Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late July

A month in which we can read two new stories by Catherynne M Valente has to be a Good Thing. I prefer the one posted at Tor.com.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Asimov’s, September 2011
  • Analog, October 2011
  • Tor.com, July 2011
  • Strange Horizons, July 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, July 2011
  • Lightspeed, July 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, July 2011

 

Asimov’s, September 2011

Another rather tired issue with a number of unoriginal stories. Some

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-July

I look at Subterranean’s Summer issue to test my tolerance for YA fiction and read Ellen Datlow’s anthology Naked City, where I give the Good Story award to work by Kit Reed, Lavie Tidhar and Jeffry Ford.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Subterranean, Summer 2011
  • Naked City, edited by Ellen Datlow

 

Subterranean, Summer 2011

A special YA issue of this online quarterly, guest-edited by Gwenda Bond, with nine pieces of

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early July

Featuring a couple of new online offerings, as well as some of the usual first-of-the-month ezines. The Good Story award goes, as often before, to Clarkesworld.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Jabberwocky #6, July 2011
  • Journal of Unlikely Entomology, May 2011
  • Clarkesworld #58, July 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, July 2011
  • Abyss & Apex, 3rd quarter 2011
  • Apex Magazine #26, July 2011
  • Redstone Science Fiction, July 2011

 

Jabberwocky #6, July 2011

Something not quite

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late June

The new issue of F&SF, plus the regular ezines. The Good Story award goes to Tor.com, with a double.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Tor.com, June 2011
  • F&SF, July/August 2011
  • Strange Horizons, June 2011
  • Lightspeed, June 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, June 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, June 2011

 

Tor.com, June 2011

Two good ones this month.

“Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders

Precognition. Doug and Judy both see the future, but

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-June

The current SF digests and the current issue of Orson Scott Card’s ezine, mostly fantasy.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Asimov’s, August 2011
  • Analog, September 2011
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show #23, June 2011

 

Asimov’s, August 2011

A lot of familiar names, familiar stories.

“The End of the Line” by Robert Silverberg

Another Majipoor story. Stiamot is an official of the court of the Coronal, currently charged with arranging his royal progress across

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early June

Good issues of Interzone and RoF, but I think the Good Story award goes to “Semiramis” by Genevieve Valentine, in Clarkesworld.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Realms of Fantasy, June 2011
  • Clarkesworld, June 2011
  • Interzone #234, May-June 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, June 2011
  • Apex Magazine #25, June 2011
  • Redstone Science Fiction, June 2011

 

Realms of Fantasy, June 2011

Seven stories in this issue – a larger number than usual, with none of them

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late May

Tackling the latest massive issue of Black Gate, which almost takes up a whole column. The Good Story award goes to Michael Flynn’s alternate history, posted at Tor.com.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Tor.com, May 2011
  • Black Gate #15, Spring 2011
  • Alt Hist #2, 2011
  • Lightspeed, May 2011

 

Tor.com, May 2011

Good to see more original fiction posted on this site again.

“The Iron Shirts” by Michael F Flynn

Alternate

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-May

Getting caught up at last with the digests, also the usual monthly ezines. Wherein I learn that Genevieve Valentine is a very fortunate author. Her debut novel has just come out, and two different zines are helping promote it by printing stories set in the same milieu, timed to coincide with the launch.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Asimov’s, July 2011
  • Analog, July/August 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, May 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, 68
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early May

A mixed column this time. Catching up with the digests, the usual first-of-the-month e-zines, and a fat anthology that I didn’t like much. The Good Story award goes to the China Miéville piece in April’s Guardian.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner
  • The Guardian, April 22, 2011
  • Asimov’s, June 2011
  • Analog, June 2011
  • Clarkesworld, May 2011
  • Apex Magazine #24, May 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, April
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late April

A rare, all-print column, with an anthology and two of the field’s remaining little magazines. Makes me feel all nostalgic. The Good Story award goes to Kiernan’s “Tidal Forces” in Eclipse 4.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • F&SF, May/June 2011
  • Eclipse 4, edited by Jonathan Strahan
  • On Spec #83, Winter 2011
  • Shimmer, 13 2011

 

F&SF, May/June 2011

Starring a colorful historical novella about Islamic Spain. The zine’s editor suggests

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-April

A couple of belated appearances and the usual monthly ezines. The Good Story award goes to Paul Park’s verse narrative at Tor.com.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Tor.com, April 2011
  • Asimov’s, April/May 2011
  • Abyss & Apex, 2nd Quarter 2011
  • Strange Horizons, April 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, April 2011
  • Lightspeed, April 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, April 2011

 

Tor.com, April 2011

It seems that April is Poetry Month at Tor.com, while the 2nd week

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early April

Here are the usual first-of-the-month ezines, together with a batch of quarterly and bimonthly publications. My Good Story award goes to E Lily Yu’s fable of wasps and bees in Clarkesworld. I also recommend an usual not-really-SF piece by M David Blake in Bull Spec.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Clarkesworld, 55 April 2011
  • Analog, May 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, April 2011
  • Apex Magazine, April 2011
  • Subterranean, Spring 2011
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show, 22 April
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late March

Some of the usual magazines, plus a print anthology and a novella chapbook. The Good Story award goes to Robert Reed, who has two stories this month in online venues.

