The November–December issue of Britain’s longest running science fiction and fantasy magazine has reached bookstores here in Illinois, which means it’s probably available everywhere. This month has a terrific cover by 2016 cover artist Vincent Sammy (with an evocative title, “The Orion Crusades: Infection” — click the image at right for a bigger version) and new fiction by Harmony Neal, Ryan Row, Sarah Brooks, Rich Larson, Samantha Henderson, and David Cleden. There’s also a feature by Martin McGrath on the James White Award; David Langford’s Ansible Link, film reviews by Nick Lowe; DVD/Blu-ray reviews by Tony Lee; book reviews, an interview with Chris Becket, and columns by Jonathan McCalmont and Nina Allan.

Kevin P Hallett, writing at Tangent Online, particularly liked “My Generations Shall Praise” by Samantha Henderson.

A death-row inmate gets an offer from a rich, but dying, cousin. The cousin wants to have her own mind, her memories and behaviors, mapped onto the inmate’s mind – effectively replacing the death-row inmate’s mind. In return, the rich cousin will set up a trust for the inmate’s daughter and future grandchild.

At first, the inmate sees no reason to ‘die’ any sooner. But after a few days to think it over, she decides that maybe she can hold onto a part of her mind. So she agrees and signs the contract.

With just days to live, the inmate has second thoughts. She puts herself in her cousin’s place and realizes she will use her daughter and future generations to live forever. She can keep breeding new vessels to transfer her mind into. As a death-row inmate she cannot escape the mind swap. Can she find another way to stop her cousin using her future generations?

And “You Make Pattaya” by Rich Larson.

Larson’s short SF story is set in a technically advanced future. A time where a grifter named Dorian thinks he’s found a lucrative score. He enlists the help of a prostitute to get compromising footage of a celebrity that he can sell to magazines. Using a camera contact lens, the prostitute will circumvent all the celebrity’s security. A good con artist is prepared in case things don’t work out, but are Dorian’s backup plans going to be good enough this time?

The author filled the story with insights on how technology may develop and how people will use it for the most universal of purposes, personal gain… a nice read.

Read Kevin’s complete review here.

Interzone #267 contains six  stories:

“Alts” by Harmony Neal
“Dogfights in Olympus and Other Absences” by Ryan Row
“The Hunger of Auntie Tiger” by Sarah Brooks
“You Make Pattaya” by Rich Larson
“Rock, Paper, Incisors” by David Cleden
“My Generations Shall Praise” by Samantha Henderson

Interzone is the sister magazine of Black Static, both are published by TTA Press in the UK. The distinguished Andy Cox is the editor of both.

Interzone is one of the few remaining fiction magazines to include illustrations — and great illustrations at that. Here’s the opening spread for “Dogfights in Olympus and Other Absences” by Ryan Row (illustrated by Jim Burns).

And “The Hunger of Auntie Tiger” by Sarah Brooks (illustrated by Jim Burns).

And “Rock, Paper, Incisors” by David Cledem, the 2016 James White Award Winner (illustrated by Martin Hanford)

The review columns are a signficant draw for the magazine. Here’s Nick Lowe’s Mutant Popcorn film review column.

And Tony Lee’s DVD column.

As we’ve mentioned before, magazines like Interzone are completely dependent on fans and readers to keep them alive. I hope this one survives for a good long time — but it won’t without reader support. If it sounds intriguing, I hope you’ll consider buying an issue next time you find yourself browsing the magazine rack.

See more details and excerpts from issue 267 at the TTA website.

Interzone is edited by Andy Cox, and published by TTA Press. It is 100 pages, priced at £4.99. The cover is by Vincent Sammy. Copies are usually around $9.99 here in the US. A six-issue subscription is £27 (UK) and £33 in the US. Order right from the TTA Press website.

We last covered Interzone with Issue 266.

See our December Fantasy Magazine Rack here, and all of our recent Magazine coverage here.