Vector 272

 

Artwork by Julie Dillon

Vector 272 is available from the BSFA.

A list of the books under review can be found here along with the results of the BSFA reviewers poll. Graham Andrews, Gary Dalkin, David Hebblethwaite, Patrick Mahon, Paul Kincaid, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Paul Graham Raven, Ian Sales, Sue Thomason, Sandra Unerman, Lynne Bispham, Liz Bourke and myself all contribute pieces on our favourite books of 2012, and there are also articles from Shana Worthen, Martin Lewis, Sophie Halliday, Alison Page, Tony Jones, Mike Barrett, Andy Sawyer, Paul Kincaid (again) and Stephen Baxter.

Vector 271

Artwork by Cecile Matthey

The latest mailing from the British Science Fiction Association contains Vector 271 and Focus 59.

The contents of Vector can be found here, except for the book review section which can be found here. I’ve reviewed Robert Jackson Bennet’s The Troupe for this issue.

The contents of Focus aren’t listed online so you might be interested to know that this issue is guest-edited by Keith Brooke and has articles by Kristine Kathyrn Rusch, Garry Kilworth, Michael Swanwick, Kim Lakin-Smith, Steven Savile, Linda Nagata, Lisa Tuttle, Jeff Noon and James Patrick Kelly. Pretty damned impressive, eh? Now go and see what’s in Vector. And then join the BSFA.

Vector 270

Artwork by Mega11

The Late Spring issue of Vector has summations of 2011 from Graham Andrews, Lynne Bispham, Nic Clarke, Mark Connorton, Gary Dalkin, Alan Fraser, Naill Harrison, David Hebblethwaite, Tony Keen, Paul Kincaid, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Martin McGrath, Kev McVeigh, Anthony Nanson, Paul Graham Raven, Partick Mahon, Ian Sales, Andy Sawyer, Donna Scott, Sue Thomson, Sandra Unerman, Jonathan McCalmont, Alison Page and me. The rest of the contents (including articles from Shana Worthen, Victor Grech, Clare Thake-Vassallo, Ivan Callus, Melanie Keene, Terry Martin, Stephen Baxter and others) can be found here. Book reviews editor Martin Lewis’s editorial can be found here along with a list of the books reviewed in this issue.

This British Science Fiction Association mailing also comes with the latest issue of the BSFA writers magazine, Focus 58. Again, follow the link to discover the contents.

There is also an anthology,  BSFA Awards 2011, which reprints all of the shortlisted stories, giving us Nina Allan’s The Silver Wind (Interzone 233) and Al Robertson’s Of Dawn (Interzone 235) as well as stories from Paul Cornell, Kameron Hurley and China Miéville.

Vector 269

Artwork by John Martin

Vector 269 is now available from the BSFA. The contents can be found here and a list of the books reviewed can be found here. I’ve reviewed Tim Lebbon’s Echo City. This mailing also includes a Newcon Press sampler which has fiction from Andy West and Kim Lakin-Smith.

 

Andrew M. Butler’s review of the John Martin exhibition at the Tate is one of the pieces in this issue.

Locus 2011 Recommended Reading List

The reading list can be found here. Locus 613 (the February issue) has also been published, although the site has not been updated with it yet, and this issue has a summation of the science fiction publishing year amongst other things. It reports that the BFSA experiment in direct selling with Vector 268 (the Diana Wynne Jones special issue) moved almost 10% more copies than usual.

As always, I highly recommend Locus to everyone who is serious about science fiction. It is essential.

 

Diana Wynne Jones

Here are the contents of Vector 268.

And here’s a list of the books reviewed.

Vector 268

Artwork by the British Science Fiction Association

Vector 268 has no less than six articles on the late Diana Wynne Jones. There are also regular columns from Stephen Baxter, Paul Kincaid, Andy Sawyer and Terry Martin, and the start of a new series of articles on reproduction in science fiction. You will also find plenty of book reviews, including my review of David Wingrove’s Son Of Heaven. Use the links for further details.

 

This  mailing also has the latest issue of BSFA writer’s magazine, Focus 57, which has articles by Alastair Reynolds, David Rain, Paul Graham Raven, Gary Budgen, Christopher Priest, Keith Brooke, Lavie Tidhar, David L. Clemens and Dev Agarwal.

 

You should be able to buy this issue of Vector on its own but, to be on the safe side, join the BSFA.

