Issue:
In this issue:
The September 2023 issue of Locus magazine has interviews with Wole Talabi and John Wiswell. The issue lists US and UK forthcoming books through June 2024. News covers the 2023 World Fantasy Awards Ballot, the sale of Simon & Schuster to KKR, Ned Beauman's Clarke win, the closure of Fantasy Magazine, the Seiun Awards winners, the Dragon Awards ballot, and much more. This month’s commentary by Cory Doctorow is entitled Plausible Sentence Generators. Event coverage includes reports on Readercon and Pemmi-Con and photos from summer workshops. John R. Douglas, Sydney J. Van Scyoc, and Ira M. Thornhill are remembered with obituaries. Reviews include new titles by Lavie Tidhar, Elizabeth Hand, Alix E. Harrow, Garth Nix, Jacqueline Carey, Martha Wells, Aliette de Bodard, Keith Rosson, Babak Lakghomi, Ehigbor Okosun, Alechia Dow, Sona Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed (eds.), Vajra Chandrasekera, Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald, Courtney Gould, Garth Nix, William Ritter, Victor LaValle, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Craig Clevenger, Josh Rountree, Adrian Tchaikovsky, A.Y. Chao, C.L. Clark, Octavia Cade, Ryan Britt, and others.
Table of Contents:
September 2023 • Issue 752 • Vol. 91 • No. 3
56th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and interview art and design by Stephen H. Segal
INTERVIEWS
Wole Talabi: Nightmare Gods & Beyond / 10
John Wiswell: Monstrous Humor / 28
MAIN STORIES / 5
2023 World Fantasy Awards Ballot • Simon & Schuster Sold to KKR • Fantasy Magazine to Close
THE DATA FILE / 7
Mythopoeic Awards Winners • Octavia Butler Avenue • Baen Fantasy Adventure Award Winners • British Fantasy Awards Shortlist • Phantasia Press Relaunch • WSFA Small Press Award Finalists • Prix Utopiales Shortlist • Inkyard Press to Close • Canelo Horror Imprint • Splatterpunk Awards Winners • Mike Resnick Memorial Award Finalists • Scribe Awards Winners • Announcements • Awards News • Financial News • International Rights • Audio Rights • Publications Received
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Nalo Hopkinson, Sarah Beth Durst, Joe R. Lansdale, Khan Wong, Margo Lanagan, Ellen Datlow, and many others.
CONVENTIONS
Pemmi-Con, 5 • Readercon 32, 44
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary: Cory Doctorow: Plausible Sentence Generators, 27 • Summer Workshops, 63
FORTHCOMING BOOKS / 30
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: July, 46 • Books Received: July, 47 • Bestsellers, 56 • New & Notable, 57
OBITUARIES / 61
John R. Douglas • Appreciations by Ginjer Buchanan, John Silbersack, Jane Lindskold, and Jack Dann • Sydney J. Van Scyoc • Ira M. Thornhill
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 62
Support Magazines • Donors • John R. Douglas • Upcoming Issues
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by CHARLES PAYSEUR / 12
Escape Pod 6/22/23; Cast of Wonders 6/24/23; Worlds of Possibility 6/23; Samovar 6/26/23; Strange Horizons 6/19/23, 7/3/23, 7/10/23, 7/17/23; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 6/29/23, 7/13/23; Baffling 7/23; Kaleidotrope 7/23; Fiyah 7/23; Diabolical Plots 7/23; Flash Fiction Online 7/23; GigaNotoSaurus 7/23; Fantasy 6/23; Lightspeed 7/23.
Reviews by GARY K. WOLFE / 14
The Circumference of the World, Lavie Tidhar; A Haunting on the Hill, Elizabeth Hand; Starling House, Alix E. Harrow; Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz, Garth Nix.
Reviews by LIZ BOURKE / 16
Cassiel’s Servant, Jacqueline Carey; System Collapse, Martha Wells; A Fire Born of Exile, Aliette de Bodard.
Reviews by IAN MOND / 18
The Circumference of the World, Lavie Tidhar; Fever House, Keith Rosson; South, Babak Lakghomi.
Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 19
Forged by Blood, Ehigbor Okosun; A Song of Salvation, Alechia Dow; Magic Has No Borders, Sona Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed, eds.
Reviews by JAKE CASELLA BROOKINS / 2O
The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera; Prophet, Sin Blaché & Helen Macdonald.
Reviews by COLLEEN MONDOR / 21
Where Echoes Die, Courtney Gould; Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz, Garth Nix; Rook, William Ritter.
Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 22
Lone Women, Victor LaValle; Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Mother Howl, Craig Clevenger; The Legend of Charlie Fish, Josh Rountree.
Reviews by Divers Hands: RUSSELL LETSON, ARCHITA MITTRA, LESLYE PENELOPE, ALEXANDRA PIERCE, ALVARO ZINOS-AMARO / 23
Lords of Uncreation, Adrian Tchaikovsky; Shanghai Immortal, A.Y. Chao; The Faithless, C.L. Clark; You are My Sunshine and Other Stories, Octavia Cade; The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies, Ryan Britt.
Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 15, 17, 19
Magazines reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Escape Pod 6/22/23 (Charles Payseur)
Cast of Wonders 6/24/23 (Charles Payseur)
Worlds of Possibility 6/23 (Charles Payseur)
Samovar 6/26/23 (Charles Payseur)
Strange Horizons 6/19/23, 7/3/23, 7/10/23, 7/17/23 (Charles Payseur)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 6/29/23, 7/13/23 (Charles Payseur)
Baffling 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Kaleidotrope 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Fiyah 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Diabolical Plots 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Flash Fiction Online 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
GigaNotoSaurus 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Fantasy 6/23 (Charles Payseur)
Lightspeed 7/23 (Charles Payseur)
Books reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Blaché, Sin, & Helen Macdonald • Prophet (Jake Casella Brookins)
Britt, Ryan • The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)
Cade, Octavia • You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories (Alexandra Pierce)
Carey, Jacqueline • Cassiel's Servant (Liz Bourke)
Chandrasekera, Vajra • The Saint of Bright Doors (Jake Casella Brookins)
Chao, A. Y. • Shanghai Immortal (Archita Mittra)
Charaipotra, Sona, & Samira Ahmed, eds. • Magic Has No Borders (Ian Mond)
Clark, C. L. • The Faithless (Leslye Penelope)
Clevenger, Craig • Mother Howl (Gabino Iglesias)
de Bodard, Aliette • A Fire Born of Exile (Liz Bourke)
Dow, Alechia • A Song of Salvation (Ian Mond)
Gould, Courtney • Where Echoes Die (Colleen Mondor)
Hand, Elizabeth • A Haunting on the Hill (Gary K. Wolfe)
Harrow, Alix E. • Starling House (Gary K. Wolfe)
Lakghomi, Babak • South (Ian Mond)
LaValle, Victor • Lone Women (Gabino Iglesias)
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia • Silver Nitrate (Gabino Iglesias)
Nix, Garth • Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz (Colleen Mondor)
Nix, Garth • Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz (Gary K. Wolfe)
Okosun, Ehigbor • Forged by Blood (Alex Brown)
Ritter, William • Rook (Colleen Mondor)
Rosson, Keith • Fever House (Ian Mond)
Rountree, Josh • The Legend of Charlie Fish (Gabino Iglesias)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian • Lords of Uncreation (Russell Letson)
Tidhar, Lavie • The Circumference of the World (Gary K. Wolfe)
Tidhar, Lavie • The Circumference of the World (Ian Mond)
Wells, Martha • System Collapse (Liz Bourke)
