The Whistling by Rebecca Netley (Michael Joseph), This One Sky Day by Leone Ross (Faber & Faber), and The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (Bloomsbury) are on the longlist for the £10,000 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Ondaatje Prize The award is given “to an outstanding work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place.” The judges for 2022 are Patrice Lawrence, Sandeep
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine (Grove Atlantic) has won the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Alameddine’s genre work includes The Angel of History (2016). This year’s judges are Eugenia Kim, Rebecca Makkai, and Rion Amilcar Scott. Louis Bayard, the PEN/Faulkner Awards Committee Chair said, “We look forward to celebrating Rabih Allameddine’s exquisite novel, as well as the enduring work of his fellow finalists.” Alameddine will receive
The 2021 Aurealis Awards shortlist, recognizing the best in Australian speculative fiction, has been announced. Best Science Fiction Novel Waking Romeo, Kathryn Barker (Allen & Unwin) The 22 Murders of Madison May, Max Barry (Hachette Australia) Stealing Time, Rebecca Bowyer (Story Addict) Papa Lucy & The Boneman, Jason Fischer (Outland Entertainment) Aurora’s End, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin) Deepwater King, Claire McKenna (HarperCollins) Best Science Fiction Novella
Galaxias, Stephen Baxter (Gollancz 978-1473228856, $26.99, 538 pp, hc) May 2022. Stephen Baxter’s Galaxias poses an interesting case of the Spoiler Problem. The publisher’s promotional Tweet offers a dramatic teaser: ‘‘What would happen to the world if the sun went out? The end is nigh. Someone has sent us a sign.’’ And indeed the opening chapters describe the sudden disappearance of the sun at the moment of totality of a
Aguirre, Ann: Boss Witch (Sourcebooks Casablanca 978-1-72824-019-0, $15.99, 368pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, audio, April 5, 2022) Feminist fantasy romantic comedy novel, the second in the Fix-It Witches series. A perfectly logical witch and a dedicated witch hunter shouldn’t have feelings for each other, but can’t resist. Anders, Charlie Jane: Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak (Tor Teen 978-1-250-31739-1, $18.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, April 5, 2022) Young-adult SF novel,
The Locus Selected Books by Author list has been updated on our Forthcoming Books page, with information from the March 2022 issue covering upcoming titles from genre houses slated through December 2022. Find out about your favorite authors’ upcoming books! For the complete list of books by publisher, subscribe to our print magazine or purchase the March issue in print or digital editions, available March 1, 2022. While you are
The Carnival of Ash, Tom Beckerlegge (Solaris 978-1786185006, hardcover, 528pp, $24.99) March 2022. Some modes of fiction can start to appear dead or at least quiescent, until a certain writer comes along, gives them a shake, and infuses new life into the somnolent corpus. Such has just happened with Tom Beckerlegge’s first novel for adults (as Tom Becker he has had a sterling career producing YA books), With The Carnival
UK bookstore chain Waterstones has announced a new £5,000 debut fiction prize “open to all debut fiction, including genre fiction such as crime, sci-fi and fantasy as well as fiction in translation.” Bea Carvalho, head fiction buyer at Waterstones, says: It is with immense joy that we announce the launch of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. Our booksellers are consistent champions of emerging talent, often propelling debuts to bestseller status
Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention has announced with regret that Charles de Lint will be stepping down as guest of honor of this year’s convention. We were utterly thrilled in 2020 when Mr. de Lint agreed to be our Author Guest of Honor and have been looking forward to having him at the convention. However, we completely understand that his current situation will not allow him to
Analog 1-2/22 Asimov’s 1-2/22 When I took over part of the Locus short fiction reviewing duties after Gardner Dozois’ sad passing in 2018, I figured I’d be sharing this space with Rich Horton for many years to come. But as he announced in January, he has retired from his column and is turning his attention elsewhere – especially to adorable grandchildren! So I find myself starting on this verso page
Tell us about the Analog Award for Emerging Black Voices. What is it, and why was it created? It’s an award meant to make the ‘‘on-boarding process’’ for Black prospective authors – traditionally under-represented in the sciences and in science fiction – a bit easier. Sometimes the biggest hurdle to breaking in is just a matter of access; there simply isn’t someone available to lay out clear steps for folks
While last week’s two debuts have dropped off lists after just a week, Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers (Morrow) places on the USA Today list this week at #125, and the same list includes several volumes by J.R.R. Tolkien for the first time since this page has been compiled.