If all goes well, we’re also trying something new: direct links to stories published online. I’d like to know if readers find this feature helpful. If all goes well.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Interzone, 233 March-April 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, March 2011
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-March

Not a lot of stories this time, but not many disappointments, either. I give the good story award to the very short piece by Kat Howard in Apex.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Realms of Fantasy, April 2011
  • Subterranean, Spring 2011
  • Apex Magazine, March 2011

 

Realms of Fantasy, April 2011

Damnation Press is celebrating its acquisition of this zine with a dark fantasy theme issue. I’m pleased to see that, in

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early March

Previewing an anthology along with the usual first-of-the-month ezines. The good story award goes to the overt horror of Norman Partridge’s “Vampire Lake” from the Subterranean anthology.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2, edited by William Schafer
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show #21, February 2011
  • Clarkesworld #54, March 2011
  • Redstone Science Fiction #10, March 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, February 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, March 2011

 

Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late February

Mostly fantasy this time. I give the good story award to Fantasy Magazine‘s An Owomoyela, with Strange Horizons a strong contender.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • F&SF, Mar/Apr 2011
  • Realms of Fantasy, February 2011
  • Fantasy Magazine, February 2011
  • Strange Horizons, February 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2011
  • Lightspeed, February 2011
  • Tor.com, February 2011

 

F&SF, Mar/Apr 2011

I usually expect at least a superior novella or something from this venerable zine, but

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-February

The good story prize this time goes to Electric Velocipede, and the Bradley story in particular. I take a look at Daily Science Fiction and wonder if I will continue to review it on a regular basis.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Electric Velocipede #21/22, Winter 2011
  • Apex Magazine, February 2011
  • Bull Spec #4, Dec-Jan-Feb 2010-2011
  • Daily Science Fiction, Jan 28 – Feb 4 2011
  • Wild, by Lincoln Crisler

 

Electric
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early February

And now the stories have been pouring in. Quite a few good ones this time, I’m happy to say. The best are “Movement” by Nancy Fulda in Asimov’s and “Like a Hawk in its Gyre” from Redstone.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Clarkesworld #53, February 2011
  • Subterranean, Winter 2011
  • Asimov’s, March 2011
  • Analog, April 2011
  • GigaNotoSaurus, February 2011
  • Redstone Science Fiction #9, February 2011

 

 

Clarkesworld #53, February 2011

Two unhappy

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late January

It would almost seem to be February, Valentine’s month, for all the stories about love. I give the award to the ones in Fantasy Magazine.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Fantasy Magazine, January 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, January 2011
  • Tor.com, January 2011
  • Subterranean, Winter 2011
  • Abyss & Apex, 1Q 1st Quarter 2011
  • Interzone, 232 Jan-Feb 2011

 

Fantasy Magazine, January 2011

This ezine still seems to be giving us original fiction every

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-January

The new publishing year comes with an alteration of the schedules of some of the zines, which means an alteration of my reviewing schedule. Unfortunately, I still can’t always get publishers to send me stuff when I have time to read it. This mid-month report is accordingly short.

The good-story award this time goes to Subterranean; my favorite is the Laidlaw.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Subterranean, Winter 2011
  • Strange Horizons, January
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early January

Some first-of-the-month ezines, one from last year, and a new print anthology upcoming in February.

The best stories this time are both from Clarkesworld.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Clarkesworld, 52 January 2011
  • Apex Magazine, January 2011
  • Three-lobed Burning Eye, October 2010
  • GigaNotoSaurus, January 2011
  • Welcome to the Greenhouse, edited by Gordon Van Gelder

 

Clarkesworld, January 2011

Starting out the year on a strong chord with this dyad of stories.

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late December

Finishing up the year, although some of the zines are running way ahead of me: Analog is up to its March 2011 issue.

