Interzone (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Interzone is an award-winning British
fantasy and science fiction magazine
. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine. Stories published in Interzone have been finalists for the Hugo Awards and have won a Nebula Award
and numerous British Science Fiction Awards.
, Alan Dorey, Malcolm Edwards
, Colin Greenland
, Graham James, Roz Kaveney
, Simon Ounsley and David Pringle
. According to Dorey, the group had been fans of the groundbreaking science fiction magazine New Worlds
and wanted to create a "New Worlds for the 1980s, something that would publish only great fiction and be a proper outlet for new writers."
While the magazine started as an editorial collective, soon editor David Pringle was the driving force behind Interzone. In 1984 Interzone received a generous donation from Sir Clive Sinclair
; the magazine later received support from the Arts Council of Great Britain
, Yorkshire Arts, and the Greater London Arts Association.
Interzone was first initially published quarterly, from Spring 1982 to Issue 24, Summer 1988. It was then on a bi-monthly schedule from September/October 1988 to Issue 34, March/April 1990. For over a decade, it was then published monthly until several slippages of schedule reduced it to an effectively bi-monthly magazine in 2003.
Founding editor David Pringle
stepped down in early 2004 with issue 193. Andy Cox of TTA Press, which publishes The Third Alternative
, then took ownership of Interzone. Since the switch Interzone has undergone a series of redesigns while maintaining high fiction standards. The redesigned Interzone has been called the "handsomest SF magazine in the business" by Gardner Dozois
.
While both fantasy and science fiction are covered in the magazine's critical articles, the original stories mainly focus on science fiction.
In 2006, the Science Fiction Writers of America removed the magazine from its list of professional markets due to low rates and small circulation. However, within the genre field the magazine is still ranked as a professional publication. As Dozois has stated, "By the definition of SFWA, Interzone doesn't really qualify as a 'professional magazine' because of its low rates and circulation, but as it's thoroughly professional in the caliber of writers that it attracts and in the quality of the fiction it produces, just about everyone considers it to be a professional magazine anyway." As of 2009 the magazine had a circulation in the 3,000 plus copy range. It pays semi-professional rates to writers.
for best semiprozine
, winning the award in 1995. In 2005 the Worldcon
committee gave David Pringle a Special Award for his work on the magazine. The magazine has also won the British Fantasy Award
.
Each year, multiple stories published in Interzone are reprinted in the annual "year's best stories" anthologies, while other stories have been finalists for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. In 2010 the magazine became one of only eleven magazines to have a story win a Nebula Award. The winning story was the novelette "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster
.
In addition, 16 stories originally published in Interzone have won the British Science Fiction Award for short fiction.
science fiction writers, including Stephen Baxter
, Greg Egan
, Kim Newman
, Alastair Reynolds
and Charles Stross
, as well as publishing works by established writers such as Brian Aldiss
, J.G. Ballard, Iain M. Banks, Thomas M. Disch
, William Gibson
, Robert Holdstock
, Gwyneth Jones
, Terry Pratchett
, Christopher Priest, John Sladek
, Brian Stableford
, Ian Watson
and many others. Interzone is also known for publishing new and upcoming writers, regularly publishing the works of Tim Lees, Aliette de Bodard
, Gareth L Powell
, Eugie Foster
, Jason Sanford
, Nina Allan, and others.
Interzone features regular columns by David Langford
(Ansible Link - News & Gossip, Obituaries), Tony Lee (Laser Fodder - DVD Reviews) and Nick Lowe
(Mutant Popcorn - Film Reviews). In 2010, Lowe won a British Science Fiction Award for his Mutant Popcorn column.
In 2008 a Mundane SF
issue was published, guest edited by Geoff Ryman
, Julian Todd
and Trent Walters.
The second through fourth anthologies were reissued by New English Library.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fantasy and science fiction magazine
Science fiction magazine
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine. Stories published in Interzone have been finalists for the Hugo Awards and have won a Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
and numerous British Science Fiction Awards.
History
Interzone was initially produced by an unpaid collective of eight peopleJohn CluteJohn Clute
John Frederick Clute is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."...
, Alan Dorey, Malcolm Edwards
Malcolm Edwards
Malcolm John Edwards is a British editor and critic in the science fiction field. He received his degree from the University of Cambridge. He is currently Deputy CEO at the Orion Publishing Group. Edwards resides in London with his wife, the CEO of a public relations company...