Small-press horror press Silver Shamrock Publishing closed this weekend. While there has been no official statement from publisher Kenneth McKinley, editor Kenneth W. Cain posted the following on Twitter: I’m sorry I’ve been quiet for so long about this matter. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes, talking to [publisher] Ken M., artists, authors, reviewers, readers, just about everyone. I haven’t slept much at all because of that, so I
The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) has released the following statement regarding the war in Ukraine: War is against the very values on which the ESFS was founded. 50 years ago the ESFS was created during the Cold War to promote understanding between people of different racial, political and religious grounds. We have received a number of suggestions for actions the society should take in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Timothy Aaron Pratt was born December 12, 1976. He traveled with his mother as a child, living in Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, and West Virginia before settling back in Goldsboro. Pratt went to Appalachian State University in Boone NC, graduating with a BA in English in 1999, and attended the Clarion Writers Workshop that summer. He worked as an advertising copywriter briefly before moving to Santa Cruz CA in 2000. In
Flowers for the Sea, Zin E. Rocklyn (Tordotcom 978-1-25080-403-7, $13.99, 108pp, tp) October 2021. Zin E. Rocklyn’s Flowers for the Sea is one of those rare narratives that somehow manages to be fantastical, smart, and horrific, all in just over 100 pages. An impressive debut, the latest from a strong, unique new voice in science fiction, this is the kind of novella that’s read in a single sitting not because
Since February 24, 2022, Ukraine has been under invasion by Russian regular forces. The Russians have destroyed houses, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure facilities, and they are targeting and killing civilians. But I say they will not be able to win – because Ukrainians are resisting and will continue to resist as long as they can. This is the 21st century – another century, another Nazism. We are calling it ‘‘Russaism’’
The Kindred, Alechia Dow (Inkyard Press 978-1-33541-861-6, $18.99, 400pp, hc) January 2022. I’ve been on a bit of a science fiction kick lately. Lots of spaceships, aliens, climate crises, and dystopian futures in my to-read queue. So far, my favorite book of the bunch is Alechia Dow’s The Kindred. This young-adult novel is set in the same world as her debut The Sound of Stars, about a demisexual human and
Numerous publishing professionals announced their resignations in March 2022, leading to widespread discussions on social media about burnout and unsustainable workloads, especially for junior staff. Genre-related departures include Tor/Forge assistant editor Molly McGhee, who resigned from the company after her request for a promotion was denied. Her first ever acquisition (The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake) recently debuted at #3 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. McGhee says
Anathema 12/21 Mermaids Monthly 12/21 Zooscape 12/21 Fiyah 12/21, 1/22 Every year a few publications put out issues on December 31, and 2021 was no exception. Aside from Baffling Magazine, which I looked at last column, both Anathema and Mermaids Monthly released their December issues on the final day of the month and year, and while that might make them easy for busy readers to miss, both are very much
Four awards were announced at Eagle-Con 2022, held March 10-12, 2022 at Cal State L.A. in Los Angeles CA. Dawn Brown won the Imaginator Award, given annually to “honor wondrous achievement in visual conceptualization.” John Jennings won the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Award, “given out in honor of Cal State LA alumna Octavia E. Butler to celebrate an author whose writing exemplifies the spirit of her work.” The Lemonade Award,
Winners for the 2020 Darrell Awards, “presented annually in support of Midsouth Literacy by recognizing the best published Science Fiction, Fantasy and/or Horror in Short Story, Novella, Novel, Young Adult & Other Media formats,” have been announced: Novel WINNER: Serpent’s Mark, Beth Alvarez (Sacred Tree) First Runner-up: The Girl Who Had No Shadow, John & Victoria Babb (Self-published) Novella WINNER: “Madam & The Map: A Journey in Five Movements”, Sheree Renée
Hiroshi Hayakawa is the winner of the London Book Fair’s (LBF) Lifetime Achievement Award. Hayakawa is the chairman of Hayakawa Publishing, which publishes a great deal of SF in Japan, as well as magazine Hayakawa SF. He was honored as “a vocal advocate for science fiction, mysteries and non-fiction titles.” Andy Ventris, Director at LBF said: We are delighted to name Hiroshi Hayakawa as the recipient of this year’s London
Chengdu Worldcon 2023, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, to be held August 23-29, 2023 in Chengdu, China, has posted a list of 12 questions and answers about fees and membership. The organizers note, “If you bought a 2023 Advance Supporting Membership from DC3, you don’t have to do anything to upgrade…. You automatically have WSFS MEMBERSHIP, and you have been given a full ATTENDING MEMBERSHIP for free, both in-person
The Grimrose Girls, Laura Pohl (Sourcebooks Fire 978-1-7282-2887-7, $10.99, tp, 400pp) November 2021. Laura Pohl’s The Grimrose Girls is set in an elite, extra gothic-y, boarding school in Switzerland where three classmates are reeling from the recent death of their best friend, Ariane. It is no surprise that Ella, Yuki, and Rory are unsettled by the loss and deeply suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Ariane’s drowning. So, following in the
