jpa144@cit-vax (06/06/85)
From: jpa144@cit-vax (Jens Peter Alfke) I've been hearing a lot lately about how good Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine is. From time to time I pick up issues of Analog or F&SF; Analog just doesn't run enough worthwhile stories for it to be worth my while to read through every issue, and F&SF is almost-but-not-quite worth it. From what I hear of Asimov's, it has the highest level of quality of the three. I really would like to keep up more with what's going on, and I'm on the verge of getting a subscription. Does anyone out there have any opinions on the magazine? (I assume that I can just find a subscription coupon in an ad in Analog or F&SF.) Thanks --Peter Alfke jpa144@cit-vax until 6/14 (then in limbo, then) alfke.pasa@xerox 7/1 onwards
chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (06/09/85)
In article <2218@topaz.ARPA> jpa144@cit-vax writes: >I've been hearing a lot lately about how good Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine >is. From time to time I pick up issues of Analog or F&SF; Analog just >doesn't run enough worthwhile stories for it to be worth my while to >read through every issue, and F&SF is almost-but-not-quite worth it. From >what I hear of Asimov's, it has the highest level of quality of the three. Well, I subscribe to five SF magazines, IASFM being one of them. I personally wouldn't call IASFM the 'best' magazine on the market, each of them specializes in a different form or flavor of the SF/Fantasy genre and is aimed towards a different audience to some degree. Rather than try a comparative analysis of the magazines (apples to oranges, really) I thought it might be more useful to start up a debate by describing each of the magazines emphasis, and note their strong and weak points. Others will probably disagree, but this seems like a lot more fun than listening to people tell us how rotten SF is..... Locus - The newspaper of Science Fiction This is a monthly semi-prozine about Science Fiction. If you are interested in SF, this is the magazine that will keep you informed. It carries information on who is buying, what they are buying, what has been sold, what has been published, and all the information you need to follow the publishing industry. Interesting columns, such as Richard Curtiss' discussions of the agent field, and lots of book reviews. This magazine also has the most complete and accurate con list you will find. Anyone serious about writing SF needs this magazine at least as much as Writers Digest, and it is well worth keeping around. This is NOT a media-fest gush at the godlike authors slime, Locus doesn't pull punches and DOES keep a close watch on the industry... Analog - Science Fact, Science Fiction The home of Campbellian SF, specializes in literate, well thought out SF, tends towards traditional SF. I feel that Analog is finally rebounding after a long decline (starting during the latter days of Ben Bova acting as editor). Quality of the stories isn't consistent, but getting better. Of the four fiction magazines, I'm sorry to say that Analog is at the bottom of my preference list, but I'm sure others will disagree. Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine If Analog is literate SF, IASFM is fun. Expect changes over the next six months now that Shawna McCarthy has moved on and been replaced by Gardner Dozois, one of the few people I can think of that might be able to keep the flavor of this magazine alive. This is the best market for new writers, and because of that there is a freshness to the writing. They are also building a solid stable of pro's that keep the quality of the writing high. They tend to be light, enjoyable stories, nothing that requires a lot of brain thought, but that doesn't mean this stuff is schlock. Martin Gardner does a monthly brain game, which almost makes up for the fact that Isaac does a monthly editorial. The letter column is unabashedly gushing about how great the magazine is, to the point of being embarassing. This is number three on my list of magazines. Amazing Science Fiction Stories George Scithers, the man who made IASFM what it is, came to Amazing when he left that magazine. Amazing is as good as IASFM, but tends to cater to a slightly more sophisticated taste. Another good market for new writers, fiction tends to be a bit more thoughtful, not neccessarily as optimistic, and quite good. Scithers deserves the Hugo's he's gotten for best editor. This magazine also has the film review column displaced by F&SF when they took on Harlan Ellison as media maven, but Baird Searles gives him a run for the money. I prefer this to IASFM, but its a tough call. Fantasy & Science Fiction Edited by Ed Ferman, the best description of this magazine that I can come up with has to be eclectic fantasy. A very strong Fantasy bent, unlike the other magazines, this is almost impossible for a new author (although it does happen) and tends to be the genre magazine where the heavy authors publish. Harlan Ellison does a great media column (when he doesn't miss his deadline) and A.J. Budrys does the best book reviews in the industry. This is much more a literary magazine than the others, and isn't out to win lots of subscribers, lots of advertising, or lots of anything. F&SF is only interested in good fiction, and because of this I consider it the strongest magazine in the field, and the most consistent as well, because they don't try to follow the trends, they just try to publish what they like. Even the Isaac Asimov Science column each month doesn't significantly disrupt the quality of the magazine. My vote for the best Fiction magazine, as well as the most consistent one. F&SF tends to be more difficult to find than the others on the newstands, but it is worth tracking down. TSR has been trying to improve distribution of Amazing, and IASFM and Analog seem to be everywhere. All of them are worth reading, assuming you like their style of fiction. Which one is 'best' depends upon that as well, and you'll find as many people who disagree with what I say as you will that agree... -- :From the misfiring synapses of: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA The offices were very nice, and the clients were only raping the land, and then, of course, there was the money...
res@ihuxn.UUCP (Rich Strebendt @ AT&T Information Systems - Indian Hill West; formerly) (06/11/85)
> I've been hearing a lot lately about how good Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine > is. From time to time I pick up issues of Analog or F&SF ... From > what I hear of Asimov's, it has the highest level of quality of the three. > Does anyone out there have any opinions on the magazine? I have subscriptions to all three and look forward most to the monthly arrival of IASFM, then next most eagerly for Analog, and finally for F&SF. I feel that IASFM has lots of quite good work in most issues, and has a variety of stories so that I generally find one story I like very well, one I don't really care for, and the rest are entertaining to me if not memorable. Analog has a number of interesting fact articles as well as fiction, which I find enjoyable if there is not an overabundance of fact articles in the issue. The fiction seems too homogeneous somehow. I keep debating whether or not to renew my F&SF subscription. When they publish SF it is usually quite good -- some new work by one of the big names -- but I am not into fantasy and horror stories enough to find the rest of the magazine worth the money. Incidently, I dropped my subscription to OMNI magazine some time ago because I got tired of the strong emphasis on the paranormal and on flying saucers. I can tolerate fantasy in an SF magazine, but I cannot tolerate garbage. Rich Strebendt ...!ihnp4!iwsl6!res
bfeir@watnot.UUCP (bfeir) (06/26/85)
> I really would like to keep up more with what's going on, and I'm on the > verge of getting a subscription. Does anyone out there have any opinions > on the magazine? Yes, I have an opinion. IASFM is a fairly good magazine if you like SF stories. Often they have previews of stories yet to be published, and occasionally they have a story by the good Doctor himself. There is also a puzzle page written by Martin Gardiner (of Scientific American fame) and a good set of reviews. Well worth subscribing to.
royt@gitpyr.UUCP (Roy M. Turner) (06/29/85)
IASFM is a very good magazine, and one that seems to give more first-time wr
writers a chance than do the other SF magazines. Consequently, although you
occasionally get some rather unpolished writing, you also get some new,
fresh ideas. For example, the "Mallworld" stories got their start in IASFM,
I believe. Well worth subscribing to...which reminds me, I've been
procrastinating subscribing for some time now! :-)
--Roy
--
The above opinions aren't necessarily those of etc, etc...but they
should be!!
Roy Turner
(a transplanted Kentucky hillbilly)
School of Information and Computer Science
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!royt