Lois Tilton

In the previous column I looked at the first print digests of 2016, now it’s time for the last month’s ezines of 2015. This December is dominated by the Lightspeed consortium, with another Destroys issue in addition to the regular publications.

Trying to close out the old year, and on comes the new one with January issues of the digests, beginning with a double from Analog.

Featuring a novella from Wil McCarthy. If the zine can find more like this one, we could look forward to a good year.

A fairly lackluster bunch of stories this time.

Issue #186 reworks older material; #187 has oppression and rebellion.

#186

Another installment in the author’s serial about the Child Pope Bonifacio, his companions, and their quest

Another anthology this time, featuring African authors. Also the final Interzone of the year and a couple of regular monthly ezines.

A rather unusual anthology, comprised of five novellas—some of a length that certainly count as short novels and could

This time I feature a science fiction anthology and recommend the John Barnes story as one of the year’s best. Also a couple of first-of-the-month publications.

The fourth in the editor’s fine “Infinity” series of anthologies. The introduction states that the stories deal with change and

A special issue of BSC with lots of extra fantasy and the final stories of the year from the digests, where I find plenty of science fiction. Also a strong month’s worth of stories from Tor.com.

A double dose of fantasy from this zine, as

A miscellaneous group of zines this time, several with quarterly or irregular schedules.

The stories here this time are mostly fantasy, although some show initial signs of science-fictionality.

A sequel to previous work featuring a potent but naive

The first December issue signals the end of this year’s reading. I find some good stories this month, but my favorite is the Sulway, from Lightspeed.

A good issue featuring a science fiction novella by Carter Scholz and several worthwhile shorter works, particularly the Ford and the Reed.

Driven by

Featuring a science fiction anthology, of which I haven’t seen so many recently.

It’s become clear to me in the last couple of years that the future of actual science fiction must lie with dedicated anthologies. So I was a bit concerned when the

Mostly a digest column this time, with a double issue from Asimov’s.

The fall double issue features a long novella by Aliette de Bodard, a piece that probably wouldn’t fit into a single-sized issue. Among the shorter works here, mostly fantasy, I find several dealing with history and changes

I’m happy to report that the recent science fiction drought has broken, with SF of some sort to be found in every one of the zines I read this time. No surprise to find it leading off with Interzone, from which I recommend the Noon story.

It’d be

A miscellaneous batch of publications this time, in which I don’t find much to recommend. Here is also a first look at one zine, the consequence of my desperation to find some real science fiction.

This slick futurist ezine made its

Here are three monthly and one quarterly e-publication, in which I find more dark fantasy than usual, as well as more science fiction. Critics sometimes say that such ezines are indistinguishable, but here readers can see some distinctive editorial voices developing.

As often happens, while the ToC of this

After a surfeit of fantasy last time, I had hopes of finding some actual science fiction in the digests, from which the most sciencey is the Nevala-Lee in Analog. In fantasy, I preferred a lot of the weird stuff in Lackington’s.

Mostly softer SF, set in various futures, near and far,

An overwhelming influx of fantasy this time, making me long in vain for the cold reaches of space.

As has become the norm in this zine, all five full-sized pieces of original fiction are fantasy stories by women, almost all about women confronting problems

A strong SFnal issue. I’m especially enthusiastic about the Leonard story. But I want to remark on one thing after reading the Jonathan McCalmont editorial, in which he urges British SF to take back its own scene: how very overtly American the Tobler and Leonard pieces are.

Here are the Dell digests, along with a couple of ezines. I found plenty of stories this time to reward the reading, if not to add to the award list.

The zine is only posting three individual stories this month, with two installments of a long novelette. The editor clearly

Looking at a miscellaneous bunch of ezines, not finding any real stars in them. Hoping to have the digests in for July.

#175 has women going forth on adventures; #176 has women with a destiny.

#175

This time I feature the latest “Destroy” special issue from Lightspeed, from which I give the increasingly rare Good Story award to Chaz Brenchley. Also the June stories from Strange Horizons, from which I like the Evanby.

Special “Queers Destroy Science Fiction!” issue, the latest but not last of the “Destroy” series, this one with Seanan

It’s getting kind of unusual to see more than one print publication at a time. This time, I prefer their stories overall to the webzines.

Featuring a novella by Rachel Pollack. What I like in this issue are a couple of the shorter pieces, most notably the

I find one favorite story in each of the publications reviewed this time.

There’s no obvious connection between the stories in Issue #173; both stories in #174, the better issue, are set on rivers bordering an otherland. I note an interesting contrast between these two

A bunch of shorter publications in which I find little to be very enthusiastic about.

Finally ending [or so it seems] Hughes’ “Erm Kaslo” serial, with the rest of the original fiction on the short and weak side.

Hannah’s boyfriend is messing

The best fiction this time comes from The Dark, which is free from the taint of sentimentality that I find all too frequently in the other publications.

A particularly good issue of this dark fantasy zine. The four stories divide into two groups: one darkly

Giving the Good Story award this time to the Malik piece at Tor.com, where I found a couple near-misses as well.

A fine novella here from Usman T Malik. I wanted to enjoy the other two stories, but couldn’t get over some stumbling blocks.

Featuring a special issue of Analog, plus its sister zine and a couple of online publications.

This issue marks a very notable milestone for the magazine: number one thousand, counting from the Astounding era. That’s venerable. That’s longevity. To mark the occasion, there are a number of commemorative essays, which,

I manage to sift out some good stories this time, most noticeably in Clarkesworld.

Regular readers of this magazine will be aware that despite the presence of a new editor onboard, there is still a lot of existing inventory stored in the hold. Some may wish to entertain themselves speculating as to which fiction

An enjoyable issue. The Reynolds story in particular makes me glad I keep reading this British zine.

Dark

Here are a long independent novella, the Dell digests, and a couple March ezines.

A long independent novella, military space opera, less action-oriented than a character study. Scur, our narrator, is a soldier, conscripted for the long-ongoing war between two

Stories involving war, in different odd ways. Also another installment in the Hughes “Erm Kaslo” serial.

It seems that most of Australia has dried up and blown away, leaving Terina Flat with a broad salt plain,

Concentrating this time on a fairly substantial anthology set on retro-Venus, from which I give the Good Story award to Ian McDonald’s “Botanica Veneris“.

A companion volume to the editors’ Old Mars, presenting sixteen stories in the mode

Looking at the Dell digests plus some of the regular zines that publish throughout the month, with remarks on the rigor of fantasy as well as continuing my comments on science fiction begun in the previous column.

Featuring stories with