Issue:
In this issue:
The February 2023 issue of Locus is the annual Year in Review overview with essays, the Locus 2022 Recommended Reading List, and the magazine summary tracking the progress of the industry. The issue also features an interview with Suyi Davies Okungbowa. News includes the Chengdu Worldcon delay and updates, PKD Award finalists, the retirement of Random House president Gina Centrello, the empanelment of the World Fantasy Awards judges, HarperCollins strike news, and more. Obituaries remember Suzy McKee Charnas, Henry Morrison, and Richard Bober. Reviews cover new titles by Kelly Link, Kelly Barnhill, Elizabeth Bear, Max Gladstone, T. Kingfisher, Steven Brust, Matt Ruff, Marisa Crane, Hoa Pham, Natasha Bowen, Liselle Sambury, Charles de Lint, Karen Heuler, Julie C. Day & Ellen Meeropol (eds.), Mira Grant, Izzy Wasserstein, Rati Mehrotra, Sangu Mandanna, Sara Bennett Wealer, Laura Pohl, Nathan Ballingrud, Adrian Tchaikovsky, K. Eason, and others.
Table of Contents:
February 2023 • Issue 745 • Vol. 90 • No. 2
55th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover and interview design by Stephen H.Segal
INTERVIEW / 10
Suyi Davies Okungbowa: Truth & Freedom & Power
MAIN STORIES / 5
Chengdu Worldcon Delay • PKD Award Finalists • Random House President Retires • World Fantasy Awards Judges • HarperCollins Strike News
THE DATA FILE / 6
NAACP Image Awards • Nebula Conference Registration • Psychopomp.com Launch • Manuscript Thief Pleads Guilty • Apple’s AI Audio • CW Goes Virtual for 2023 • Galaxy’s Edge Switches Format • WSFA Small Press Award Open • Horror University Workshops • Obama’s Top Books of 2022 • Announcements • World Conventions News • Publishing News • Escape Artists Goes Nonprofit • Galactic Philadelphia Returns • Edgar Awards Nominations • Your Personal Odyssey Workshop • SFPA News • Emeka Walter Dinjos Award Finalists • Voyage to the Edge of Imagination Exhibition • Giger and Sorayama Exhibition • Vernacular Books Closes • Chilean SF News • Awards News • Financial News • International Rights
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Laird Barron, Harlan Ellison, Ada Palmer, Jo Walton, Cory Doctorow, Wole Talabi, and many others
2022: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
2022 Recommended Reading by Liza Groen Trombi (with Laurel Amberdine, Tim Pratt & Francesca Myman), Gary K. Wolfe, Maya James, Gabino Iglesias, Adrienne Martini, Arley Sorg, Alex Brown, Paula Guran, Russell Letson, Tim Pratt, Ian Mond, Colleen Mondor, Charles Payseur, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, and Graham Sleight / 26 2022 Recommended Reading List / 39 2022 Magazine Summary / 49
LISTINGS
Books Received: December / 59 Bestsellers / 70 New & Notable / 71 Magazines Received: December / 78
OBITUARIES / 76
Suzy McKee Charnas • Appreciations by Debbie Notkin, Jeanne Gomoll, Ellen Datlow • Henry Morrison • Richard Bober
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 79
February and Fonts • WorldCon • Next Up • Locus Poll & Survey and Locus Awards
LOCUS LOOKS AT BOOKS
Short Fiction Reviews by KAREN BURNHAM / 12
Future SF Digest 12/22; Asimov’s 11-12/22; Clarkesworld 12/22; Assemble Artifacts Summer ‘22; Under- land Arcana Summer ‘22.
Short Fiction Reviews by PAULA GURAN / 13
Tor.com 12/1/22, 12/24/22, 1/11/23, 1/18/23, 1/25/23; The Dark 11/22, 12/22; Nightmare 11/22, 12/22; The Deadlands 11/22, 12/22; PodCastle 12/20/22; Dark Matter 11-12/22.
Short Fiction Reviews by CHARLES PAYSEUR / 14
Cast of Wonders 11/15/22, 12/11/22; Escape Pod 11/17/22, 12/8/22; Strange Horizons 11/14/22, 11/21/22, 11/28/22, 12/5/22; Fantasy 12/22; Lightspeed 12/22; Hexagon 12/22; Fusion Fragment 12/22; Diabolical Plots 12/22; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 12/1/22, 12/15/22; GigaNotoSaurus 12/22; Flash Fiction Online 12/22; Three-Lobed Burning Eye 12/22; F&SF 1-2/23.