The shortlist for the 2022 International Dylan Thomas Prize has been announced, including The Sweetness of Water (Little, Brown) by author of genre interest Nathan Harris. The annual Dylan Thomas prize, in partnership with Swansea University, awards £20,000 “to the best published or produced literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under.” This year’s judges are Alan Bilton, Namita Gokhale, Luke Kennard, Irenosen Okojie,
Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (Tor 978-1-25024-404-8, $25.99, 256pp, hc) April 2022. Kingfisher, as many of us know, is the open pen name of Ursula Vernon. Vernon is an award-winning author under both names, and her novels and stories as Kingfisher are united by their combination of pragmatism among characters and peculiarity in worldbuilding, with a strong sense of humour and a definite impression that, given a choice between several
Author Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu is among the eight winners of the Windham-Campbell Prize and will receive “an unrestricted grant” of $165,000. The Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prize was established “to call attention to literary achievement and provide writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns.” The prize is administered by Yale University, with a new nominating committee every year, and a jury choosing eight
Finalists for the 2022 Imadjinn Awards have been announced, including several categories of genre interest. Best Science Fiction Novel Why Not Wichita, Peter Catania (self-published) Revolution (The Sol Saga Book 1), James Fox (Dawnrunner) Smuggler’s Run, William Joseph Roberts & Christopher Woods (Theogony) Sea Serpent, John S. Worth (Three Ravens) Best Fantasy Novel The Watchers in Exile, Barbara V. Evers (New Mythology) Sword of Cho Nisi Book 1 – Dianne
The Kaiju Preservation Society, John Scalzi (Tor 978-0765389121, hardcover, 272pp, $26.99) March 2022. As you might suspect from the title alone, this novel is not one of John Scalzi’s more sober-sided, tragic, or grim-scenario’d offerings. In fact, it is an inventive, light-hearted, sprightly romp, replete with a low-key sensawunda vibe, that slyly makes, along the way, a few sharp points about ethics, friendship, capitalism, pure scientific research, and humanity’s duty
Ogres, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Solaris 978-1-78618-528-0 $30.00, 144pp, hc) March 2022. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Ogres is hard to warm up to at first, mostly because it is written in the second person. It’s so hard to do well, the second person. Stick with it. Tchaikovsky knocks it out of the park, once you find your way in. Ogres is the story of Torquell, a young man who is six feet tall, which
Bastianelli, Gregory: Shadow Flicker (Flame Tree Press US 9781787586765, $26.95, 304pp, formats: hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, March 28, 2022) Horror novel. An investigator travels to an island off the coast of Maine to document the negative effects of shadow flicker from wind turbines, but something much worse appears to be affecting the local animals and people. Broaddus, Maurice: Sweep of Stars (Tor 978-1-250-26493-0, $27.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio,
Philip Pullman is stepping down as Society of Authors (SoA) president. Pullman has been with the SoA for 35 years, and was elected as president in 2013. He will remain a member of the trade union’s council. Pullman says, When it became clear that statements of mine were being regarded as if they represented the views of the Society as a whole (although they did nothing of the sort, and
This list covers new SF/F/H print, online, and electronic periodicals (including regularly updated websites) seen by Locus magazine, focusing on those that publish fiction or reviews and criticism. To submit titles for listing on these pages, please send to Locus Publications, 655 13th St. #100, Oakland CA 94612 or email locus@locusmag.com. Analog Science Fiction and Fact Trevor Quachri, ed. Vol. 92 Nos. 3 & 4, March/April 2022 $7.99, bimonthly, 208pp,
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen 978-1250317391, $18.99, 320pp, hc) April 2022. It’s practically an unwritten rule that middle volumes of trilogies should shade a bit darker, with higher stakes, unexpected complications, dimmer hopes, and a growing sense of desperation. If you’re going to (apparently) kill off Frodo, volume two is the place to do it. The second volume of Charlie Jane Anders’s YA Unstoppable trilogy, Dreams
Baen Books has announced the results of the 2022 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award: Grand Prize: “Man on the Moon”, Elaine Midcoh First Runner-up: Pierre-Alexandre Sicart Second Runner-up: “The Rocketship of Her Dreams”, Larry Lang Honorable Mention: “Blowout”, Wole Talabi Honorable Mention: “The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet”, Deborah L. Davitt The Grand Prize winner will be featured on the Baen website. The author will be given a trophy
John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society (Tor) debuts on three lists, ranking as high as #4 on the Los Angeles Times list. And James S.A. Corey’s Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection (Orbit) debuts on two lists, as high as #8 on the Publishers Weekly list.
