amh (09/08/82)
General question: What sci fi magazines do people out on the net read, recommend, etc? In responding, please try and describe the magazine a little, i.e. hard/soft sci-fi, cost, frequency of publication, length of average stories/articles/whatevers, etc. thnx in advance Aldon Hynes BTL Pisc. harpo!pyuxjj!pyuxcc!amh
aka779 (09/08/82)
ANALOG magazine features "hard" SF (NOT sci-fi, please!); in conversation with its editor at the World SF convention in Chicago this weekend, "hard" means grounded in science or seemingly so, as opposed to outright fantasy. Typically, an engineering approach; humor (see my own contributions in the June and July issues this year); also a speculative or new-development article in science or technology; this has been and still is my favorite 'zine--28 years now! poems, short stories, some good novelletttes, etc.; a potpourri of SF that I think is aimed at the younger (<21) reader; (my own cutsie poetry was featured there in the Jan. 1980 issue) MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION--a literary magazine, featuring what its title suggests; last year published the Hugo-winning short story, "The Brave Little Toaster"; probably has the highest standard of "quality" of the field; I have not liked some of its "leftish-ish" stories in past years, which is one reason Analog suits me better. OMNI--the slick giant of the field; some SF (though I have never been impressed); lots of speculativearticles; a sneering attitude toward most of the paranormal; (my own humor appeared in its pages in the May 1981 iussue). LOCUS--monthly newsletter of the SF world; the latest markets, titles, gossip All but LOCUS are available on the newstands. I'd recommend you try each for a few months to determine which suit you. PS:Twilight Zone's another; and there are several semi-pro 'zines; write & ask & I'll send details.
mclure@sri-unix (09/10/82)
#R:pyuxcc:-35500:sri-unix:1900005:000:778 sri-unix!mclure Sep 9 20:46:00 1982 Flame on. I subscribe to Locus in order to find out what new books are out and whether any of them are worth reading. I have tried reading a couple of the magazines, Analog & IASFM, but found that Sturgeon's Law applies even more forcefully here than other places: 99% of everything is shit. I had to wade through so much bad story-telling in these mags (in order to find a single pearl) that it just didn't seem worth it. Instead, I get my short fiction by picking up copies of Terry Carr's anthologies, the Nebula & Hugo short fiction yearly collections, and anthologies by my favorite authors. True, this misses "discovering" new talent, although the New Dimensions series is useful for that; but it also involves much less wasted time in the pulps. Flame off. Stuart
franka@sri-unix (09/13/82)
#R:pyuxcc:-35500:tekcad:700001:000:1260
tekcad!franka Sep 8 09:10:00 1982
The three leading magazines in the F&SF genre are (I believe):
1) Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, Davis Publications, 13
issues/year. $1.50 Bookstand, $16.25/yr.
Very good magazine with a mix of ~ 75% SF/ 25% Fantasy. Top
writers, good science fact writing. Edited by Stan Schmidt,
book reviews by Tom Easton, monthly column by G. Harry Stein.
2) The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Mercury Press,
12 Issues/year. $1.50 Bookstand, $15.00/yr.
Another good magazine, but not quite as many "name" writers as
Analog. ~ 75% Fantasy/ 25% SF. The monthly science fact column
by Isaac Asimov has been there for years. Edited by Ed Ferman,
book reviews by Algis Budrys, film reviews by Baird Searles.
3) Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Davis Publications,
13 issues/year. $1.50 Bookstand, $16.25/yr.
The newest offering, probably giving Analog a run for its money
in circulation figures by now. Edited by Kathleen Moloney. Book
reviews by Baird Searles, film reviews by Merl Reagle, monthly
editorial and letter responses by the Good Doctor. 100% short
SF.
So what do I subscribe to? All three, of course.
Frank Adrian
({ucbvax|decvax|pur-ee}!teklabs!
tekcad!franka)
in circulation figures by now.