Ulrika O’Brien is the winner of the 2022 Rotsler Award for “long-time wonder-working with graphic art in amateur publications of the science fiction community.” The award was announced during Loscon 48, held November 25-27, 2022 at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel in Los Angeles CA. The award is sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests (SCIFI), and includes an honorarium of $300. The Rotsler judges this year
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has named Robin McKinley the 39th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy said, I read McKinley’s Deerskin in my late-twenties and it turned my world upside-down…. From there I went on to read everything McKinley has written. With every story, each book, she haunts, delights, and enlightens me. Naming an author who’s been such a
Brandon Sanderson’s The Lost Metal (Tor), seventh book in the author’s Mistborn Saga, debuts strongly on three lists. And a new collection by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth (Morrow), debuts on two lists.
Author and illustrator Marcus Sedgwick, 54, died unexpectedly in France on November 17, 2022. He wrote more than 40 books, most for children and teens, including many of genre interest. Born April 8, 1968 in Preston, Kent, England, Sedgwick worked as a bookseller and for a small children’s publisher before becoming a full-time writer. He wrote several series, including the Dead Days sequence, the Cudweed trilogy, the Raven Mysteries, and Elf
This list covers new SF/F/H print, online, and electronic periodicals (including regularly updated websites) seen by Locus magazine, focusing on those that publish fiction or reviews and criticism. To submit titles for listing on these pages, please send to Locus Publications, 655 13th St. #100, Oakland CA 94612 or email locus@locusmag.com. Bourbon Penn Erik Secker, ed. Issue No. 28, November 2022, $14.95 print/$2.99 digital/free online, three times a year, 172pp,
The Other Side of Night, Adam Hamdy (Atria Books 978-1-9821-9618-9, $27.00, hc, 282pp) September 2022. Cover by Jim Tierney. For much of his complex and thoughtful book, Adam Hamdy’s The Other Side of Night presents as a tightly crafted crime novel. There is a child possibly in peril, a dogged former cop who lost her job despite being very good at it, two murders (maybe), and many red herrings. The
Nia “N.E.” Davenport is the science fiction/fantasy author of The Blood Gift duology. She’s also a member of the Hugo Award-nominated FIYAHCON team, in which she helped organize the SFF convention’s programming. She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre. She has an MA in Secondary Education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys vacationing with her family, skiing, and being a huge foodie. You can
Samovar 7/25/22 Strange Horizons 7/18/22, 8/1/22. 8/8/22 Drabblecast 7/22, 8/22 Diabolical Plots 8/22 The end of July also brought an issue of the speculative translation publication Samovar. In it, Chen Chuncheng (translated by Jack Hargreaves) presents a strange and almost bucolic story of a person who manicures clouds so that they always appear fluffy and appealing in “A Cloudcutter’s Diary”. The titular cloudcutter is in something of a self-imposed exile,
Malarkoi, Alex Pheby (Galley Beggar Press 978-1-91311-130-4, £17.99, 550pp, hc) September 2022. To begin with a question: have you read Alex Pheby’s Mordew? If not, stop reading this review. Not just because I’m about to spoil the novel, but because Mordew is simply brilliant. If I were prone to sweeping statements, I’d describe it as the best start to a fantasy trilogy in the last decade. If, however, you are
Eugen Bacon, Chasing Whispers (Raw Dog Screaming 9/22) Collection of 13 stories, 11 new, of transformative Afro-irrealist Black speculative fiction by the acclaimed (and prolific) African Australian author. Sarah Gailey, Just Like Home (Tor 7/22) Critically applauded horror novel mixing supernatural and psychological elements with mystery. A woman returns to her childhood home, where strange developments make her question the past, when her father was accused of
Unraveller, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s 978-1-50983-697-0, £14.99, 496pp, hc) September 2022. (Amulet 9-781-41985-931-4, $19.99, 432pp, hc). Cover by Vincent Chong. January 2023. If you live in Raddith, and you hate someone deeply enough and long enough, you might develop what the people there call a curse egg. When you’ve really, really had enough of that person, you can let the curse go and the object of your hatred will be
Fantasy 8/22, 9/22 Lightspeed 8/22, 9/22 F&SF 9-10/22 August’s Fantasy brought a number of works dealing with the power of stories and narratives, including the complex “The Tails that Make You” by Eliza Chan. Written in second person, you are a woman with tails, a huli jing, and though for some it can be a mark of pride and power, for you it is clouded with shame, trauma, and dread.
