Issue:
In this issue:
The November 2021 issue of Locus magazine has interviews with Chuck Wendig and publisher Betsy Wollheim and a spotlight on artist Tehani Farr. News includes the British Fantasy, Sturgeon, Clarke, and Aurora Awards winners and the National Book Awards finalists. The Data File covers the new Le Guin prize for fiction, the Mythopoeic Awards winners, 2021 MacArthur Fellowships, and much more. FIYAHCON and ICon are covered with full reports and photos, and Cory Doctorow's column is entitled "The Unimaginable". People & Publishing includes news about John Williams, Ursula Vernon, Kelly Link, Gabino Iglesias, Tim Pratt, Mercedes Lackey, and many others. Obituaries remember Mary Kay Kare, Gary Paulsen, Lou Antonelli, Douglas Barbour, and Otacílio Costa D’Assunção Barros. Reviews cover new titles by Nnedi Okorafor, Charlie Jane Anders, Jonathan Strahan (ed.), Liselle Sambury, Jenny Elder Moke, Chandra Prasad, Jordan Ifueko, Jessica Lewis, Adam Soto, Nick Mamatas, David Liss, Hiromi Kawakami, Cassandra Khaw, Joe R. Lansdale, C. Dale Brittain, Sarah Beth Durst, Walter Goodwater, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kevin Hearne, Naomi Novik, Christine Riccio, F. Paul Wilson, Fonda Lee, Okezie Nwọka, Alastair Reynolds, Saad Z. Hossain, Freya Marske, Ryka Aoki, Joy Sanchez-Taylor, and more.
Table of Contents:
November 2021 • Issue 730 • Vol. 87 • No. 5
54th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and interview design by Stephen Segal
INTERVIEWS
Chuck Wendig: Accidental Hauntings / 10
Betsy Wollheim: Alpha Daughter / 28
MAIN STORIES / 6
Campbell Wins Sturgeon • British Fantasy Awards Winners • McKay Wins Clarke Award • National Book Awards Finalists • Aurora Awards Winners
THE DATA FILE / 7
New Le Guin Prize for Fiction • Mythopoeic Awards Winners • 2021 MacArthur Fellowships • Andrew Carnegie Medals Longlist • Conventions News • Magazine News • 2021 HWA Election Results • Word Horde Store • Elgin Awards Winners • SF Opera Premiere • Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Fourth Edition • 100 Novels That Shaped Our New World • Icons of Horror • World Conventions News • Supply Chain Woes • Publishing News • Agency News • 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 John Williams, Ursula Vernon, Kelly Link, Gabino Iglesias, Tim Pratt, Mercedes Lackey, and many others
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary by Cory Doctorow: The Unimaginable / 27 Spotlight on Tehani Farr / 33
CONVENTIONS
FIYAHCON / 30 ICon 2021 / 32
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: September / 34 Books Received: September / 35 British Books Received: August / 44 Bestsellers / 46
OBITUARIES / 57
Mary Kay Kare • Gary Paulsen • Lou Antonelli • Douglas Barbour • Otacílio Costa D’Assunção Barros
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 58
World Fantasy • Online Conventions • This Issue
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 13
Asimov’s 9-10/21; Uncanny 9-10/21; On Spec 6/21, 9/21; Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories, Tobias S. Buckell; How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters, Erica L. Satifka.
Short Fiction Reviews by Karen Burnham / 14
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 9/9, 9/23/21; Clarkesworld 9/21; Strange Horizons 8/21; Lightspeed 10/21; Nature: Futures 9/17/21; Abyss & Apex Summer ’21; Lackington’s Spring ’21; Speculative City Spring ’21; Hexagon Fall ’21.
Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 16
Noor, Nnedi Okorafor; Even Greater Mistakes, Charlie Jane Anders; The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Chandra Prasad. Redemptor, Jordan Ifueko; Bad Witch Burning, Jessica Lewis.
Reviews by Ian Mond / 20
This Weightless World, Adam Soto; The Second Shooter, Nick Mamatas; The Peculiarities, David Liss; People from My Neighbourhood, Hiromi Kawakami.