The winners of the 2022 Fan Activity Achievement Awards (FAAns) were announced by Corflu 39 administrators in an online ceremony on March 20, 2022. Best Personal Zine This Here… Best Genzine Portable Storage Best Special Publication Daangerous Visions Best Fan Writer Mark Plummer Best Letterhack Jerry Kaufman Best Fan Artist Ulrika O’Brien Best Fanzine Cover Art Littlebrook #11, Ulrika O’Brien Number One Fan Face Nic Farey The Best Website category has
Winners of several awards given by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA) were announced during the 43rd International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA 43), held March 16-20, 2022 in Orlando FL. Iuliia Ibragimova won the David G. Hartwell Emerging Scholar Award, which gives a $250 stipend “to the graduate student submitting the most outstanding paper.” Szilvia Gellai won the Jamie Bishop Memorial Award
TERRY LEE is a science fiction artist and former font designer for the Hallmark Co. in the region of Kansas City, Kansas. He is known for numerous covers and interior art pieces for science fiction novels and magazines, beginning in the late ’70s through the mid ’90s. He won the Chesley Award in 1988. Interview conducted by author Eric J. Hildeman. Eric J. Hildeman: When did you first decide to
Longing and Other Stories, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (Columbia University Press, 978-0-231-20215-2, $20.00, 160pp, tp) January 2022. One of Japan’s most celebrated and prolific authors of the last century, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki has remained relatively unknown in the West – a great loss for us, one that will be, hopefully, remedied by this new translation of Longing and Other Stories by Anthony H. Chambers & Paul McCarthy It’s difficult to know how much
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars, Lina Rather (Tordotcom 978-1-250-78214-4, $16.99, 192pp, tp) February 2022. The events in Sisters of the Vast Black, Lina Rather’s first novella in her ‘‘space nuns’’ series, have caught up with said space nuns in Sisters of the Forsaken Stars, at least those who remain in the Order of Saint Rita. The Central Governance, which sprung from Old Earth and intends to rule across the four
The Bookseller has announced the shortlists for the 2022 British Book Awards, including several titles and authors of genre interest. Fiction Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr (Fourth Estate) Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber & Faber) Empire of the Vampire, Jay Kristoff (HarperVoyager) Pageturner The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward (Viper) Fiction: Début She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan (Mantle) Mrs Death Misses Death, Salena Godden
The Imaginarium Convention has announced the creation of the Michael Knost Wings Award, which focuses on “authors of speculative and/or dark fiction, specifically authors who are up-and-coming… or those who have been around a while but do not get the recognition they deserve.” The Michael Knost Wings Award reflects the enthusiastic dedication and support of the writing community given by the person that this exciting new award is named after:
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) announced Tracey Cross as the recipient of its 2022 Scholarship From Hell, and Rosemary Thorne as winner of the virtual Scholarship from Hell. The scholarship places writers in the intensive Horror University workshop, which will take place during StokerCon 2022. Cross will receive airfare to and from the StokerCon venue, a four-night stay at the convention, free registration for StokerCon 2022, and free choice of
Kathryn Barker, Waking Romeo (Flatiron 1/22) This post-apocalyptic YA novel, first published last year in Australia, combines elements of Romeo & Juliet, Wuthering Heights, and time travel to create a clever and romantic whole. Jessamine Chan, The School for Good Mothers (Simon & Schuster 1/22) This debut SF novel concerns a mother sent to a draconian government reform program after “neglecting” her child in a moment of poor