The proposed merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has unraveled. On November 22, 2022, S&S parent Paramount Global filed with the SEC and confirmed they were terminating the agreement. Paramount is entitled to a termination fee of $200 million. PRH parent company Berteslmann issued a press release that says, “Bertelsmann will advance the growth of its global book publishing business without the previously planned merger of Penguin
Dream Foundry, a “non-profit dedicated to bolstering the careers of nascent professionals working with the speculative arts,” has announced the finalists for its 2022 contests. Writing Contest Angela Acosta Sarah Ang Laura Chilibeck Davida Kilgore Nico Montoya Georgie Morvis Audrey Obuobisa-Darko Ry Rosenhirsch Katlina Sommerberg Takim WIlliams Art Contest Albokhari Mohamed Tahir Bashir Elemei Daniela Ivanova Nino Clare Reid Winter Ross Serene Illustrations Eryk Souza Jeff Stirling Larissa Usuki Writing
The inaugural Salam Award Writers Workshop will be held March 6-10, 2023 in Lahore, Pakistan. Elizabeth Hand and MaryAnne Mohanraj are the lead instructors. There will be a Clarion/Milford style workshop, lectures on craft, guest sessions from members of the Salam Award board, and a sightseeing tour. Since 2017, The Salam Award has honored the best Pakistani and Pakistani-diaspora writing in the SFF genre. This workshop will exclusively focus on
Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life and Influences, Bev Vincent (becker&mayer! books 978-0760376812, $30.00, 240pp, hc) September 2022. In “After the Accident (2000s)”, the fifth and penultimate chapter of The Stephen King Ultimate Companion: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences, a profusely illustrated biographical guide to King’s life and career, Bev Vincent writes: “Characters suffering grievous physical injuries began to appear regularly in his
The Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle WA is looking for new facilities: Clarion West has a long history of partnering with universities and organizations in the Seattle area to house the Six-Week Workshop. As we’ve honed in on what our students need for their workshop experience and focused on affordability, equity, and accessibility, the number of potential partners has narrowed. Even before the pandemic, we couldn’t secure a long-term
Today’s major-brand superheroes have an onscreen lineage going back at least to the ’40s, including iconic serials starring Superman, Batman, and Captain America. But Marvel and DC aren’t the only cinematic superhuman universes. During the great superhero revival of the 1980s, wedged between memorable Christopher Reeves films Superman and Superman II, came 1981 television series The Greatest American Hero. Standing alongside the tradition of filmmakers and TV showrunners dabbling in
NPR’s Books We Love (formerly Book Concierge) has an extensive list of Best Books in an assortment of categories, including It’s All Geek to Me, The Dark Side, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, and many more, with hundreds of titles recommended by “NPR staff and trusted critics.” The Sci Fi, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction category includes titles by authors like Sarah Gailey, Alexis Henderson, Marlon James, Shehan Karunatilaka, T. Kingfisher, R.F.