Science Fiction Encyclopedia, 3rd edition

The beta text of the Science Fiction Encyclopedia has gone live. It’s  incomplete but is already massive; here’s the Interzone entry, for example. Albedo One, Jupiter, Territories, The Third Alternative, Science Fiction Eye, Back Brain Recluse, Vector, Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction, Farthing…

I’ll never get any work done if I get lost in there. [Drums fingers] I’ll just go and have a look at the entry for the new wave and then I’ll stop. Maybe look up a few friends. But that’s definitely it.

Vector 266

The Spring edition of the BSFA critical journal is the first to be edited by Shana Worthen and has features from Terry Martin, Anthony Nanson, Andy Sawyer and Stephen Baxter; and summations of 2010 from Martin Lewis, Graham Andrews, Mark Connorton, Gary Dalkin, Alan Fraser, Niall Harrison, David Hebblethwaite, Tony Keen, Paul Kincaid, Jonathan McCalmont, Martin McGrath, Anthony Nanson, Martin Pots, Paul Graham Raven, Martyn Taylor, Sandra Underman, Anne Wilson, Ian Sales, Lynne Bispham, Alison Page and me. Jonathan McCalmont, in his review of 2010, says, “As with Interzone, the quality of non-fiction in Black Static is really superlative”. In fairness it should probably be pointed out that he does write some of the non-fiction in Interzone.

There are also lots of reviews, including Dave M. Roberts’s review of Music For Another World. He says that “This is a nicely varied theme anthology [...] also manages to maintain a fairly high standard throughout. On the strength of this collection, it is to be hoped that Mark Harding’s project with Mutation Press is a successful one.”  and picks out the stories by Cyril Symsa, Gavin Inglis, Aliette de Bodard, Chris Amies, Jackie Hawkins, David K. Hendrickson and Vincent Lauzon for special mention. He also says that ”My own personal favourite is probably Shostakovich Ensemble, The by Jim Steel. [...] The picture painted of the time is remarkably vivid”.

This BSFA mailing also comes with Focus 56 which includes articles on writing by Martin McGrath, Nina Allan, Terry Jackman, Aliette de Bodard, Elliot Summerhayes, Christopher Priest, Dev Argarwal, Gareth L. Powell, Gareth D. Jones and Gary Budgen. There is also poetry from Fay Symes, John F. Keane, K. Potter and Scott E. Green.

Vector 266

I’m reliably informed that Vector 266 has just been published.

Vector 266

Vector 266 and  Focus 55 are due in early April in the next BSFA mailing.

I’ve got stuff in the next Vector. Stuff, y’hear? Stuff!

Vector 265

Photograph by NASA

The latest issue of Vector is a Stephen Baxter special with no less than nine different features by Jonathan McCalmont, Gary K. Wolfe, Adam Roberts, Simon Bradshaw, Tony Keen, Andy Sawyer, Niall Harrison and Graham Sleight.

The review section has my reviews of Chris Beckett’s The Holy Machine and Marcher as well as Paul Graham Raven’s interview with Beckett. No review of Music For Another World, though, but the British Science Fiction Association Awards 2010 booklet that come with this mailing reprints Neil Williamson’s Arrhythmia from the anthology as well as the other shortlisted stories: Nina Allan’s Flying in the Face of God (Interzone 227), Aliette de Bodard’s The Shipmaker (Interzone 231) and Peter Watt’s The Things (Clarkesworld 40).

And there is another booklet with this mailing. Into The Woods: Robert Holdstock Remembered has contributions from Paul Kincaid, Niall Harrison, Stephen Baxter, David Schwatz and Liz Williams, not to mention an interview and a poem from the late and sorely missed writer.

Vector 265

The latest issue of Vector has just been published and it contains my reviews of Chris Beckett’s The Holy Machine and Marcher as well as somebody else’s review of Music For Another World. Probably. I haven’t actually seen a copy yet.

Locus 601

In February’s Locus, Rich Horton reviews Interzone 231 and says that “Sanford (and some other writers) are producing SF that truly has a different feel to much that has gone before”. He also says that Matthew Cook’s The Shoe Factory “[...]is strikingly resolved”.

Elsewhere there is a summary of 2010, and Jim Hawkins’ two Interzone stories are listed in the novelette’s section of the Locus recommended reading list for 2010.

Gardner Dozois, in his personal review of 2010, says Interzone had a strong year “[...]with good stories by Nina Allan, Lavie Tidhar, Jim Hawkins, Aliette de Bodard, and others.”

Rich Horton says that “TTA Press’s Interzone and Black Static continued in solid shape: each put out six fine issues.”

Locus guesses Interzone‘s circulation at 2000-3000 and also notes that Vector‘s circulation increased last year to over 600.

Vector 264

More details on the contents can be found here. First impressions are good.