September-October 2024 issues of Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog
Science Fiction & Fact, and the Summer issue of The Magazine of Fantasy
& Science Fiction. Cover art by Shutterstock, NASA, and Mondolithic Studios

The big news this month is the arrival of the new issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, after a nearly 8-month hiatus. In the pages of the new issue, publisher Gordon van Gelder reports that “Ongoing production problems have led us to skip the Spring issue and to switch to a quarterly schedule.” The new issue is cover-dated Summer 2024.

It’s a huge relief to have F&SF back on schedule — and the new issue looks terrific, with new fiction from Albert Chu, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Esther Friesner, Deborah L. Davitt, Phoenix Alexander, and lots more. The September-October issues of Asimov’s SF and Analog don’t disappoint either, with new stories from Naomi Kritzer, James Patrick Kelley, Robert Reed, Alice Towey, Stephanie Feldman, Anita Vijayakumar, Robert R. Chase, Susan Shwartz, Ray Nayler, Adam-Troy Castro, Wil McCarthy, Mar Vincent, Kedrick Brown, Tony Ballantyne, James Van Pelt, Mark W. Teidemann, and lots more.

Mina enjoyed the latest Asimov’s, and discusses it in detail at Tangent Online.

“Heartshock” by Nick Wolven examines the end of a galactic war. The tale begins with the destruction of the orbital battery, Morbis Moon. Without it, the race that committed countless atrocities to rule the universe can no longer fight. Once the allied states are settled, Captain Maya and her leading officers, Astrid and Ferrin, must decide what to do with the defeated Lo Valis… Maya must find an answer to the burning question: what will ensure the end of a bloody reign once and for all?

In “Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey, Evan is at his wit’s end having been abandoned by his boyfriend in a haunted house. Then the former owner’s niece comes to visit and together they work out what the ghost wants. Evan also begins to face his own demons. A surprisingly warm tale.

The protagonist of “An Unplanned Hold” by Zohar Jacobs is a ghost. He doesn’t know why he’s stuck in this world: “Being a ghost is like being an insomniac all hours, awake while others slumber.” He haunts places where he lived and the place where he worked, NASA Mission Control. But maybe, just maybe, he has one thing left to do before he can move on. Read this story to find out what and see if you recognize the wink at a famous quote at the end.

In “And to Their Shining Palaces Go” by Betsy Aoki, Mayumi lives in a conquered and occupied Earth. Educated by her parents to survive a world turned into an experiment lab by the alien overlords, Mayumi finds herself part of the rebellion. She finds unlikely allies in an overlord, the Relic Evanio and in First Robot, who shows remarkable signs of sentience. Together, they set about proving that humans are capable of “swarm” behavior in the hopes that the overlords will consider their experiment successful and leave…

“A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler is a sad tale about loneliness and feeling disconnected. The protagonist is a woman who is dying and finds solace in small things, whilst conversing with an AI projection.

Read Mina’s complete review here.

The new Analog is reviewed by Mike Bickerdike at Tangent Online, and he certainly knows how to pique my interest in the fiction. Here’s a sample.

“Bad Cop, No Donut” by Ryan Hunke is a rather good SF short story, not entirely dissimilar in its broad theme to Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Here, the tale focusses on two cops who are looking for unregistered ‘synths’ within the city of Philadelphia, which they will arrest if found working without due registration. The similarities to Dick’s famous novel end there, as this is lighter in tone and the cops’ place of investigation is a cake shop. The tale is told in a hardboiled detective style, through the eyes of one of the cops, who is more liberal than his partner. Overall, it’s well-told, rather droll and offers a little more depth than is shown on the surface. Recommended.

“Discorporation” by Mar Vincent is dark SF ‘noir.’ In a future where organs and tissues are replaced by corporates using internal prosthetics, a women needs a new spine to replace the synthetic one that is failing her. A freelance prosthetics technician herself, she is suffering from the adverse effects of the imperfect design of her first spinal prosthesis. The overall mood here is very dark, projecting a future of significant corporate greed… quite successful.

“The Space Between” by Brenda Kalt is a very short story. However, despite this, it’s rather appealing. Kalt’s work tends to be reminiscent of ‘Golden Age’ SF and this is no exception, being a short planetary-adventure type of tale, in which a young trader touches down on an unknown planet.