The Mountain in the Sea, Ray Nayler (MCD 978-0-37460-595-7, $28.00, 464pp, hc) October 2022. Here’s another genre term that seems to have shifted meaning over time. For a field that sometimes proudly calls itself “speculative fiction” – an upscale term designed to get you invited to more parties than “science fiction” would – most SF features remarkably few scenarios in which characters actively speculate about much of anything. (I guess
Adler, Dahlia, ed.: At Midnight (Macmillan/Flatiron 978-1-250-80602-4, $19.99, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, November 22, 2022) Young-adult original anthology of 14 reimagined fairy tales, plus one new. Anderson, Kevin J.: Double-Booked (WordFire Press 978-1-68057-350-3, $21.99, 252pp, formats: trade paperback, hardcover, ebook, audio, November 22, 2022) Humorous fantasy detective novel, eighth book in the series featuring Dan Shamble, zombie P.I., who has to deal with diabolical schemes surrounding the publication
Esquire has announced a 22-title list of the best Horror books of 2022. Their top five titles are: All The White Spaces, Ally Wilkes (Atria/Emily Bestler) Echo, Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Nighfire) Such a Pretty Smile, Kristi DeMeester (St. Martin’s) Manhunt, Gretchen Felker-Martin (Tor) And Then I Woke Up, Malcom Devlin (Tordotcom) For the full list of titles, see the Esquire post. While you are here, please take a moment to
The Dragon Awards have announced a reduction in award categories from 15 to 11 for 2023. The “Media Tie-In” and “Military Fantasy/Sci-Fi” categories will be removed, and other categories will be combined: “Comic Book” and “Graphic Novel” will become “Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel,” “PC/Console” and “Mobile Game” will be “Best Digital Game”, and “Board Game” and “Miniatures/Role-playing/CCG Game” will become “Best Tabletop Game.” “Best Illustrative Book Cover” is
Audible has announced “The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022”: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers (Macmillan Audio) Upgrade Soul, Ezra Claytan Daniels (Audible Originals) The Blood Trials, N.E. Davenport (HarperAudio) Leech, Hiron Ennes (Macmillan Audio) The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal (Audible Studios) Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Recorded Books) How High We Go in the Dark, Sequoia Nagamatsu (HarperAudio) No Kindness Too Soon, Sylvain Neuvel (Audible Originals)
The Washington Post has released its list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2022, as chosen by Charlie Jane Anders. The City Inside, Samit Basu (Tordotcom) A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers (Tordotcom) The Story of the Hundred Promises, Neil Cochrane (Forest Avenue) The Women Could Fly, Megan Giddings (Amistad) The World We Make, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit) Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History
Editor Scott H. Andrews announced in an editorial that Beneath Ceaseless Skies (BCS) “recuses the magazine from further nominations or finalist appearances for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.” There are many other indie zines, run by dedicated staff and publishing great and important stories, whose work in our opinion deserves a Best Semiprozine finalist and the boost in reach and support it can provide. We want to see them
Travis Baldree’s cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes (Tor) debuts on three lists. Also new on one or more lists: Marissa Meyer’s Cursed (Feiwel & Friends), Neal Shusterman’s Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe (Simon & Schuster), and a new edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, illustrated by the author.
SF writer Greg Bear, 71, died November 19, 2022, after complications from heart surgery. He suffered a number of strokes during the procedure, and after a week in which it became clear he would not recover, he was taken off life support in accordance with his advance directive. Bear was the celebrated author of over 50 novels and almost as many works of short fiction, and was a pillar in
XIRAN JAY ZHAO is in their twenties, and was born in a small town in China, immigrating to British Columbia in Canada in their early teens. Zhao attended Simon Fraser University, graduating in 2020 with a degree in biochemical disease research. They finished school at the height of the first COVID wave, and since they were unable to find a job due to the pandemic, they focused on writing and
Station Eternity, Mur Lafferty (Ace 978-0-59309-811-0, $17.00, 336pp, tp) October 2022. Cover by Will Staehle. In Station Eternity, her first novel since Nebula, Hugo, and Philip K. Dick Award nominee Six Wakes, Mur Lafferty turns two old tropes of the PI-murder-mystery genre on their head. Firstly, the misanthropic investigator. It’s an old one, and maybe not seen as much these days, but the loner PI who’s grown contemptuous of humanity
Flash Fiction Online 7/22 Worlds of Possibility 8/22 GigaNotoSaurus 7/22 August brings some editorial additions to Flash Fiction Online, where publisher Anna Yeatts joins Emma Munro as co-editor-in-chief. As for the fiction itself, it’s a strong issue, including Adam Piñon Kerkman’s ‘‘Moon Eater & Housekeeping’’, a deep and beautiful piece that looks at the hidden people of the world, those who don’t have power and are cut off from their
The Locus Bestsellers for August include top titles: Babel by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US), Dune by Frank Herbert (Ace), A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury), and Dragonlance Destines: Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Del Rey).