The This, Adam Roberts (Gollancz 978-1-47323-092-7, £16.99, 304pp, hc) February 2022. In 2015, Adam Roberts wrote an extraordinary novel that deserved more attention and love than it received. The Thing Itself blended Fermi’s Paradox, Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Pure Reason and John Carpenter’s The Thing (with a side-dish of wry humour and literary allusions) to deliver a madcap, centuries-spanning meditation on the ineffable nature of reality. Roberts’s latest novel,
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has voted on five revisions to the membership eligibility qualifications. The Board of Directors stated: As previously announced, the new membership eligibility requirements, across all membership categories (e.g., prose, game writing, comics, etc.), are intended to set Associate membership eligibility at $100 earned professionally and Full membership at $1000 earned professionally over a career, attested by sworn affidavit. Additionally, with this change,
Kij Johnson is joining the Ad Astra Center for Science Fiction & the Speculative Imagination as associate director. Created in November 2021 at the University of Kansas, the Center “brings writers, readers, scholars, educators, and fans of speculative fiction together to study and create work that changes the world.” The Center is headed by director Chris McKitterick. For more information, see the official Ad Astra Center website. While you are here,
Bright Ruined Things, Samantha Cohoe (Wednesday Books 978-1-25-076884-1, $18.99, 352pp, hc) February 2022. Samantha Cohoe’s intriguing mashup of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby makes for a thoroughly immersive read. Set on an island dominated by the wealthy and powerful Prosper family, Bright Ruined Things focuses on a single day when 18-year old Mae, daughter of a deceased but much loved retainer of Lord Prosper, finds herself facing
The Magician by Colm Tóibín (Penguin UK) won the 2022 Rathbones Folio Prize. The £30,000 award is open to all works of literature written in English and published in the UK during the previous calendar year. Judges for 2022 were William Atkins, Tessa Hadley (chair), and Rachel Long. For more information, see the Prize website. While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or
The International Board on Books for Young People awarded the 2022 Hans Christian Anderson Awards to author Marie-Aude Murail and illustrator Suzy Lee. Awarded biyearly, the awards “recognize lifelong achievement and are given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children’s literature.” Murail’s work of genre interest includes Magic Berber (Pocket Jeunesse). For more information see the IBBY website. While you
Can’t Find My Way Home, Gwynne Garfinkle (Aqueduct Press 978-1-61976-212-1, $20.00, 342pp, tp) January 2022. Two days shape young Joanna Bergman’s life: when she both got the lead role in her high school’s production of ‘‘Saint Joan’’ and began her friendship with the beautiful, popular Cynthia ‘‘Cyn’’ Foster, and when, three years later, Cyn dies in a botched protest bombing of a storefront Vietnam War draft board office. And, in
S.B. Divya is stepping down as co-editor of Escape Pod on April 8, 2022. Mur Lafferty remains co-editor, joined by new co-editor Valerie Valdes. It’s been my great privilege and pleasure to work on Escape Pod for the last 7 years, but it is time for me to say goodbye. Unfortunately, due to my health problems, I no longer have the energy to juggle 3 jobs plus family responsibilities…. This
Liz Gorinsky is stepping down as publisher of Erewhon Books, effective immediately. Gorinsky founded the press in 2018, and their first titles were released in 2020. Senior editor Sarah Guan will lead the editorial program, and oversee an expansion of the editorial team. Director of publishing and production Cassandra Farrin and marketing and publicity manager Martin Cahill remain in their positions. Viengsamai Fetters has joined as an editorial assistant, and
Blackmoore, Stephen: Suicide Kings (DAW 978-0-7564-1763-5, $17.47, 224pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, March 22, 2022) Urban fantasy/noir novel, seventh in the series about LA necromancer Eric Carter. Carter helps a friend with a deadly ritual in Los Angeles, while struggling to adjust to being brought back from the grave. Butner, Richard: The Adventurists (Small Beer Press 978-1618731944, $17.00, 320pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, March 22, 2022) Collection of 16
