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In this issue:
The December 2024 issue of Locus magazine has interviews with Paolo Bacigalupi and Vajra Chandrasekera, a spotlight on artist Christine Mitzuk, and a spotlight on book subscription box service Illumicrate and their quarterly science fiction subscription, Starbright. The issue lists US and UK forthcoming books titles through September 2025. News includes Samantha Harvey's Booker win, SFWA's special election results, the 2024 Ignyte Awards, the final Kitschies Awards shortlist, and more. Reports cover the World Fantasy Convention in Niagara Falls, Can*Con, and ICon and obituaries remember Greg Hildebrandt, Bruce Boston, Tim Sullivan, Phil Rickman, and Philippa Brewster. Reviews cover new titles by K.B. Wagers, Ruth Frances Long, Suzan Palumbo, Nnedi Okorafor, Erika Swyler, Tobi Ogundiran, Amy Goldsmith, Sarah Henning, Sarah Beth Durst, Romina Garber, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Eden Robins, Cary Groner, Andrew Joseph White, Alex Brown, Aislinn Brophy, David Ferraro, Chloe Gong, T.R. Napper, Sheri T. Joseph, Stephen Baxter, Margot Harrison, Matt Dinniman, Rivers Solomon, Dave McKean, Lafcadio Hearn, Adam Rowe, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Appupen & Laurent Daudet, Maurice Broaddus, Gabrielle Korn, a graphic novel by George R.R. Martin with art and adaptation by Raya Golden, and much more.
Table of Contents:
December 2024 • Issue 767 • Vol. 93 • No. 6
58th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and interview art & design by Francesca Myman.
INTERVIEWS
Paolo Bacigalupi: Gift of Story / 10
Vajra Chandrasekera: The Mythic and the Modern / 28
MAIN STORIES / 6
Harvey Wins Booker • Ignyte Awards 2024 • SFWA Special Election Results • The Final Kitschies Awards Shortlist
THE DATA FILE / 7
Burton Wins Humanities Medal • Andrew Carnegie Medal Shortlists • PW Best Books of 2024 • B&N Book of the Year Winner • Book Ban News • Fishing Fortress Awards • Reactor’s Most Iconic SF • Time’s Must-Read Books of 2024 • Christie’s SF Auction • Ekpeki Allegations • Geffen Awards Winners • Clarion West News • TAFF Nominations Open • Words of the Year • Ignotus Awards Winners • Premio Italia Winners • Announcements • Awards News • Financial News • International Rights • Audio Rights
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Seanan Mcguire, Molly Tanzer, John Langan, Isabel Cañas, A.C. Wise, Thomas Ha, and many others.
CONVENTIONS
World Fantasy Convention, 30 • Can*Con, 34 • ICon, 36
SPECIAL FEATURES
Spotlight on Christine Mitzuk, 35 • Spotlight on Illumicrate & Starbright, 37
FORTHCOMING BOOKS / 38
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: October, 54 • Books Received: October, 55 • Bestsellers, 66 • New & Notable, 67
OBITUARIES / 76
Greg Hildebrandt • Bruce Boston • Tim Sullivan • Phil Rickman • Philippa Brewster
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 62
The End of 2024 • World Fantasy • This Issue • Year-End Giving
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by CHARLES PAYSEUR / 12
Flash Fiction Online 9/24; Cast of Wonders 9/29/24; Escape Pod 9/19/24; Strange Horizons 9/16/24, 10/7/24, 10/14/24; F&SF Summer ’24; Kaleidotrope Autumn ’24; Fiyah 10/24; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/3/24; Diabolical Plots 10/24; Lightspeed 10/24; Baffling 10/24; GigaNotoSaurus 10/24; Small Wonders 10/24.
Short Fiction Reviews by A.C. WISE / 14
khōréo 4.2; Clarkesworld 10/24; Analog 9-10/24.
Reviews by LIZ BOURKE / 15
And the Mighty Will Fall, K.B. Wagers; The Book of Gold, Ruth Frances Long; Countess, Suzan Palumbo.
Reviews by GARY K. WOLFE / 16
Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor; We Lived on the Horizon, Erika Swyler; At the Fount of Creation, Tobi Ogundiran.
Reviews by COLLEEN MONDOR / 18
Our Wicked Histories, Amy Goldsmith; The Lies We Conjure, Sarah Henning; The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst; Castle of the Cursed, Romina Garber
Reviews by IAN MOND / 19
Interstellar MegaChef, Lavanya Lakshminarayan; Remember You Will Die, Eden Robins; The Way, Cary Groner.
Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 20
Compound Fracture, Andrew Joseph White; Rest in Peaches, Alex Brown; Spells to Forget Us, Aislinn Brophy; A Vile Season, David Ferraro.
Reviews by ALEXANDRA PIERCE / 22
Vilest Things, Chloe Gong; The Escher Man, T.R. Napper; Edge of the Known World, Sheri T. Joseph; Fortress Sol, Stephen Baxter.
Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 24
The Midnight Club, Margot Harrison; Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman; Model Home, Rivers Solomon.
Art Book Reviews by KAREN HABER / 25
Thalamus: The Art of Dave McKean, Dave McKean; The Kwaidan Collection, Lafcadio Hearn; SHORT TAKES: Voyaging, Volume One: The Plague Star, George R.R. Martin, art and adaptation by Raya Golden; Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s, Adam Rowe.
Reviews by Divers Hands: RUSSELL LETSON, ARCHITA MITTRA, NEDINE MOONSAMY, ABIGAIL NUSSBAUM / 26
Days of Shattered Faith, Adrian Tchaikovsky; Dream Machine: A Portrait of Artificial Intelligence, Appupen & Laurent Daudet; Breath of Oblivion, Maurice Broaddus; The Shutouts, Gabrielle Korn.
Magazines reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Flash Fiction Online 9/24 (Charles Payseur)
Cast of Wonders 9/29/24 (Charles Payseur)
Escape Pod 9/19/24 (Charles Payseur)
Strange Horizons 9/16/24, 10/7/24, 10/14/24 (Charles Payseur)
F&SF Summer ’24 (Charles Payseur)
Kaleidotrope Autumn ’24 (Charles Payseur)
Fiyah 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/3/24 (Charles Payseur)
Diabolical Plots 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
Lightspeed 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
Baffling 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
GigaNotoSaurus 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
Small Wonders 10/24 (Charles Payseur)
khōréo 4.2 (A.C. Wise)
Clarkesworld 10/24 (A.C. Wise)
Analog 9-10/24 (A.C. Wise)
Books reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Baxter, Stephen • Fortress Sol (Alexandra Pierce)
Broaddus, Maurice • Breath of Oblivion (Nedine Moonsamy)
Brophy, Aislinn • Spells to Forget Us (Alex Brown)
Brown, Alex • Rest in Peaches (Alex Brown)
Daudet, Appupen & Laurent • Dream Machine: A Portrait of Artificial Intelligence (Archita Mittra)
Dinniman, Matt • Dungeon Crawler Carl (Gabino Iglesias)
Durst, Sarah Beth • The Spellshop (Colleen Mondor)
Ferraro, David • A Vile Season (Alex Brown)
Garber, Romina • Castle of the Cursed (Colleen Mondor)
Goldsmith, Amy • Our Wicked Histories (Colleen Mondor)
Gong, Chloe • Vilest Things (Alexandra Pierce)
Groner, Cary • The Way (Ian Mond)
Harrison, Margot • The Midnight Club (Gabino Iglesias)
Hearn, Lafcadio, & Kent Williams • The Kwaidan Collection (Karen Haber)
Henning, Sarah • The Lies We Conquer (Colleen Mondor)
Joseph, Sheri T. • Edge of the Known World (Alexandra Pierce)
Korn, Gabrielle • The Shutouts (Abigail Nussbaum)
Lakshminarayan, Lavanya • Interstellar MegaChef (Ian Mond)
Long, Ruth Frances • The Book of Gold (Liz Bourke)
Martin, George R. R., & Raya Golden • Voyaging, Volume One: The Plague Star (Karen Haber)
McKean, Dave • Thalamus: The Art of Dave McKean (Karen Haber)
Napper, T. R. • The Escher Man (Alexandra Pierce)
Ogundiran, Tobi • At the Fount of Creation (Gary K. Wolfe)
Okorafor, Nnedi • Death of the Author (Gary K. Wolfe)
Palumbo, Suzan • Countess (Liz Bourke)
Robins, Eden • Remember You Will Die (Ian Mond)
Rowe, Adam • Worlds Beyong Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s (Karen Haber)
Solomon, Rivers • Model Home (Gabino Iglesias)
Swyler, Erika • We Lived on the Horizon (Gary K. Wolfe)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian • Days of Shattered Faith (Russell Letson)
Wagers, K. B. • And the Mighty Will Fall (Liz Bourke)
White, Andrew Joseph • Compound Fracture (Alex Brown)