Greg Bear died November 19, 2022, after complications from a heart surgery. Doctors discovered he had suffered a number of strokes during the procedure, and a week after the surgery, in accordance to his directive, he was taken off life support. Bear was the author of over 50 novels and almost as many works of short fiction, for which he won two Hugo Awards and five Nebula Awards and many
How to Succeed in Witchcraft, Aislinn Brophy (G.P. Putnam’s Sons 978-0-59335-452-0, $18.99, 416pp, hc) September 2022. Shayna is a junior at the prestigious T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School in Aislinn Brophy’s debut novel, How to Succeed in Witchcraft. For years she’s been neck and neck with Ana Álvarez, her academic nemesis, but this time she’s determined to come out on top. The Brockton Scholarship is her ticket to a top
Eversion, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz 978-0-57509-076-7, £20.00, 320pp, hc) May 2022. (Orbit US 978-0-31646-282-2, $17.99, 304pp, tp) August 2022. Cover by Lauren Panepinto. The strange shuffling sound you will be hearing is a reviewer tiptoeing around a text filled with spoiler trapdoors. The book in question is Alastair Reynolds’ Eversion, a novel designed to promote puzzlement, and in fact to be a puzzle as much as a story, which means that
Under ten minutes, we’ll catch you up for this week!!
The winners of the National Book Awards (NBA) in the Fiction, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature categories were announced at the 73rd National Book Awards Ceremony, held November 16, 2023 in New York. Author and artist Art Spiegelman received the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, presented by Neil Gaiman. Winners of genre interest include All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (Razorbil) in the Young
Belladonna, Adalyn Grace (Little, Brown 978-0-316-15823-7, $18.99, hc, 403pp) August 2022. In Adalyn Grace’s historical fantasy Belladonna, 19-year-old orphan Signa has a problem with Death. He seems to be stalking her, following her from one complicated family situation to another, and always leaving a body behind. She can see Death, she talks to Death, but she doesn’t understand his motivations or how the two of them have formed an unsettling
Amazon has published its yearly array of lists to promote the best books of 2022, with editors’ selections in various categories. Titles and authors of genre interest follow, in ranked order. Science Fiction and Fantasy Fairy Tale, Stephen King (Scribner) Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf) The Atlas Six, Olivie Blake (Tor) The Kaiju Preservation Society, John Scalzi (Tor) The Measure, Nikki Erlick (William Morrow) Daughter of the
The Clarion Workshop in San Diego CA has announced the instructors for its 2023 session: Andy Duncan, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Anjali Sachdeva, and Rae Carson & Charles Coleman Finlay. Jac Jemc is faculty director. The workshop will be held June 25, 2023 – August 5, 2023. Applications for the workshop open on December 1, 2022. The Clarion West Summer Workshop previously announced its instructors and dates. While you
Lucky Girl: How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story, M. Rickert (Tordotcom 978-1-250-81733-4, 110pp, tp; -81734-1, $4.99, ebook) September 2022. M. Rickert has long demonstrated her skill in managing the venerable tradition of tales nested within tales in such brilliantly constructed stories as ‘‘Journey Into the Kingdom’’ and ‘‘Cold Fires’’ (not to mention last year’s The Shipbuilder of Bellfairie). Her new novella Lucky Girl, which bears the dual
Armentrout, Jennifer L.: A Light in the Flame (Evil Eye Concepts/Blue Box Press 978-1-957568041, $31.99, 608pp, formats: hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio, November 15, 2022) Fantasy romance novel, second in the Flesh and Fire series. The only person who can save Sera now is the one she’s spent her life planning to kill. Arnold, Justin: Wicked Little Things (Tiny Ghost 978-1739983475, $12.99, 244pp, formats: trade paperback, hardcover, ebook, November
PseudoPod 7/27/22 Nightmare 8/22, 9/22 The Dark 7/22, 8/22 The Deadlands 7/22, 8/22 There are numerous worthy re-published stories and a single recent original at its supposedly darker sister PseudoPod. In PseudoPod #821’s “Celestial Shores” by Sarah Day & Tim Pratt, a troubled couple visit a vacation rental and wind up somewhere quite terrifyingly unexpected. Nightmare #119 has two original short stories and a flash piece. Climate change has altered
MILESTONES JEFF VANDERMEER’s literary interests are now represented by Joe Veltre of the Gersh Agency, who was already his film and TV agent. VanderMeer has also joined the Gersh Speakers Bureau as a client. Alex Kohner of Yorn Levine provides additional representation as VanderMeer’s entertainment attorney. DEREK KÜNSKEN is stepping down as programming co-chair of Can*Con, Ottawa’s literary SF/F conference, after 11 years working on the conference. Co-chair MARIE BILODEAU
Publishers Unnamed Press and Rare Bird have jointly opened North Figueroa Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Highland Park, Los Angeles. The bookstore opened November 9, 2022 and aims to “connect the independent publishing community with readers, booksellers, authors, and book lovers.” For more information, see their website. ©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF. While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus
Governor Douglas Ducey has declared November 30th Speculative Poetry Day in the state of Arizona. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) spearheaded the effort, and seeks to “highlight the vibrant legacy and extraordinary achievement of speculative poets,” as well as “introduce communities to the delights and benefits of reading and writing speculative poetry.” For more information, see the SFPA post. While you are here, please take a moment
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced the winners of the annual Rhysling Awards for SF, fantasy, and horror poetry in the long poem category. LONG POEM First place: “The Bookstore“, Beth Cato (New Myths Fall/Winter ’21) Second place: “Reservation Fairy Tales 101—Final Exam”, Marsheila Rockwell (Augur Magazine 11/21) Third place: “Alexander’s Babylon”, Marge Simon & Mary Turzillo (Victims) Honorable mentions include “Medusa Gets a Haircut”, Theodora
Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra CA is hosting a retrospective exhibition on the work of Wayne Barlowe from November 19 – December 3, 2022. The show will feature “various reproductions from some of Wayne’s notable book projects and film work” and “a curated selection of original drawings and paintings,” available for purchase. The opening reception will be held November 19. Admission to the reception and the exhibit is free. A world-renowned
N.K. Jemisin’s new novel The World We Make (Orbit), debuts on two lists.
French SF writer and professor Anne Fakhouri, 48, died November 9, 2022 following a long illness. Fakhouri was born March 3, 1974 in Paris. She earned her master’s at the Sorbonne, where she studied tales of King Arthur, and became a professor of literature, teaching in Paris and Rennes, where she lived in her final years. Her debut YA novel, Le Clairvoyage, appeared in 2008 from L’Atalante, followed by sequel
Sue Strong Hassler, 84, died November 9, 2022 of complications from back surgery and COVID. She spent her last days in a memory care unit in Hudson OH. She co-authored Arthur Machen & Montgomery Evans: Letters of a Literary Friendship, 1923-1947 (1994) with her husband, the editor and critic Donald M. Hassler. Virginia Sue Strong was born July 16, 1938 in Hobard OK and attended West Texas A&M State University.
Fan and writer Martin Morse Wooster, 64, died November 12, 2022 in Williamsburg VA, the victim of a hit-and-run. He was attending an ale convention and was struck while walking back to his hotel from the event. He was a regular Locus correspondent, sending us news, letters, and corrections for decades, and will be greatly missed. Wooster was a founding member of the Potomac River Science Fiction Society (PRSFS). He regularly
Last Night in Brighton, Massoud Hayoun (Darf Publishers 978-1-85077-350-4, £10.99, 240pp, tp) October 2022. In my review of Robert Freeman Wexler’s, The Silverberg Business, I remarked that I seldom read fiction with characters and situations representing my faith and culture. Yet here I am, for the second consecutive month, reviewing a novel where Jewish identity is central to the narrative. The book in question, Massoud Hayoun’s Last Night in Brighton
CHARLES DAVID GEORGE STROSS was born October 18, 1964 in Leeds, England. Stross began writing SF at age 12, and his earliest publications were articles for roleplaying game magazines in the ’70s and ’80s. He earned a bachelor’s in pharmacy in 1986, qualified as a pharmacist in 1987, then enrolled at Bradford University (1989-90) for a post-graduate conversion degree in computer science. He worked as a technical writer and programmer
Leech, Hiron Ennes (Tordotcom 978-1-25081-118-9, $27.99, 336pp, hc), September 2022. Cover by Sam Weber. In Hiron Ennes’s debut novel, Leech, the far future has gotten really weird. Sure, there’s been extreme climate change – debilitating summers, isolating winters, and literal acid precipitation – no surprises there, given our current state of affairs. The wealthy few have grown wealthier, especially the Baron of the Château de Verdira, a northern province with
Mary, Nat Cassidy (Nightfire 978-1-25026-523-4, $21.99, 416pp, tp) August 2022. Nat Cassidy’s Mary is an outstanding debut horror novel. It’s also a novel that shouldn’t work. Take, for example, just a few of the elements present in this novel’s wild mix of ideas: ghosts, anxiety, serial killers, an abusive aunt, depression, reincarnation, and insects that aren’t really there. Might sound like too much but, in Cassidy’s capable hands, it all
Telluria, Vladimir Sorokin (NYRB Classics 978-1681376332, trade paperback, 352pp, $18.95) August 2022. Vladimir Sorokin is a postmodern, pissed-off Stanislaw Lem. In line with his belonging to a younger generation (Sorokin was born in 1955, Lem in 1921), Sorokin is less cerebral, more emotionally “hot.” But while not necessarily as deeply invested in philosophical/ontological/epistemological issues as Lem was, Sorokin shares Lem’s abilities to push old tropes and novums to the extreme,
Entangled Publishing announced a new romantic fantasy and science fiction imprint, Red Tower Books. Red Tower “will champion feminist and empowered perspectives in the fantasy and science fiction space, while also enfolding in what Entangled Publishing does best…romance.” Red Tower has planned seven titles for 2023. Their press release lists The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall, The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde, Bloodguard by Cecy Robson,
