A review by gerhard
Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine January/February 2019 by Lavie Tidhar, Suzanne Palmer, Robert Reed, Alexander Jablokov, Sheila Williams
4.0
Reading this first issue of Asimov’s for 2019 reminded me not only what a wonderful publication and genre stalwart it is, but the critical role that short-form fiction continues to play in science fiction. What is guaranteed with any issue of Asimov’s is a broad range of styles and subject matter.
The move to a longer bimonthly edition has placed more emphasis on the longer novelettes and novellas. This is significant, especially with the added competition from ‘new’ publishers such as tor.com, where I can subscribe to a newsletter and get all its latest short fiction in a single epub.
However, Asimov’s still has the edge on publishing the best up-and-coming and established writers in the business, I think. It is also one of those perennial targets for aspiring writers; an appearance in Asimov’s invariably guarantees that you have ‘arrived’.
What stood out for me in this issue was ‘The Esteemed’ By Robert Reed and ‘Neom’ by Lavie Tidhar. ‘Written in Mud’ by William F. Mu was fun, if a tad twee, while ‘How Sere Looked for a Pair of Boots’ by Alexander Jablokov fell curiously flat. I think ‘Taking Icarus Home’ by the always-interesting Suzanne Palmer could have benefited by being longer. The biggest disappointment for me was ‘Ventiforms’ by Sean Monaghan, author of the phenomenal ‘Crimson Birds of Small Miracles’. This one just fizzled out in the end.
Still, a great start to the year for one of my favourite magazines!
The move to a longer bimonthly edition has placed more emphasis on the longer novelettes and novellas. This is significant, especially with the added competition from ‘new’ publishers such as tor.com, where I can subscribe to a newsletter and get all its latest short fiction in a single epub.
However, Asimov’s still has the edge on publishing the best up-and-coming and established writers in the business, I think. It is also one of those perennial targets for aspiring writers; an appearance in Asimov’s invariably guarantees that you have ‘arrived’.
What stood out for me in this issue was ‘The Esteemed’ By Robert Reed and ‘Neom’ by Lavie Tidhar. ‘Written in Mud’ by William F. Mu was fun, if a tad twee, while ‘How Sere Looked for a Pair of Boots’ by Alexander Jablokov fell curiously flat. I think ‘Taking Icarus Home’ by the always-interesting Suzanne Palmer could have benefited by being longer. The biggest disappointment for me was ‘Ventiforms’ by Sean Monaghan, author of the phenomenal ‘Crimson Birds of Small Miracles’. This one just fizzled out in the end.
Still, a great start to the year for one of my favourite magazines!