My favorite story this time is “The Choice” by Paul McAuley, from Asimov’s.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Asimov’s, February 2011
  • Analog, March 2011
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, #57-#59, December 2010
  • Tor.com, December 2010
  • Fantasy Magazine, December 2010
  • Strange Horizons, December 2010
  • Lightspeed, December 2010

 

Asimov’s, February 2011
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-December

Taking a first look at a new ezine, GigaNotoSaurus, the name a reference to the extended length of the fiction, although the stories are not all novella-length. Otherwise, most of the zines reviewed here come printed on paper.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • F&SF, Jan/Feb 2011
  • Interzone #231, November-December 2010
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show #20, December 2010
  • Albedo One #39, 2010
  • GigaNotoSaurus, November and December 2010

 

F&SF, Jan/Feb 2011

Some enjoyable stories

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Lois Tilton’s 2010 Short Fiction Reviews in Review

Last year at about this time, at another site far, far away, I was looking back over the short fiction from the year 2009. Now, once again reviewing the year’s crop of stories, what I see is a fairly stable field in both print and electronic periodical media. One major outlet was lost: Jim Baen’s Universe. Realms of Fantasy continued to give us stories as its teeter on the edge

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early December

The year turns. Here are two first-of-the-month ezines and the first of 2011’s anthologies.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Clarkesworld #51, December 2010
  • Apex Magazine, December 2010
  • Engineering Infinity, edited by Jonathan Strahan

 

Clarkesworld #51, December 2010

Not so enthusiastic about the fiction this time.

“The Taxidermist’s Other Wife” by Kelly Barnhill

The residents of the town have complaints about the taxidermist/mayor. He has slowly killed the town by closing

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, late November

The usual end-of-the-month roundup of the usual ezines.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Fantasy Magazine, November 2010
  • Lightspeed, November 2010
  • Strange Horizons, November 2010
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, November 2010
  • Tor.com, November 2010
  • Subterranean, Fall 2010

 

Fantasy Magazine, November 2010

The overall tint of this month’s stories is dark.

“Mademoiselle and the Chevalier” by Mari Ness

Fantasy of manners. The B___ family is an odd one that doesn’t quite fit into society,

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, mid-November

A couple of print anthologies and a standalone novella, all from sources less frequently seen.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Postscripts 22/23: The Company He Keeps , edited by Peter Crowther and Nick Gevers
  • Godlike Machines, edited by Jonathan Strahan
  • Kentauros , by Gregory Feeley

 

Postscripts 22/23: The Company He Keeps, edited by Peter Crowther and Nick Gevers

Some time ago, PS Publishing changed its magazine Postscripts to a semiannual

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early November

Already it’s the new magazine year, and it begins with the letter A. But first, I have Something To Say.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Apex Magazine, November 2010
  • Analog, January/February 2011
  • Asimov’s, January 2011
  • Clarkesworld #50, November 2010
  • Shimmer #12, October 2010

 

Apex Magazine, November 2010

Recently there has been a plague of bigoted and ignorant pronouncements about Islam and Muslims. In response, this magazine’s editor announced that this issue

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction: late October

A lot of the stories in this batch of ezines are just plain weird. Most of the stories in Beneath Ceaseless Skies are not weird, but the zine is celebrating its 2nd anniversary with a double issue. The new historical fiction zine Alt Hist is making its debut. At the same time, Realms of Fantasy is posting its final issue online. Zines are born, zines die.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Alt
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction: mid-October

I found two outstanding pieces of fiction in this batch of stories.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • F&SF, Nov/Dec 2010
  • Subterranean, Fall 2010
  • Songs of Love and Death, edited by George R R Martin and Gardner Dozois
  • Asimov’s, December 2010

 

F&SF, Nov/Dec 2010

A ghostly issue, starring an excellent novella by Robert Reed. Mostly light entertainment from Cowdrey and quite a few of the other usual regulars are here as

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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction: early October

Issues of ezines posted at the beginning of the month and one small press anthology in print.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Clarkesworld, October 2010
  • Apex Magazine, October 2010
  • Abyss & Apex, 4th Quarter 2010
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show, October 2010
  • Tor.com, September 2010
  • Panverse Two, edited by Dario Ciriello

 

Clarkesworld, October 2010

Both stories this month deal, in different ways, with religious faith and scrap salvage.

“Laying the Ghost” by
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Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction: Late September

Two print digest zines and a month’s worth of the usual ezines.

 

Publications Reviewed
  • Analog, December 2010
  • Asimov’s, December 2010
  • Fantasy Magazine, September 2010
  • Strange Horizons, September 2010
  • Lightspeed, September 2010
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, September 2010
  • Tor.com, September 2010
  • Intergalactic Medicine Show, September 2010

 

Analog, December 2010

A lot of Latin in this issue, but much less spacefaring.

“The Man from Downstream” by Sane Tourtellotte

Time travel. This

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