The shortlist for the €100,000 2022 International Dublin Literary Award has been announced, with The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (Riverhead) among the six finalists. The winner will be chosen by a judging panel consisting of Emmanuel Dandaura, Sinéad Moriarty, Alvin Pang, Clíona Ní Ríordáin, and Victoria White, and announced by the mayor of Dublin on May 19, 2022 as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin. For more,
The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) Hall of Fame Awards, Achievement Awards, and Chrysalis Award nominees have been announced, along with the names of the nominating countries. Hall of Fame Awards: Best Author José Antonio Cotrina (Spain) Philippe Curval (France) Theresa Hannig (Germany) Tatjana Jambrišak (Croatia) Katharina Köller (Austria) Ruth Long (Ireland) Nikolay Peev (Bulgaria) Claude Peiffer (Luxembourg) Florin Purluca (Romania) Tade Thompson (United Kingdom) Eduard Verkin / Эдуард Веркин
The Bone Orchard is a lush, Gothic-tinged fantasy. Tell us a bit about the book: the world where it takes place, and the characters who inhabit that world. Charm’s world is ruled by an empire stretched to the brink of collapse, held together by brute force and a single person; and he dies. Boren is trying to hold itself together against the countries it had previously beaten into submission. Its
Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf 978-0-593321447, $25.00, 272pp, hc) April 2022. One of the central characters in Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility is a novelist known for a bestseller about a worldwide pandemic, published just a few years before an actual pandemic makes it a bestseller all over again, with a blockbuster film adaptation in the works. Not surprisingly, she’s on a worldwide book tour
Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six (Tor), which debuted last week, ranks on three lists this week, as high as #10 on the Publishers Weekly list. And the trade paperback of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (Vintage) debuts on two more lists this week.
The 81st World Science Fiction Convention, to be held August 23-29, 2023 in Chengdu, China, has an official name: Chengdu Worldcon, as announced on Twitter. The convention has also released membership rates: full attending memberships with voting rights are $120, while attending memberships without voting rights are $70. Supporting memberships (which grant voting rights but not attendance) are $50. Virtual memberships with voting rights are $60, while basic virtual memberships
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America released a statement in support of the people of Ukraine: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America stand with the people of Ukraine, all creators, and SFF fans around the world who oppose and abhor the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organization wholly condemns this invasion and oppression which has tragically taken so much from the tireless and brave
Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Harper Voyager 978-0-06-303130-2, $27.99, 512pp, tp) January 2022. Living on the moon for most of her life, Xingyin never imagined more for herself—not growing into her magical powers, fleeing from her home, or risking her life for the kingdom that wants her dead. But after accidentally revealing her existence to the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin embarks on a perilous journey to free her
Maurice Gerald Broaddus was born April 30, 1970 in London, England, but moved to Indiana at age six. He grew up in Indianapolis, where he still resides with his wife and two sons and works as a middle-school teacher. Broaddus began publishing genre work with “Since We Can Die but Once” (2006). Though he mostly wrote horror to start, he has since expanded into urban fantasy, alternate history, and science
The Locus Bestsellers for February include top titles Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey (Orbit US), Dune by Frank Herbert (Ace), The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Tor), and Critical Role: Vox Machina: Kith &Kin by Marieke Nijkamp (Del Rey).
