Fantasy & Science Fiction

NOTE: I buy it at the store rather then getting a subscription because I not only want to support the magazine, but I also want to support my local store. Being in Canada, there isn't a lot of savings with the subscription, though there is some. I would definitely suggest getting a subscription unless you are in similar circumstances.

Fantasy & Science Fiction has been publishing continually since 1949. Each issue is full of stories and interesting columns from some of the big names in the genre today. Recent stories by Joe Haldeman, Peter S. Beagle and David Gerrold were all excellent, and even the stories by less experienced writers are usually quite good. As with any anthology or other group of stories, there may be the occasional clunker in there. Overall, though, the hit rate is very high. There do seem to be some almost regular contributors, such as Matt Hughes and Ray Vukcevich, but thankfully their work is usually good. There are always a mix of science fiction and fantasy, and each sub-genre is represented pretty well too. There's urban fantasy, some high fantasy (though usually nothing like Lord of the Rings), modern science-fiction, far future, and many more. Stories vary from novellas to short stories, and everything in between. There are usually 7-10 stories per issue.

There are sometimes theme issues as well, such as the July, 2004 issue that was the "All American issue." Each story took place in the United States, but even within that theme, the stories were quite varied. "The Battle of York" was an example of how history can be perverted when records are fragmented. It's a story being told in the 29th century that takes bits and pieces of American history and twists them into a myth of George Washington, George Custer, Dwight Eisenhower, and the giant turned to stone that became the Statue of Liberty. It also contains a civil war tale and a modern-day story of science and terror.

Each issue also has some departments. There is "Books to Look For" by Charles de Lint, where he gives you the scoop on some books that you may have missed. There's also another column on books from various authors who muse either on books they want to suggest or just about books in general. There's also a films column by either Lucius Shepard or Kathi Maio. Usually these columns give interesting analyses of current genre films, sometimes commenting on the state of the industry today. They are always well-written, even when they are talking about something you may not be interested in.

The layout of the magazine is great. It's bound rather then stapled, so it fits nicely on your bookshelf. Unfortunately, that means that it won't lay flat like other magazines, so you'll have to hold it. The stories and columns are spread around, interrupted with the occasional cartoon or other artwork. Each story is introduced by the editor, Gordon Van Gelder, giving a little bit of information about the author usually including when the last story by that author had been published in the magazine. He also occasionally writes an editorial that kicks off the issue.

The benefit of short fiction is that it doesn't take very long to read, even if it's something that's not grabbing you. I have not skipped anything in any of the issues that I've read, and I've always been at least mildly entertained by even the lesser stories. It's definitely a way to stay on top of current trends in the genre. If you like short fiction, you owe it to yourself to check this magazine out.

Dave Roy


You can't go wrong with this magazine.   May 7, 2004
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

There's such an incredible choice of fiction contained within the pages of each issue of F&SF that there must be at least one or two stories each month that would satisfy every reader. It's got fantasy and science fiction, obviously, but it's got horror and occasionally publishes borderline slipstream stories. It's stocked with quality fiction, from the likes of Joe Haldeman, James Patrick Kelly, Robert Reed, and Kate Wilhelm. If you're a subscriber, you know of the quality of which I speak; if you're not, then subscribe and see what you've been missing.

So, there is a compendium of quality fiction, and yet F&SF's circulation is in decline, which is something that I find extremely sad. The three main professional SF magazines (Asimov's, Analog, F&SF) are all losing subscribers--the fact is that too many people do not even know that these magazines exist anymore. Tell people about them, buy a subscription for your nephew who loves role-playing games, or your daughter, or whomever. If you have a website, start some free advertising. Write reviews. Tell people about these magazines, for goodness sake. If we all tell people about these magazines, and get more subscribers, then they can certainly live for many, many more years.

They certainly deserve to.


The New Yorker of the Fantasy/SciFi Genre   August 17, 2003
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

What sets F&SF Mag apart from the other digest-sized magazines that deliver speculative fiction is that F&SF chooses, almost every month, to transcend the genres it represents instead of remaining within the definitions and boxes that limit the other magazines. There don't seem to be any hard and fast rules concerning the stories that appear in this magazine except that they be really well written, and compellingly readable. The stories run all over the fertile woodland of Fantasy and Science Fiction and every month hold many surprises. There really hasn't been a magazine this satisfying since the old Twilight Zone magazine. In the end, it isn't about hard science or speculation about what might happen (in a scientific way). This is a magazine about stories for people who love to read them.


A Proven Track Record of Excellence   July 3, 2006
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Fantasy&ScienceFiction magazine has been around since 1949, and is in my opinion one of the better SciFi and fantasy mags on the market. It has a proven track record of publishing outstanding short stories, novellas, and novelettes that have later gone on to win Hugo, Nebula, and dark fantasy awards, which brings me to the 2006 June issue of the magazine: The June issue features an outstanding and very creepy novella entitled Hallucigenia by Laird Barron. I predict an award for this chilling novella, which will be just another in a long and esteemed list of award worthy tales from Fantasy&ScienceFiction.
Barron's story could be classed as a Cthulhu Mythos tale, although no where does the author allude to H.P. Lovecraft's works. It is simply that the recurring theme is a recognizable one to us Mythos fans.
Highly recommended reading, and worth the subscription price.



All it promises and more   March 8, 2003
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine is full of imaginative stories every month; I have never been disappointed. The stories range in length from blasters to novellas, so no matter how much or little time one has, there is a story that will fit in. The authors are professionals who deliver well polished prose time after time. There are rarely stories at the extremes of the fantasy or sci-fi genres. I have never read about elves and dragons or about the workings of a space ship in any issue. The stories are about people, relationships, and all the strangeness we call life, as is the case with all good writing, not dazzling displays of scientific blather.