“A Stream of Leaves” by Tony Ballantyne is an intriguing short story, containing some significant SF ideas. In a far future, on the mysterious world of Oberon, a man who has made a deal with aliens to better understand the nature of humanity, travels to a strange locus on the planet to obtain his answer. While the man eschews emotion — and his essential humanity—he travels with a woman who embraces her emotions. There are several successful aspects to this tale, including the otherworldly nature of Oberon and its spiders, and the twisted nature of reality they encounter. The strangeness of the alien experience seems reminiscent of Silverberg, and overall this is recommended…

“The Circumambulation” by James Van Pelt is an entertaining short story of alien invasion, and while it doesn’t break new ground especially, it manages to be better written and more engaging than every other story in this issue. Characterisation is particularly good, and the switching point-of-view between the cuckolded husband and his unfaithful wife is successful and interesting, making this recommended reading.

“Best Practices for Safe Asteroid Handling” by David Goodman is a more exciting SF novelette than the slightly prosaic title might suggest. Set on an inhabited Jovian asteroid, an experienced asteroid inhabitant undertakes to induct a new recruit. Once the recruit has met certain safety and training requirements, he will be able to join the mental connection shared by the asteroid’s inhabitants, called the Accord. The ideas here are quite good, the environment is clear and compelling, and the plot takes some interesting turns. The nature of human conflict, and the difficulty of seeing the perspective of one’s adversaries, are at the heart of this story.

Read Mike’s detailed review here.

Sam Tomaino reviews the latest issue of F&SF at SFRevu.

The Summer 2024 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction has three novelettes and twelve short stories. The magazine is back after a long hiatus and has now gone quarterly.

“Metis in the Belly of the God” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

This story, from Greek mythology, tells us how Metis, pregnant with Athena, was trapped in Zeus’ body. She makes armor for her daughter and puts it on her when she is born. Hephaestus breaks Athena out. But what of Metis? Perfect little story from one of the best in the field.

“Snowdrop” by Raul Caner Cruz

An old couple in Kyiv, in the days the Varangians had invaded are visited by an old man with one eye and a spear. He is happy they let him into their house so he gives them a reward. He brings to life a little girl snow doll they had made. She is a light to their last days. Beautifully told. This is the author’s first publication. He will be on my short list for an Astounding Award next year.

“Dog People” by Esther Friesner

When the dead start walking around New York City, they aren’t like typical zombies. They aren’t attacking people or rotting corpses. They are just walking around, looking pale. What is going on? It takes a select group of immortal gods, Demeter, Persephone and Friya to find out. Wonderfully amusing as Freisner always is.

“Another Such Victory” by Albert Chu

In some future world, the United States was attacked by machines they call Threshers that wipe out civilians. The only way to fight them is with machines called Kaina/Batra Units (or K/B) piloted by people who have a talent called “musing” (never explained). They become one with the machine and it is difficult to separate from the K/B. Our narrator is a woman named Nusrat Choudhury and with her partner, Andre, she has fought the Threshers off, saving civilians. She is deeply religious and this means a lot to her. But Andre and her are the only two pilots on the base. Their commander does not want to call in the group called the Centimes that has taken over the western part of the U.S. He wants there to still be an independent United States. But Nusrat and Andre are getting tired and cannot be successful all the time…

“Red Ochre, Ivory Bone” by Deborah L. Davitt

Just outside a space station inhabited by many different species, a small object comes out of the nearby Waygate. It is retrieved and opened up. Inside are the bones of a body of a species unknown to any aboard. The different species argue over what to do with it. This is contrasted with a story of Earth, nineteen thousand years ago, of the burial of the grandmother of a family. One story provides insight to the other. Nicely done.

Read Sam’s full review here.

Here’s all the details on the latest SF print mags.

Contents of the September-October 2024 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction

Asimov’s Science Fiction

Sheila Williams provides a handy summary of the latest issue of Asimov’s at the website.

Our special Slightly Spooky September/October 2024 issue is jam packed with spooky tales. “The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” cast judgment in Naomi Kritzer’s disquieting novelette set on the New England coast; Stephanie Feldman spins a truly terrifying short tale about “Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” in an odd German village; and Susan Shwartz’s strange story combines operatic lore, a WWII battlefield, and “Project Fafnir.” Perfect tales for an eerie fall evening!