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 7/22 Tor.com 8/10/2022 PodCastle 6/7/22, 6/14/22, 6/21/22, 6/28/22 If you enjoy truly original fiction, you’ll appreciate Lady Churchill’sa Rosebud Wristlet #45. Anna O’Connor’s “The Rattling Seed” features a young man who meets a stranger and accompanies him to a strange ritual in the woods. The protagonist of “This World Will Be True” by Ellen Rhudy is struggling to hold onto the custody of her child and
Can*Con 2022 was held October 14-16 at the Sheraton Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. There were 276 registered memberships; 194 members were in attendance, and 54 attended virtually. Guests of Honour were E.D.E. Bell, Nathan Caro Fréchette, and Suyi Davies Okungbowa, plus virtual guests C.L. Clark and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. In-person programming featured 84 panelists at over 60 sessions, discussing science, writing, literature, and more, such as ‘‘Disease and Medicine: How
Following their earlier statements, the HarperCollins Union began their strike today, forming an in-person picket line as well as posting to social media. The strike was originally scheduled for November 7, but was delayed until after Election Day. This is the second strike action this year: the union held a one-day strike on July 20, 2022. This time the union plans to picket until they secure a new contract. Calls
Baffling 7/22 Fusion Fragment 7/22 Beneath Ceaseless Skies 7/28/22, 8/11/22, 8/25/22 Cast of Wonders 7-8/22 I’m starting this month with July’s Baffling, which features seven stories with LGBTQIA+ elements. The issue opens with a mix of messy fun and danger with Fruzsina Pittner’s “The Serpent Crouches in the Heart of the Unravelling”. Written in second person, you are cast as a kind of dimensional fixer, a witch sent through time
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Mentorship Committee has announced that the SFWA Career Mentorship Program is now taking applications for mentors and mentees for three-month-long mentorships set to run January 10 – April 10, 2023. This all-volunteer service is provided free of charge. We aim to connect emerging writers with each other and established professionals for community, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities. This endeavor is focused on
Judge Florence Pan has now issued her full decision blocking the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, following her brief announcement last week. Her 80-page decision reveals that she had significant reservations about the merger from the start, and did not find the PRH and S&S arguments in favor of the deal convincing. Her conclusion reads, The government has presented a compelling case that predicts substantial
Every Version of You, Grace Chan (Affirm Press 978-1-92280-601-7, $32.99, 288pp, hc), July 2022. Tao-Yi and Navin are in love. Really in love. In the 2080s of Grace Chan’s Every Version of You, a supportive, genuine relationship like the one they have is just as precious and rare as right now. Things are not easy for the couple, however. Tao-Yi’s mother, Xin-Yi, lives with chronic clinical depression. Navin has a
Christian Léourier’s story “L’Auberge au bord du monde” won the seventh annual Prix Joël-Champetier , given to a non-Canadian author who writes SF or fantasy in French. Léourier will receive €1,000 and publication in Solaris #225 (Winter 2023). The award is named in honor of the late editor of Solaris, with winners chosen by jury. This year’s jurors were Iseult Bacon-Marcaurelle of Alire Editions, Solaris literary director Pascal Raud, author and
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced that Colleen Anderson has been elected president following a vote by members of the organization. Anderson previously served as SFPA vice-president, and will replace outgoing president Bryan Thao Worra. [Via File770] While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going,
Bradley, Marion Zimmer, Ross, Deborah J.: The Laran Gambit (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust 978-1-938185-72-4, $29.99, 314pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, November 8, 2022) SF novel in Bradley’s Darkover series. A Terran woman searching for a cure for a dictator’s mind-control device crash-lands on Darkover. Britz-Cunningham, Scott: Interface (Turner/Keylight 978-1684428809, $17.99, 464pp, formats: trade paperback, hardcover, ebook, November 5, 2022) Near-future SF novel about a neural implant that
Night Shift, Eileen Gunn (PM Press 978-1-629639-42-0, $15.00, 115pp, tp; -56-7, $8.95, ebook) August 2022. I’ve come to think of PM Press’s Outspoken Authors series, which has by now been going on for some 13 years under the editorship of Terry Bisson, as my favorite collection of author hangouts. These modest collections of fiction, essays, bibliographies, and interviews have ranged from legendary authors like Le Guin and Delany to newer
Olivie Blake’s new novel The Atlas Paradox (Tor) debuts on all four print lists compiled here, ranking as high as #6 on the LA Times list. Is Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger (Knopf) science fiction? Or at least SF-adjacent? We’ll give it the benefit of the doubt; it debuts on the same four print lists, ranking in the top three on three of them.
