We critics may scratch our head at the appeal of Laurell K Hamilton’s seemingly endless Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter franchise, but the guys at Penny Arcade know how it works:

Click on through for the horrible truth.

The second issue of Hub Magazine shows a marked improvement from the first, in terms of presentation - they’ve reigned in the images embedded in stories, which has made things a lot more readable. Some of the background images still make the text hard to follow, but there’s always a balance of compromise between impact and readability. What is plain is that they’re listening to their readers, which bodes well for the future.

Continue reading “Magazine Review: Hub, Issue #2 (Winter 2007)”

Continue reading “Magazine review: Apex Digest, Volume 1 Issue 8″

It’s probably obvious to any regulars here that I’m trying hard to ‘raise my game’ with this whole reviewing/criticism gig. Luckily, a resource that may be of great use to me (and maybe to you too, if you’re of a like mind) has come to light. Continue reading “An incomplete bibliography of worthwhile science fiction and genre criticism”

It’s a brave move to launch a print magazine devoted to short genre fiction in a climate where everyone seems to be trumpeting the decline of the scene, and that is exactly what the producers of Hub magazine have decided to do - a paying market for both fiction and non-fiction, in glossy (if small-format) magazine quality (as opposed to small-press chapbook). I’ll leave the debate as to whether they can last the course without trimming back on writer’s fees or magazine quality for those who know the industry better than I, and report from the reader’s perspective. Continue reading “Magazine Review: Hub #1″

I’m still quite new to the small-press magazine scene, but one thing that as obvious from the outset is the differing characters of each publication. Electric Velocipede is no exception - if issue 11 is anything to go by, it veers between introspective and playful, with a tendency to detour through darkness. Continue reading “Magazine Review: Electric Velocipede #11″

Of all the news I expected to encounter this evening, a report of the launch of a new UK sf magazine was the least likely, but that is what I got. Continue reading “The new mag in town”