Spookiness permeates new author Zohar Jacob’s NASA ghost story about “An Unplanned Hold”; electronic ghosts play a role in new author R.P. Sand’s “Eternity Is Moments”; it’s all science fiction in new author Betsy Aoki’s novelette about an alien invasion, game design, “And to Their Shining Palaces Go”; while new author Anita Vijayakumar enchants us with “Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai.” Robert Reed’s chilling novelette relates “All the Homes of Terror”; Ray Nayler exposes a bleak truth in “A Gray Magic”; a charming ghost is present in “Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey; “Heartshock” is a deeply disturbing far-future hard SF tale by Nick Wolven; James Patrick Kelly explores the reality of dating a hive mind “In the Dark”; and there is much that is unforgettable about Robert R. Chase’s “Lost Recall.”

Robert Silverberg’s Reflections considers “The Man Who Saw the Future”; James Patrick Kelly’s On the Net reveals “The Music of the Future”; Norman Spinrad’s On Books introduces us to “Citizens of the Galaxy; Kelly Lagor’s Thought Experiment amuses and unsettles us with “Nuclear War, Satire, and the grotesque in Dr. Strangelove”; plus we’ll have an array of poetry and additional features you’re sure to enjoy.

Get your copy now!

Here’s the complete Table of Contents.

Novelettes

“Heartshock” by Nick Wolven
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer
“In the Dark” by James Patrick Kelley
“And to Their Shining Places Go” by Betsy Aoki
“All the Homes of Terror” by Robert Reed

Short Stories

“Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey
“Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” by Stephanie Feldman
“An Unplanned Hold” by Zohar Jacobs
“Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai” by Anita Vijayakumar
“Lost Recall” by Robert R. Chase
“Eternity is Moments” by R.P. Sand
“Project Fafnir” by Susan Shwartz
“A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler

Poetry

Like a Haiku, by Kendall Evans
Futurisms (What is it Now?), by David Sandner
Wanted, by Sai Liuko
Eating With Dead #1, by Mary Soon Lee
In a Vial on the Windowsill You’ll Find It, by Marisca Pichette
You Finally Understand Quantum Mechanics, by Robert Persons
Wanted–Personal Demon, by Mary Soon Lee
The Kelpie’s Back, by Jane Yolen
Awakening, by Greg Schwartz

Departments

Editorial: Magnifique! by Sheila Williams
Reflections: The Man Who Saw the Future by Robert Silverberg
On the Net: The Music of the Future by James Patrick Kelly
Thought Experiment: Nuclear War, Satire, and the Grotesque in Dr. Strangelove by Kelly Lagor
Next Issue
On Books by Norman Spinrad

Contents of the September-October 2024 issue of Analog Science Fiction

Analog Science Fiction & Science Fact

Editor Trevor Quachri gives us a tantalizing summary of the current issue online, as usual.

Our lead story this issue won’t need any introduction for long-time readers: it’s “Minnie and Earl Have a Kitten,” by Adam-Troy Castro. The title says it all… or, almost, because what it doesn’t say is that some long-running mysteries are finally solved! If you know, you know. Newbies and long-time fans alike won’t want to miss it!

On the nonfiction end of things, biologist Kelly Lagor looks at the Neanderthal in science fiction, in “Unfutured Race.” We also have an installment of Edward M. Wysocki’s ongoing series of special features about the impact Astounding authors have had on the world around us; in this case, he asks: “Finding the Enemy: Did Doc Smith Inspire the CIC?”

And of course we have many more stories, like an SFnal take on a classic mystery format in “Carter’s Refugio,” from Hayden Trenholm; the navigation of knotty labor practices among humans and non-humans alike in Tom R. Pike’s “The Compromise”; jobs and technology adapting to our changing environment in “Firegrounds” by Jen Downes; an alien AI’s First Contact with humans in Mark W. Tiedemann’s “The Transitive Property of Names”; James Van Pelt channeling his inner John Updike in “The Circumambulation,” and much more, from Wil McCarthy, Meghan Hyland, Tony Ballantyne, Kedrick Brown, and others, plus all our regular columns and features.

