Issue:
In this issue:
The December 2021 issue of Locus magazine has interviews with Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and a spotlight on artist Gary Villarreal. The issue lists US and UK forthcoming books titles through September 2022. Stories include the World Fantasy Awards and convention report, a report on the 2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future event, the Department of Justice challenge to the PRH and S&S merger, the creation of "Weird Tales Presents", the Chesley Awards finalists, and more. People and publishing includes news this issue about Bradley P. Beaulieu, Mercedes Lackey, Tobias S. Buckell, Cadwell Turnbull, and many others. Petra Mayer, Robert Thurston, Jim Fiscus, and Catherine M. Morrison are remembered with obituaries and appreciations. Reviews cover new titles by Saad Z. Hossain, Gautam Bhatia, Tarun K. Saint (ed.), Neal Stephenson, T. Kingfisher, K.J. Parker, Charles Stross, Greg Egan, Lauren Blackwood, Sacha Wunsch, Lilliam Rivera, Ari Honarvar, Cynthia Zhang, Un-Su Kim, Violet Kupersmith, Erica L. Satifka, Robert Freeman Wexler, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (ed.), London Shah, Natashia Deón, Fonda Lee, Caitlin Starling, and others.
Table of Contents:
December 2021 • Issue 731 • Vol. 87 • No. 6
54th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and interview design by Stephen H. Segal
INTERVIEWS
Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Power & Justice / 10
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki: Decolonizing the Mind / 26
MAIN STORIES / 5
2021 World Fantasy Awards • DoJ Challenges PRH and S&S Merger • Weird Tales Presents • Chesley Awards Finalists
THE DATA FILE / 7
SFWA and Lackey Statements • New Zealand Library Controversy • National Book Awards Winners • Prix Utopiales Winners • Andrew Carnegie Medals Shortlist • SFWA News • World Conventions News • Convention News • Workshop News • Announcements • PW’s Best of 2021 • Kirkus's Best of the Year • Washington Post's Best SF Books • B&N’s Best of 2021 • Amazon's Best of 2021 • Publishing News • Chinese SF Awards • Imagined Futures Prize • 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 Bradley P. Beaulieu, Mercedes Lackey, Tobias S. Buckell, Cadwell Turnbull, and many others
SPECIAL FEATURES
Spotlight on Gary Villarreal / 48
CONVENTIONS
2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future / 5 World Fantasy Convention / 28
FORTHCOMING BOOKS
US Forthcoming Books / 32 British Forthcoming Books / 42
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: October / 49 Books Received: October / 50 British Books Received: September / 60 Bestsellers / 62
OBITUARIES / 73
Petra Mayer • Robert Thurston • Jim Fiscus • Catherine M. Morrison
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 74
Winding Down the Year • This Issue/Next Issue
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by Rich Horton / 12
F&SF 11-12/21; Cossmass Infinities 9/21; Fusion Fragment 9/21; The New Yorker 10/11/21; Tales the Devil Told Me, Jen Fawkes.
Short Fiction Reviews by Paula Guran / 13
Weird Horror #2; The Deadlands 10/21; The Dark 9/21, 10/21; Apex #125; Flash Fiction Online 10/21; Nightmare 10/21, 11/21; Fantasy 10/21, 11/21.
Short Fiction Reviews by Karen Burnham / 14
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/7/21; Clarkesworld 10/21; Tor.com 9/8, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/20/21; Strange Horizons 9/13/21; Lightspeed 10/21; Mithila Review 3/21; Common Tongue 8/21; Bards & Sages 10/21.
Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe / 16
Cyber Mage, Saad Z. Hossain; The Horizon, Gautam Bhatia; The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction: Volume 2, Tarun K. Saint, ed.
Reviews by Adrienne Martini / 18
Termination Shock, Neal Stephenson; Paladin’s Hope, T. Kingfisher; A Practical Guide to Conquering the World, K.J. Parker.
Reviews by Russell Letson / 19
Invisible Sun, Charles Stross; The Book of All Skies, Greg Egan.
Reviews by Colleen Mondor / 20
Within These Wicked Walls, Lauren Blackwood; Lies My Memory Told Me, Sacha Wunsch; We Light Up the Sky, Lilliam Rivera.
Reviews by Maya C. James / 21
A Girl Called Rumi, Ari Honarvar; After the Dragons, Cynthia Zhang.
Reviews by Ian Mond / 22
The Cabinet, Un-Su Kim; Build Your House Around My Body, Violet Kupersmith; How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters, Erica L. Satifka; Undiscovered Territories, Robert Freeman Wexler.
Reviews by Divers Hands: T.G. Shenoy, Alex Brown, Caren Gussoff Sumption, Nadia Elbaar, Gabino Iglesias / 24
The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, ed.; Journey to the Heart of the Abyss, London Shah; The Perishing, Natashia Deón; Jade Legacy, Fonda Lee; The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling.
Terry Bisson: This Month in History / 13, 18, 23, 25
Magazines reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
F&SF 11-12/21 (Rich Horton)
Cossmass Infinities 9/21 (Rich Horton)
Fusion Fragment 9/21 (Rich Horton)
The New Yorker 10/11/21 (Rich Horton)
Tales the Devil Told Me, Jen Fawkes (Rich Horton)
Weird Horror #2 (Paula Guran)
The Deadlands 10/21 (Paula Guran)
The Dark 9/21, 10/21 (Paula Guran)
Apex #125 (Paula Guran)
Flash Fiction Online 10/21 (Paula Guran)
Nightmare 10/21, 11/21 (Paula Guran)
Fantasy 10/21, 11/21 (Paula Guran)
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)
Bhatia, Gautam • The Horizon (Gary K. Wolfe)
Blackwood, Lauren • Within These Wicked Walls (Colleen Mondor)
Deón, Natashia • The Perishing (Alex Brown)
Egan, Greg • The Book of All Skies (Russell Letson)
Ekpeki, Oghenechovwe Donald • The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (T.G. Shenoy)
Fawkes, Jen • Tales the Devil Told Me (Rich Horton)
Honarvar, Ari • A Girl Called Rumi (Maya C. James)
Hossain, Saad Z. • Cyber Mage (Gary K. Wolfe)
Kim, Un-su • The Cabinet (Ian Mond)
Kingfisher, T. • Paladin's Hope (Adrienne Martini)
Kupersmith, Violet • Build Your House Around My Body (Ian Mond)
Lee, Fonda • Jade Legacy (Nadia Elbaar)
Parker, K. J. • A Practical Guide to Conquering the World (Adrienne Martini)
Rivera, Liliam • We Light Up the Sky (Colleen Mondor)
Saint, Tarun H., ed. • The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction: Volume 2 (Gary K. Wolfe)
Satifka, Erica L. • How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters (Ian Mond)
Shah, London • Journey to the Heart of the Abyss (Alex Brown)
Starling, Caitlin • The Death of Jane Lawrence (Gabino Iglesias)
Stephenson, Neal • Termination Shock (Adrienne Martini)
Stross, Charles • Invisible Sun (Russell Letson)
Wexler, Robert Freeman • Undiscovered Territories (Ian Mond)
Wunsch, Sacha • Lies My Memory Told Me (Colleen Mondor)
Zhang, Cynthia • After the Dragons (Maya C. James)