, Colin Greenland
Colin Greenland
Colin Greenland is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best known novel is Take Back Plenty , winner of both major British science fiction awards, the 1990 British SF Association award and the 1991 Arthur C...
, Graham James, Roz Kaveney
Roz Kaveney
Roz Kaveney is a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and editor. She was born male but changed to and thereafter has lived as a female...
, Simon Ounsley and David Pringle
David Pringle
David Pringle is a Scottish science fiction editor.Pringle served as the editor of Foundation, an academic journal, from 1980 through 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective which founded Interzone in 1982...
. According to Dorey, the group had been fans of the groundbreaking science fiction magazine New Worlds
New Worlds (magazine)
New Worlds was a British science fiction magazine which was first published professionally in 1946. For 25 years it was widely considered the leading science fiction magazine in Britain, publishing 201 issues up to 1971...
and wanted to create a "New Worlds for the 1980s, something that would publish only great fiction and be a proper outlet for new writers."
While the magazine started as an editorial collective, soon editor David Pringle was the driving force behind Interzone. In 1984 Interzone received a generous donation from Sir Clive Sinclair
Clive Sinclair
Sir Clive Marles Sinclair is a British entrepreneur and inventor, most commonly known for his work in consumer electronics in the late 1970s and early 1980s....
; the magazine later received support from the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
, Yorkshire Arts, and the Greater London Arts Association.
Interzone was first initially published quarterly, from Spring 1982 to Issue 24, Summer 1988. It was then on a bi-monthly schedule from September/October 1988 to Issue 34, March/April 1990. For over a decade, it was then published monthly until several slippages of schedule reduced it to an effectively bi-monthly magazine in 2003.
Founding editor David Pringle
David Pringle
David Pringle is a Scottish science fiction editor.Pringle served as the editor of Foundation, an academic journal, from 1980 through 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective which founded Interzone in 1982...
stepped down in early 2004 with issue 193. Andy Cox of TTA Press, which publishes The Third Alternative
The Third Alternative
Black Static, formerly The 3rd Alternative, is an award-winning British horror magazine edited by Andy Cox. The magazine has won the British Fantasy Award for "Best Magazine" while individual stories have won other awards...
, then took ownership of Interzone. Since the switch Interzone has undergone a series of redesigns while maintaining high fiction standards. The redesigned Interzone has been called the "handsomest SF magazine in the business" by Gardner Dozois
Gardner Dozois
Gardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
.
While both fantasy and science fiction are covered in the magazine's critical articles, the original stories mainly focus on science fiction.
In 2006, the Science Fiction Writers of America removed the magazine from its list of professional markets due to low rates and small circulation. However, within the genre field the magazine is still ranked as a professional publication. As Dozois has stated, "By the definition of SFWA, Interzone doesn't really qualify as a 'professional magazine' because of its low rates and circulation, but as it's thoroughly professional in the caliber of writers that it attracts and in the quality of the fiction it produces, just about everyone considers it to be a professional magazine anyway." As of 2009 the magazine had a circulation in the 3,000 plus copy range. It pays semi-professional rates to writers.
Awards and recognition
Interzone has been nominated 25 consecutive times for the Hugo AwardHugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for best semiprozine
Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
, winning the award in 1995. In 2005 the Worldcon
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
committee gave David Pringle a Special Award for his work on the magazine. The magazine has also won the British Fantasy Award
British Fantasy Award
The British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
.
Each year, multiple stories published in Interzone are reprinted in the annual "year's best stories" anthologies, while other stories have been finalists for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. In 2010 the magazine became one of only eleven magazines to have a story win a Nebula Award. The winning story was the novelette "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster
Eugie Foster
Eugie Foster is a Nebula Award winning Asian American short story writer, columnist, and editor. Her stories have been published in a number of magazines and book anthologies, including Fantasy Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, and Interzone. Her...
.
In addition, 16 stories originally published in Interzone have won the British Science Fiction Award for short fiction.
Writers
Interzone has been responsible for starting the careers of a number of importantscience fiction writers, including Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
, Greg Egan
Greg Egan
Greg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
, Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Kim Newman is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history...
, Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
and Charles Stross
Charles Stross
Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
, as well as publishing works by established writers such as Brian Aldiss
Brian Aldiss
Brian Wilson Aldiss, OBE is an English author of both general fiction and science fiction. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss. Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss is a vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society...