Get your copy now!

Here’s the full TOC.

Novella

“Minnie and Earl Have a Kitten” by Adam-Troy Castro

Novelettes

“The Compromise” by Tom Pike
“Carter’s Refugio” by Hayden Trenholm
“Best Practices for Safe Asteroid Handling” by David Goodman
“Gaiatosis” by Andrew Sullivan

Short Stories

“Bad Cop, No Donut” by Ryan Hunke
“The Fyootch” by Wil McCarthy
“Discorporation” by Mar Vincent
“The Space in Between” by Brenda Kalt
“Sleeping Giant” by Kedrick Brown
“The Ones Who Refuse to Walk Away” by Andrea Kriz
“A Stream of Leaves” by Tony Ballantyne
“The Circumambulation” by James Van Pelt
“Transitive Property of Names” by Mark W. Teidemann
“Firegrounds” by Jen Downes
“Starburst” by Meghan Hyland
“Fast Women, Loose Lips, and Treasure Ships” by Josh Pearce

Flash Fiction

“Sex and Lies on the Internet of Things” by Filip Wiltgren
“It’s the Principal of the Thing” by Tim McDaniel

Science Fact

“Unfutured” Race: Neanderthal Science and Fiction by Kelly Lagor

Special Feature

Finding the Enemy: Did Doc Smith Inspire the CIC? by Edward W.Wynsocki, Jr.

Poetry

A Brief History of Time by Richard Schiffman
So This is Mars by Mary Soon Lee

Reader’s Departments

Guest Editorial: Hitting the “Off” Switch by Richard A. Lovett
In Times to Come
The Alternate View by John G. Cramer
The Reference Library by Sean CW Korsgaard
Brass Tacks
Upcoming Events by Anthony Lewis

Here’s a peek at the next issue of Analog.

And the November-December Asimov’s SF.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

F&SF’s editor is Sheree Renée Thomas. You can get all the details on the latest issue at Weightless Books, and Sam Tomaino shared the Table of Contents at SFRevu.

Here’s the Table of Contents.

Novelets

“On My Way to Heaven” by Alberto Chimal
“Another Such Victory” by Albert Chu
“Growth Rings of the Earth” by Xinwei Kong

Short Stories

“What It Means to Drift” by Rajeev Prasad
“Mister Yellow” by Christina Bauer
“Water Baby” by Tonya R. Moore
“Metis in the Belly of the God” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
“She’s a Rescue” by Marie Vibbert
“Snowdrop” by Raul Caner Cruz
“Dog People” by Esther Friesner
“What You Leave Behind” by Ken Altabef
“Jacob Street” by L. Marie Wood
“Red Ochre, Ivory Bone” by Deborah L. Davitt
“The Glass Apple” by Ivy Grimes
“Slickerthin” by Phoenix Alexander

Poems

In Her Footsteps, by Suzanne J. Willis
I, Magician, by Julie Eliopoulos
City As Fairy Tale, by Richard Leis
In a Castle Far from Every Prince, by Marisca Pichette

Departments

Editorial: Playing the Changes by Sheree Renée Thomas
Books to Look For by Charles de Lint
Films: Rebel Moot by Karin Lowachee
Chapter and Verse by Alex Jennings
Television: The Ugly Humanity of The Boys by Karin Lowachee
Science: Newton vs. Mach by Jerry Oltion
Competition #106
Curiosities by Rich Horton

Art

Cartoons by: Arthur Masear, Nick Downes, Sam Hamm, Mark Heath
Cover by Mondolithic Studios

Analog, Asimov’s Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction are available wherever magazines are sold, and at various online outlets. Buy single issues and subscriptions at the links below.

Asimov’s Science Fiction (208 pages, $8.99 per issue, one year sub $47.97 in the US) — edited by Sheila Williams
Analog Science Fiction and Fact (208 pages, $8.99 per issue, one year sub $47.97 in the US) — edited by Trevor Quachri
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (256 pages, $10.99 per issue, one year sub $65.94  in the US) — edited by Sheree Renée Thomas

The September-October issues of Asimov’s and Analog are on sale until October 15. See our coverage of the July-August issues here, and all our recent magazine coverage here.