Reviews by Gabino Iglesias / 22
The All-Consuming World, Cassandra Khaw; Radiant Apples, Joe R. Lansdale.
Reviews by Carolyn Cushman / 23
The Sapphire Ring, C. Dale Brittain; Even and Odd, Sarah Beth Durst; The Liar of Red Valley, Walter Goodwater; A Terrible Fall of Angels, Laurell K. Hamilton; Paper & Blood, Kevin Hearne; The Last Graduate, Naomi Novik; Better Together, Christine Riccio; Double Threat, F. Paul Wilson.
Reviews by Divers Hands: Nadia Elbaar, Maya C. James, Russell Letson, T.G. Shenoy, Caren Gusoff Sumption, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro / 24
Jade Legacy, Fonda Lee; God of Mercy, Okezie Nwọka; Belladonna Nights and Other Stories, Alastair Reynolds; Cyber Mage, Saad Z. Hossain; A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske; Light from Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki; Diverse Futures: Science Fiction and Authors of Color, Joy Sanchez-Taylor.
Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 17, 21, 25
Magazines reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Asimov’s 9-10/21 (Rich Horton)
Uncanny 9-10/21 (Rich Horton)
On Spec 6/21, 9/21 (Rich Horton)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 9/9, 9/23/21 (Karen Burnham)
Clarkesworld 9/21 (Karen Burnham)
Strange Horizons 8/21 (Karen Burnham)
Lightspeed 10/21 (Karen Burnham)
Nature: Futures 9/17/21 (Karen Burnham)
Abyss & Apex Summer ’21 (Karen Burnham)
Lackington’s Spring ’21 (Karen Burnham)
Speculative City Spring ’21 (Karen Burnham)
Hexagon Fall ’21. (Karen Burnham)
Books reviewed in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Anders, Charlie Jane • Even Greater Mistakes (Gary K. Wolfe)
Aoki, Ryka • Light from Uncommon Stars (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
Brittain, C. Dale • The Sapphire Ring (Carolyn Cushman)
Buckell, Tobias S. • Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories (Rich Horton)
Durst, Sarah Beth • Even and Odd (Carolyn Cushman)
Goodwater, Walter • The Liar of Red Valley (Carolyn Cushman)
Hamilton, Laurell K. • A Terrible Fall of Angels (Carolyn Cushman)
Hearne, Kevin • Paper & Blood (Carolyn Cushman)
Hossain, Saad Z. • Cyber Mage (T.G. Shenoy)
Ifueko, Jordan • Redemptor (Alex Brown)
Kawakami, Hiromi • People from My Neighborhood (Ian Mond)
Khaw, Cassandra • The All-Consuming World (Gabino Iglesias)
Lansdale, Joe R. • Radiant Apples (Gabino Iglesias)
Lee, Fonda • Jade Legacy (Nadia Elbaar)
Lewis, Jessica • Bad Witch Burning (Alex Brown)
Liss, David • The Peculiarities (Ian Mond)
Mamatas, Nick • The Second Shooter (Ian Mond)
Marske, Freya • A Marvellous Light (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
Moke, Jenny Elder • Curse of the Specter Queen (Colleen Mondor)
Novik, Naomi • The Last Graduate (Carolyn Cushman)
Nwoka, Okezie • God of Mercy (Maya C. James)
Okorafor, Nnedi • Noor (Gary K. Wolfe)
Prasad, Chandra • Mercury Boys (Colleen Mondor)
Reynolds, Alastair • Belladonna Nights and Other Stories (Russell Letson)
Riccio, Christine • Better Together (Carolyn Cushman)
Sambury, Liselle • Blood Like Magic (Colleen Mondor)
Sanchez-Taylor, Joy • Diverse Futures: Science Fiction and Authors of Color (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)
Satifka, Erica L. • How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters (Rich Horton)
Soto, Adam • This Weightless World (Ian Mond)
Strahan, Jonathan, ed. • The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volume 2 (Gary K. Wolfe)
Wilson, F. Paul • Double Threat (Carolyn Cushman)