October 2017 • Issue 681 • Vol. 79 • No. 4
50th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and Interview Designs by Francesca Myman

INTERVIEWS

James Patrick Kelly: Alterations / 10
Annalee Newitz: Reprogramming / 32 

MAIN STORIES / 5

Jerry Pournelle (1933 – 2017) • 2016 Sidewise Awards Winners • 2017 Dragon Awards Winners • Joan Aiken Prize • 2017 National Book Award Longlist • SFWA Call for Grants • Women Injured at Dragon Con • 2017 Man Booker Shortlist

THE DATA FILE / 7

2017 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists • Sarem Removed from Times List • Patterson Grants • Awards News • Publishing News • Announcements • Financial News • International Rights • Other Rights • Audiobooks Received • Publications Received • Catalogs Received

PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8

Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Robert J. Sawyer, Margaret Atwood, Michael Swanwick, Hannu Rajaniemi, Adam Christopher, and many others

SPECIAL FEATURES

Commentary: Kameron Hurley: What Comes After the Ship Is Sunk? / 31 

WORLDCON 75

Worldcon 75 Report / 34 2017 WSFS Business Meeting / 43 Complete 2017 Hugo Voting / 44

LISTINGS

Magazines Received: August / 48 Books Received: August / 49 British Books Received: July / 60 Bestsellers / 62 

OBITUARIES

Jerry Pournelle (1933 – 2017) / 5 Appreciations from Larry Niven, David Gerrold, Tim Powers, Gregory Benford, Stephen Kotowych, and John Goodwin / 5 Other Obituaries: Len Wein / 73 Appreciation from David Gerrold / 73 

EDITORIAL MATTERS / 74

Helsinki • Subscription Drive • This Issue/Next Issue

LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS

Short Fiction Reviews by Gardner Dozois / 12

A Flight to the Future, Kathryn Cramer, ed.; Asimov’s 5-6/17, 7-8/17; F&SF 7-8/17; The Best of Subterranean, William Schafer, ed.

Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 13

Lightspeed 8/17, 9/17; Tor.com 8/17; Apex 7/17; Interzone 7-8/17; McSweeney’s #49; Mightier than the Sword K.J. Parker; Totalitopia, John Crowley; The Book of Swords, Gardner Dozois, ed.

Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 14

Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr, John Crowley; Tool of War, Paolo Bacigalupi; Quillifer, Walter Jon Wil­liams; A Long Day in Lychford, Paul Cornell; A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, Nat Segaloff.

Reviews by Faren Miller / 17

The Queen of Swords, R.S. Belcher; The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin; The Last Magician, Lisa Maxwell; The Strange Bird, Jeff VanderMeer.

Reviews by Russell Letson / 19

Provenance, Ann Leckie; Iain M. Banks, Paul Kincaid.

Reviews by Adrienne Martini / 20

The Stone in the Skull, Elizabeth Bear; Upon This Rock: Book 1 – First Contact, David Marusek; The Real-Town Murders, Adam Roberts; Vallista, Steven Brust.

Reviews by Stefan Dziemianowicz / 21

Haunted Nights, Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton, eds.; Gwendy’s Button Box, Stephen King & Richard Chizmar; Fever Dream, Samanta Schweblin.

Reviews by Liz Bourke / 22

The Black Tides of Heaven, JY Yang; The Red Threads of Fortune, JY Yang; Horizon, Fran Wilde; In Evil Times, Melinda Snodgrass.

Reviews by Colleen Mondor / 24

Sovereign, April Daniels; Wild Beauty, Anna-Marie McLemore.

Reviews by Carolyn Cushman / 25

The Furthest Station, Ben Aaronovitch; Tumble & Blue, Cassie Beasley; Buried Heart, Kate Elliott; Ghost Garages, Erin M. Hartshorn; The Squirrel on the Train, Kevin Hearne; The Imposters of Aventil, Marshall Ryan Maresca; Mask of Shadows, Linsey Miller; The Unicorn in the Barn, Jacqueline K. Ogburn; Strange Practice, Vivian Shaw.

