 [Larger view] | Asimovs Science Fiction
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Average user rating:  | |
| Consistently the best | |
| Asimov's science fiction magazine is one of the premier sources of new short story and novella length science fiction. It also has the occasional serialized novel. Having been introduced to science fiction through Isaac Asimov's own short story anthologies back in the 70's I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed the return to the short story format after many years of "blockbuster novels". The magazine consistently showcases the best new talent. It also has a stable of veteran, commercially successful, writers that use the magazine as a vehicle to return to their roots. Notables such as Michael Swanwick, James Patrick Kelly, Kage Baker, and Tom Purdom to name a few. It seems to always have nominees in the yearly Nebula and Hugo awards for science fiction. Most stories are "Social Science Fiction" in which a loose future backdrop is used to tell a character based story with an eventual universal truism is revealed. It is rare to find a "hard Science Fiction" story in which the extrapolation of known science into a future setting plays a critical role in the climax and conclusion of the story. Stories from the early writings of Larry Niven are good examples of such stories. This is a forgivable lapse as most editors would tell you that they would love to see more hard science submissions. They also have Poems; no offense Mr. Haldemann. | |
| Story Quality Varies, But Great Overall | |
| Asimov's provides 11 issues annually, packed with science fiction novellas, novelettes, short stories, poems, book reviews, and editorial articles. As with any anthology or anthology-magazine, the story quality varies, but there are some true gems. Alan M. Steele wrote a series of stories for Asimov's, beginning with the wonderful "Stealing Alabama" and including the stunning "The Days Between". These stories were later combined in the novel "Coyote". One value of this magazine is to introduce readers to authors they do not know. Several years ago, George R. R. Martin wrote a short story for Asimov's that I found enthralling. It turned out to be a portion of Martin's then-upcoming novel, "A Game of Thrones", which is in itself the first in a series of books (now going on four, rumored to be seven overall) called "A Song of Ice and Fire" and that is probably my all-time favorite fantasy series. Overall, Asimov's is a science fiction buffet; you get a little taste of everything, some of it good (Kage Baker's "Company" series), some of it great (Martin's and Steele's above-mentioned stories), and some of it that you take a bite and leave the rest for the bus-boy (I don't care for Elliot Fintushels' "Izzy" series). | |
 Possibly the greatest SF magazine in existence. | |
| I would encourage everyone to subscribe, and help support the magazine. Asimov's Science Fiction (along with Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Analog Science Fiction & Fact) is truly the lifeblood of the science fiction genre. Short fiction has the unique advantage of being able to develop new worlds in a shorter amount of space than one might find in a novel, although in many cases a large portion of this world-building is left to the reader's imagination. Thus, good short fiction is able to convey a true sense of transaction between writer and reader, giving the impression that more has been said than has actually been specifically stated. Asimov's is no exception. It publishes some of the best fiction on the market today, by James Patrick Kelly, Michael Swanwick, Robert Silverberg, and Nancy Kress to name but a few. In addition, it still manages to introduce new writers to the field; indeed, it is one of the principle markets for finding and developing vital new talent for the continued success of science fiction as a whole. I believe it to be one of the most important publications in SF today. So, please, subscribe. You don't know what you're missing. |
