for Old Gnomes, Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne (Del Rey 978-1-52479-777-5, $28.00, 416pp, hc) April 2019.

Can we agree that writing humor is really difficult? And that writing humorous fantasy is even tougher? It’s so easy to write dreadful humorous fantasy, and so difficult to write it well that I can count the definite successes on one hand: Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, and maybe Piers Anthony. ...Read More

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Films 

Teenagers Scare the Living Hell Out of Me: Arley Sorg and Josh Pearce Review Brightburn

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Although it’s easiest to describe Brightburn as “Superman, but evil,” it’s a mistake to think of it as a superhero movie. It is, rather, a pretty straightforward horror movie. It stars Elizabeth Banks and David Denman as the Kent-like parents of Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), an alien child they find in a crashed spaceship. They adopt and raise Brandon until he turns 12 and starts exhibiting unnatural abilities.

Arley: ...Read More

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Awards News 

Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF Readers’ Choice Award

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“Crash-Site” by Brian Trent (F&SF 5-6/18) is the winner of Baen‘s fifth annual Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF Readers’ Choice Award, announced September 1, 2019 at Dragon Con in Atlanta GA. The prize includes $500 and an inscribed plaque.

The winner was selected by public vote from 12 finalist stories published in The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF, Vol. 5, edited by David Afsharirad (Baen).

[via File ...Read More

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Forthcoming Books New Titles & Bestsellers 

Forthcoming Books Through June 2020

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The Locus Selected Books by Author list has been updated on our Forthcoming Books page, with information from the September 2019 issue covering upcoming titles from genre houses slated through June 2020. Find out about your favorite authors’ upcoming books!

For the complete list of books by publisher, subscribe to our print magazine or purchase the September issue in print or digital editions, available September 1, 2019.

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Announcements News Publishing 

Foundation Call for New Editor

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Paul March-Russell is stepping down as editor of Foundation, and the Science Fiction Foundation (SFF) is now accepting applications for a replacement.

Foundation is a peer-reviewed, critical science fiction magazine based in the UK. Applications “comprising a CV and letter setting out the candidate’s qualifications and plans for the journal” should be sent to Graham Sleight <grahamsleight@gmail.com> by September 30, 2019. More details can be found at the SFF website. ...Read More

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Awards News 

2019 Inky Awards Winners

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Whisper by Lynette Noni (Kids Can) won the Gold Inky Award (for Australian titles), and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Little, Brown) won the Silver Inky Award (for international titles).

The awards, given by State Library Victoria, are “Australia’s only YA awards decided entirely by teens.” Winners were announced during the Melbourne Writers Festival in Melbourne, Australia.

For more information, see the Inside a Dog website.

While you are ...Read More

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Reviews Short Fiction 

Rich Horton Reviews Short Fiction: F&SF, Interzone, and Amazing

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F&SF 7-8/19 Interzone 3-4/19 Amazing Spring ’19

In the July-August F&SF, Cassandra Khaw‘s “Mighty are the Meek and the Myriad” is very impressive. It’s set the year after a human-robot war ended in a treaty, with robots serving as humans, and, in various ways, being “humanized” by having them wear hats and mustaches and giving them corgis as pets. The story follows two somewhat unpleasant hu­man characters: ...Read More

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Awards News 

2019 Booker Prize Shortlist

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The 6-title shortlist for the 2019 Booker Prize has been announced, including several of genre interest:

  • The Testaments, Margaret Atwood (Vintage, Chatto & Windus)
  • An Orchestra of Minorities, Chigozie Obioma (Little, Brown)
  • Quichotte, Salman Rushdie (Jonathan Cape)

The £50,000 prize is “open to writers of any nationality, writing in English and published in the UK or Ireland.” This year’s judges are Liz Calder, Peter Florence (chair), Xiaolu

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News Obituaries 

Terrance Dicks (1935-2019)

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SF writer Terrance Dicks, 84, died August 29, 2019.

Dicks was a prolific and celebrated writer for the British TV program Doctor Who, serving as script editor from 1968-74 and writing various episodes. He also produced more than 50 tie-in novels and non-fiction books about the series, beginning with Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (1974) and ending with Revenge of the Judoon (2008). His final story, “Save Yourself”, ...Read More

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Awards News 

2019 Dragon Awards Winners

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Winners of the 2019 Dragon Awards were announced at Dragon Con on September 1, 2019 in Atlanta GA.

Best Science Fiction Novel

  • WINNER: A Star-Wheeled Sky, Brad R. Torgersen (Baen)
  • Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager)
  • Tiamat’s Wrath, James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
  • Europe at Dawn, Dave Hutchinson (Solaris)
  • A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine (Tor)
  • Red Moon, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
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Awards News 

Heller Wins 2019 Eugie Award

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“When We Were Starless” by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld 10/18) is the winner of the 2019 Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction (the Eugie Award), announced September 1, 2019 at Dragon Con, held in Atlanta GA. Other finalists were:

  • “The War of Light and Shadow, in Five Dishes“, Siobhan Carroll (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 3/18)
  • “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium to Portal Fantasies“, Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/18)
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News Obituaries 

Brad Linaweaver (1952-2019)

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SF writer Brad Linaweaver, 66, died August 29, 2019 of cancer at home in Apopka FL.

Bradford Swain Linaweaver was born September 1, 1952 in Washington NC. He attended Florida State University, and got his MFA at Rollins College. He began publishing SF with “The Competitor” (1980), and alternate history novella “Moon of Ice” (1982) was a Nebula Awards finalist. In all he published more than 50 stories, some of ...Read More

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