Reviews by Divers Hands: Rich Horton, Rachel Swirsky / 27

Infinite Stars, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, ed.; Six Months, Three Days, Five Others, Charlie Jane Anders.

Audiobook Reviews by Amy Goldschlager / 28

Meddling Kids, Edgar Cantero; Julia Defiant, Catherine Egan; The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Theodora Goss; Gwendy’s Button Box, Stephen King and Richard Chizmar; Steal the Stars: Episodes 1-5 (of 14), Mac Rogers; The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland.

Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 17, 24, 29

 

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Magazine Issues reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer) —

Apex Magazine July 2017 (Rich Horton)
Asimov’s May/June 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
Asimov’s July/August 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
F&SF July/Aug 2017 (Gardner Dozois)
Interzone Jul-Aug 2017 (Rich Horton)
Lightspeed August 2017 (Rich Horton)
Lightspeed September 2017 (Rich Horton)
McSweeney’s #49 2017 (Rich Horton)
Tor.com August 2017 (Rich Horton)

Books reviewed in this issue, listed by author (indicating reviewer) —

Aaronovitch, Ben • The Furthest Station (Carolyn Cushman)
Anders, Charlie Jane • Six Months, Three Days, Five Others (Rachel Swirsky)
Bacigalupi, Paolo • Tool of War (Gary K. Wolfe)
Bear, Elizabeth • The Stone in the Skull (Adrienne Martini)
Beasley, Cassie • Tumble & Blue (Carolyn Cushman)
Belcher, R. S. • The Queen of Swords (Faren Miller)
Brust, Steven • Vallista (Adrienne Martini)
Cornell, Paul • A Long Day in Lychford (Gary K. Wolfe)
Cramer, Kathryn, ed. • A Flight to the Future (Gardner Dozois)
Crowley, John • Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (Gary K. Wolfe)
Crowley, John • Totalitopia (Rich Horton)
Daniels, April • Sovereign (Colleen Mondor)
Datlow, Ellen, & Lisa Morton, eds. • Haunted Nights (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Dozois, Gardner, ed. • The Book of Swords (Rich Horton)
Elliott, Kate • Buried Heart (Carolyn Cushman)
Hartshorn, Erin M. • Ghost Garages (Carolyn Cushman)
Hearne, Kevin • The Squirrel on the Train (Carolyn Cushman)
Jemisin, N. K. • The Stone Sky (Faren Miller)
Kincaid, Paul • Iain M. Banks (Russell Letson)
King, Stephen, & Richard Chizmar • Gwendy’s Button Box (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Leckie, Ann • Provenance (Russell Letson)
Maresca, Marshall Ryan • The Imposters of Aventil (Carolyn Cushman)
Marusek, David • Upon This Rock (Adrienne Martini)
Maxwell, Lisa • The Last Magician (Faren Miller)
McLemore, Anna-Marie • Wild Beauty (Colleen Mondor)
Miller, Linsey • Mask of Shadows (Carolyn Cushman)
Ogburn, Jacqueline • The Unicorn in the Barn (Carolyn Cushman)
Parker, K. J. • Mightier than the Sword (Rich Horton)
Roberts, Adam • The Real-Town Murders (Adrienne Martini)
Schafer, William, ed. • The Best of Subterranean (Gardner Dozois)
Schmidt, Bryan Thomas, ed. • Infinite Stars (Rich Horton)
Schweblin, Samanta • Fever Dream (Stefan Dziemianowicz)
Segaloff, Nat • A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison (Gary K. Wolfe)
Shaw, Vivian • Strange Practice (Carolyn Cushman)
Snodgrass, Melinda • In Evil Times (Liz Bourke)
VanderMeer, Jeff • The Strange Bird (Faren Miller)
Wilde, Fran • Horizon (Liz Bourke)
Williams, Walter Jon • Quillifer (Gary K. Wolfe)
Yang, JY • The Black Tides of Heaven (Liz Bourke)
Yang, JY • The Red Threads of Fortune (Liz Bourke)