, J.G. Ballard, Iain M. Banks, Thomas M. Disch
Thomas M. Disch
Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
, William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, Robert Holdstock
Robert Holdstock
Robert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author best known for his works of Celtic, Nordic, Gothic and Pictish fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction....
, Gwyneth Jones
Gwyneth Jones (novelist)
Gwyneth Jones is an English science fiction and fantasy writer and critic, and a young adult/children's writer under the name Ann Halam.-Biography and writing career:...
, Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, Christopher Priest, John Sladek
John Sladek
John Thomas Sladek was an American science fiction author, known for his satirical and surreal novels.- Life and work :...
, Brian Stableford
Brian Stableford
Brian Michael Stableford is a British science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published as by Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford...
, Ian Watson
Ian Watson (author)
Ian Watson is a British science fiction author. He currently lives in Northamptonshire, England.His first novel, The Embedding, winner of the Prix Apollo in 1975, is unusual for being based on ideas from generative grammar; the title refers to the process of center embedding...
and many others. Interzone is also known for publishing new and upcoming writers, regularly publishing the works of Tim Lees, Aliette de Bodard
Aliette de Bodard
Aliette de Bodard is a speculative fiction writer. She is of French/Vietnamese descent, born in the USA, and grew up in Paris. French is her mother-tongue, but she writes in English. She is a Software Engineer specialising in Machine Vision....
, Gareth L Powell
Gareth L Powell
Gareth Lyn Powell, born 1970, is an English author of Science Fiction. He is the author of the novels The Recollection and Silversands, and the acclaimed short story collection The Last Reef...
, Eugie Foster
Eugie Foster
Eugie Foster is a Nebula Award winning Asian American short story writer, columnist, and editor. Her stories have been published in a number of magazines and book anthologies, including Fantasy Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, and Interzone. Her...
, Jason Sanford
Jason Sanford
Jason Sanford is an American science fiction author best known for his short story writing. His fiction has been published in Interzone, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Year's Best SF 14, and other magazines and anthologies...
, Nina Allan, and others.
Interzone features regular columns by David Langford
David Langford
David Rowland Langford is a British author, editor and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter Ansible.-Personal background:...
(Ansible Link - News & Gossip, Obituaries), Tony Lee (Laser Fodder - DVD Reviews) and Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe (classicist)
Dr Nick Lowe is a Reader in Classics in the Department of Classics and Philosophy at Royal Holloway University of London, with interests including narratology and reception of Greek antiquity in historical fiction. He is also an award-winning film reviewer for science fiction magazine, Interzone...
(Mutant Popcorn - Film Reviews). In 2010, Lowe won a British Science Fiction Award for his Mutant Popcorn column.
In 2008 a Mundane SF
Mundane SF
Mundane Science Fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction, similar to hard science fiction, which is characterized by its setting on Earth or within the solar system, and a lack of interstellar travel or contact with aliens....
issue was published, guest edited by Geoff Ryman
Geoff Ryman
Geoffrey Charles Ryman is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and surrealistic or "slipstream" fiction.Ryman currently lectures in Creative Writing for University of Manchester's English Department. His most recent full-length novel, The King's Last Song, is set in Cambodia, both at the time of...
, Julian Todd
Julian Todd
Julian Todd is a British computer programmer and activist for freedom of information. He works in Liverpool.He was inventor and co-founder of Public Whip with Francis Irving. And also the affiliated TheyWorkForYou website, a project which parses raw Hansard data to track how members vote in the UK...
and Trent Walters.
Anthologies
In the first years, several anthologies were published.- John Clute, Colin Greenland and David Pringle: Interzone - The 1st Anthology, Everyman Fiction Limited, 1985
- John Clute, David Pringle and Simon Ounsley: Interzone - The 2nd Anthology, Simon & Schuster Limited, 1987
- John Clute, David Pringle and Simon Ounsley: Interzone - The 3rd Anthology, Simon & Schuster Limited, 1988
- John Clute, David Pringle and Simon Ounsley: Interzone - The 4th Anthology, Simon & Schuster Limited, 1989
- John Clute, David Pringle and Simon Ounsley: Interzone - The 5th Anthology, New English Library Paperbacks, 1991
- David Pringle: The Best of Interzone, Voyager, 1996
The second through fourth anthologies were reissued by New English Library.