If the bullies at the school gate steal your kid’s lunch money every day, it doesn’t matter how much lunch money you give your kid, he’s not gonna get lunch. But how much lunch money you give your kid does matter – to the bullies. Hell, they might even start a campaign: “The children of Jack Valenti Elementary School are going hungry! Congress must step in to give those kids
Asimov’s 7/8-22 Future SF Digest 6/22 Clarkesworld 8/22 The July/August Asimov’s starts off with a novelette by Will McIntosh. “Work Minus Eighty” is set in the same universe as his novels Bridesicle and Love Minus Eighty. In this world dead women can be frozen and brought back to life if someone rich enough is interested in marrying them. Aurelia has worked her way up the ranks of the company that
The World Fantasy Awards winners for works published in 2021 has been announced during the 2022 World Fantasy Convention, held November 3-6, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, in Louisiana. The Life Achievement Awards, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field, went to Samuel R. Delany and Terri Windling. The World Fantasy Awards winners are: Best Novel WINNER: The Jasmine Throne, Tasha Suri
Brian W. Aldiss, Paul Kincaid (University of Illinois Press 978-0252044489, $25.00, 216pp, tp) July 2022. “There is almost too much to be said about Brian Aldiss,” Paul Kincaid observes early on in this book. Indeed, “in a career of sixty years Brian Aldiss produced over eighty books and more than four hundred short stories, not counting his numerous poems, plays, and other occasional writings.” These books include a notable history
Uncanny 7-8/22 Apex #132 Three-Lobed Burning Eye #36 Uncanny #47 is not themed, but each speculative story ultimately deals with common human problems. Marie Brennan’s “Fate, Hope, Friendship, Foe” mixes Greek mythology into a great little story set in a decayed American Midwest of the near-future. Even godlings must make choices. It’s only negative is that it is far too short. “Family Cooking” by AnaMaria Curtis is a small-but-sweet story
The Carnival and Other Stories, Charles Beaumont (Subterranean Press 978-1645240914, hardcover, 392pp, $45.00) October 2022. The myths and legends surrounding creative geniuses who died too young are omnipresent and alluring. John Keats, Buddy Holly, Keith Haring, Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin— Such names form a pantheon of appreciation for what was accomplished and regrets for the might-have-beens. Fantastika is not bereft of such a catalogue. Stanley Weinbaum, Cyril Kornbluth, Tom Reamy,
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This year’s ICon was the first major convention held in Israel with no COVID restrictions in force since the pandemic began, so it’s not surprising that it was themed “Awakening” – and it did indeed feel like things are back to what they used to be. Browsing the program on the ICon website was a familiar experience, meaning that you had to open the browser window across the whole monitor
The Last Storm, Tim Lebbon (Titan 978-1-80336-042-3, $15.95, 352pp, tp) July 2022. One of the most amazing things about horror is that tropes can become fresh, unique beasts in the hands of the right writer. Years ago I was sure the zombie genre was dead, no pun intended. Literature about the undead had already done it all and there was no way a new zombie horror novel could make the