Reviews by GARY K. WOLFE / 16
White Cat, Black Dog, Kelly Link; The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill.
Reviews by ADRIENNE MARTINI / 17
The Origin of Storms, Elizabeth Bear; Dead Country, Max Gladstone; Illuminations, T. Kingfisher; Tsalmoth, Steven Brust.
Reviews by IAN MOND / 18
The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff; I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself, Marisa Crane; Empathy, Hoa Pham.
Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 19
Soul of the Deep, Natasha Bowen; Blood Like Fate, Liselle Sambury.
Reviews by CAREN GUSSOFF SUMPTION / 20
Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls, Charles de Lint; A Slice of the Dark and Other Stories, Karen Heuler; Dreams for a Broken World, Julie C. Day & Ellen Meeropol, eds.; Unbreakable, Mira Grant.
Reviews by MAYA C. JAMES / 22
All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From, Izzy Wasserstein; Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, Rati Mehrotra.
Reviews by COLLEEN MONDOR / 23
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna; Grave Things Like Love, Sara Bennett Wealer; The Wicked Remain, Laura Pohl.
Reviews by Divers Hands:
SEAN DOWIE, RUSSELL LETSON, ALEXANDRA PIERCE / 24
The Strange, Nathan Ballingrud; The City of Last Chances, Adrian Tchaikovsky; Nightwatch Over Windscar, K. Eason.
TERRY BISSON: This Month in History / 12, 15, 19, 21
Magazines reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Future SF Digest 12/22 (Karen Burnham)
Asimov’s 11-12/22 (Karen Burnham)
Clarkesworld 12/22 (Karen Burnham)
Assemble Artifacts Summer ‘22 (Karen Burnham)
Underland Arcana Summer ‘22 (Karen Burnham)
Tor.com 12/1/22, 12/24/22, 1/11/23, 1/18/23, 1/25/23 (Paula Guran)
The Dark 11/22, 12/22 (Paula Guran)
Nightmare 11/22, 12/22 (Paula Guran)
The Deadlands 11/22, 12/22 (Paula Guran)
PodCastle 12/20/22 (Paula Guran)
Dark Matter 11-12/22 (Paula Guran)
Cast of Wonders 11/15/22, 12/11/22 (Charles Payseur)
Escape Pod 11/17/22, 12/8/22 (Charles Payseur)
Strange Horizons 11/14/22, 11/21/22, 11/28/22, 12/5/22 (Charles Payseur)
Fantasy 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Lightspeed 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Hexagon 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Fusion Fragment 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Diabolical Plots 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies 12/1/22, 12/15/22 (Charles Payseur)
GigaNotoSaurus 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Flash Fiction Online 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
Three-Lobed Burning Eye 12/22 (Charles Payseur)
F&SF 1-2/23 (Charles Payseur)
Books reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer)—
Ballingrud, Nathan • The Strange (Sean Dowie)
Barnhill, Kelly • The Crane Husband (Gary K. Wolfe)
Bear, Elizabeth • The Origin of Storms (Adrienne Martini)
Bowen, Natasha • Soul of the Deep (Alex Brown)
Brust, Steven • Tsalmoth (Adrienne Martini)
Crane, Marisa • I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself (Ian Mond)
Day, Julie C., & Ellen Meeropol, eds. • Dreams for a Broken World (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
de Lint, Charles • Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
Eason, K. • Nightwatch over Windscar (Alexandra Pierce)
Gladstone, Max • Dead Country (Adrienne Martini)
Grant, Mira • Unbreakable (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
Heuler, Karen • A Slice of the Dark and Other Stories (Caren Gussoff Sumption)
Kingfisher, T. • Illuminations (Adrienne Martini)
Link, Kelly • White Cat, Black Dog (Gary K. Wolfe)
Mandanna, Sangu • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Colleen Mondor)
Mehrotra, Rati • Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove (Maya C. James)
Pham, Hoa • Empathy (Ian Mond)
Pohl, Laura • The Wicked Remain (Colleen Mondor)
Ruff, Matt • The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country (Ian Mond)
Sambury, Liselle • Blood Like Fate (Alex Brown)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian • City of Last Chances (Russell Letson)
Wasserstein, Izzy • All the Hometowns You Can't Stay Away From (Maya C. James)
Wealer, Sara Bennett • Grave Things Like Love (Colleen Mondor)