Lightspeed 1/22 Fantasy 1/22 Nightmare 1/22 F&SF 1-2/22 January’s Lightspeed leans decidedly grim to kick off the new year, with a majority of the original fiction opting away from happy endings. It’s a trend that will continue in sibling publications Fantasy and Nightmare (though that last certainly makes sense, given the Nightmare’s horror focus). In Lightspeed, though, Aimee Ogden’s flash fiction “Dissent: A Five-Course Meal (With Suggested Pairings)” opens on
Servant Mage, Kate Elliott (Tordotcom 978-1-250-76905-3, $19.99, 176pp, hc) January 2022. Cover by Tommy Arnold. Kate Elliott is perhaps best known for her epic fantasy, though her most recent novel, Unconquered Sun, opens a whole new space opera universe. (It tells a story that’s just as epic.) Her work is characterised by a deep and substantial interest in the details of world and culture, in power and the problems thereof,
Esquire has announced a 50-title list of the best fantasy books of all time. For this list, we concentrated on novels that are primarily fantasy, which is why you won’t see genre-straddlers like Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time or Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. To keep this lineup manageable, we only included books originally published as a bound book on paper — which ruled out classics like Journey to
Finalists for the 2021 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced. The award is given by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) for “the finest in horror and dark fiction published by an Australasian within the calendar year.” Novel Merfolk, Jeremy Bates (Ghillinnein) Papa Lucy & the Boneman, Jason Fischer (Outland) Butcherbird, Cassie Hart (Huia) An Ill Wind, Martin Livings (self-published) The Airways, Jennifer Mills (Picador) The Girls Left Behind, J.P. Townley
Escape from Yokai Land, Charles Stross (Tordotcom 978-1-25080-570-6, 96 pp, $19.99, hc) March 2022. Charles Stross continues to figure out ingenious extensions of and variations on the givens of his Laundry series of horror/secret-agent/comedy entertainments. A while back I decided that the recipe for these stories is ‘‘one-third eldritch threat, one-third workplace comic satire, and one-third spy-thriller action,’’ with the mix allowing a range of comedic-horrific effects. The latest entry,
The Upper World, Femi Fadugba (Penguin UK 978-0-24-150561-8, £7.99, 368pp, tp) August 2021. (Harper Teen 978-0-06-307859-8, $18.99, 368pp, hc) December 2021. In a note to readers preceding his perceptive debut title, The Upper World, author Femi Fadugba recalls a quantum physics paper he wrote as a university student which was published in a respected scientific journal leading to a national award and presentation before the Houses of Parliament. Fadugba did
We posted previously about the PEN International statement in opposition to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Other organizations have also added their voices to the chorus of opposition to the war. The Horror Writers Association says: The HWA condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We stand for democracy. We stand for truth. We stand for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. We support the people of Ukraine, including authors,
Today’s cover reveal is from Stelliform Press for The House of Drought by Dennis Mombauer: a gorgeous, and just the right amount creepy, cover for this novella set in Sri Lanka, about life that survives the ravages of colonization and climate change. Coming July 14, 2022. Check out the trailer below! About the book A HAUNTED HOUSE FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE ERA. On the island of Sri Lanka, at
The shortlists for the Carnegie Medal for best children’s book and the Kate Greenaway Medal for best illustrations in a children’s book have been announced. Titles and authors of genre interest follow. Carnegie Medal October, October, Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury) When the Sky Falls, Phil Earle (Andersen) Tsunami Girl, Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada (Guppy) Punching the Air, Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam (HarperCollins) Greenaway Medal
Zadie Smith will receive the 2022 PEN/Audible America Literary Service Award on May 23, 2022 during a gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York NY. The award is presented to authors “whose work embodies PEN America’s mission to oppose repression in any form and to champion the best of humanity.” Previous winners include Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, and Toni Morrison. For more information, see the PEN
Analog 1-2/22 Asimov’s 1-2/22 Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 12/21 This is a farewell – 20 years ago my first short fiction column appeared in Locus, and this will be the final one. (I do plan to continue to contribute occasional work to this wonderful magazine!) When I began writing for Locus, my aim was simple: to read as much of the field as I could, and write about what I
Batman was first introduced in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, and this year’s The Batman tries to bring him back to that super-sleuth tradition: showing up at crime scenes, looking for clues, outwitting criminals and police alike. There’s nothing fantastical, futuristic, or even particularly outlandish about this story — without the Batman name on it, it could be any other crime story. There are explicit Chinatown influences in the length
Bacon, Eugen: Mage of Fools (Meerkat Press 978-1-946154-66-8, $15.95, 222pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, audio, March 15, 2022) Dystopian fantasy novel. Jasmin must contend with Mafinga’s tyrannical, book-hating king’s sorcerer to cleanse the socialist state of deadly pollution. Banwo, Ayanna Lloyd: When We Were Birds (Penguin Random House/Doubleday 978-0-385-54726-0, $27.00, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, March 15, 2022) Literary fantasy novel set in Trinidad. A woman with the power
Honorifics by Cynthia Miller (Nine Arches) and Brown Baby by Nikesh Shukla (Bluebird) are among finalists for the 2022 Jhalak Prize. The award “seek to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers” and “accept entries published in the UK by writers of colour. These include (and not limited to) fiction, non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels, poetry and all other genres.” The judges for 2022 are Mary Jean Chan, Chimene Suleyman,
