Search Results for: Galaxy Retro

Vintage Treasures: The Best of Hal Clement

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Hal Clement was perhaps the least well-known subject in the Classics of Science Ficiton series, even in 1979, when The Best of Hal Clement appeared. He’s virtually forgotten today, 10 years after he died. Ironically, he was probably the author I was personally most familiar with. Not because I read much of his fiction (not a lot was in print by the late 70s), but because of Maplecon. Maplecon was the small local science fiction convention in Ottawa, Canada. I started attending…

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Frederik Pohl, November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013

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Science Fiction lost one of its brightest lights yesterday. Frederik Pohl — award-winning writer, editor, agent, and fan — entered the hospital in Palatine, Illinois, in respiratory distress yesterday morning, and died that afternoon. He was 93 years old. Pohl was one of the most important genre figures of the 20th Century. His first publication, at the age of 17, was the poem “Elegy to a Dead Satellite: Luna,” in the October 1937 issue of Amazing Stories. He followed it…

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The Top 50 Black Gate Posts in July

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You folks certainly have diverse interests. The top article on the Black Gate blog last month was on the departure of senior editor James Frenkel from Tor, which I think reveals a healthy interest in publishing and the state of the industry. Good for you. Our second most popular post was Howard Andrew Jones’s enthusiastic report on the fan-made show Star Trek Continues, which demonstrates your excellent taste in television programming, followed by a detailed report on using a 40-year…

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An Interview with John Joseph Adams

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Nearly every fabulous anthology you’ve read in the past ten years was edited by John Joseph Adams.* OK, OK, that might be a little much. I’ll restate. Nearly every fabulous anthology you’ve read in the past ten years was either edited by John Joseph Adams or Ellen Datlow. Cross my black heart and bet you a Tardis, that statement’s got sturdy stems.** Today we focus on Mr. Adams – king taste-maker of spec fic. He’s been a six-time finalist for…

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The Top 50 Black Gate Blog Posts in March

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I think we’ve finally deciphered what it is that Black Gate readers truly want: great fantasy novels, with lots of action and an enchanting cast of characters. And pirates. That would certainly explain how the brief announcement of David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna’s first collaboration, Waters of Darkness, vaulted to the top of our traffic stats and stayed there for the entire month of March — edging out Emily Mah’s Ellen Datlow interview, Sean McLachlan’s examination of one of…

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Kirkus Looks at Astounding Science Fiction

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Andrew Liptak at Kirkus Reviews has posted a nice retrospective of one of the most influential figures in the history of our genre: John W. Campbell, editor of Astounding Science Fiction and the short-lived Unknown magazine. Here’s a snippet: In 1938, science fiction would run into another personality who would change science fiction again: When 28-year-old author John Campbell Jr. was hired to edit Astounding Magazine. Campbell’s influence in the magazine market is commonly cited as the beginning of the…

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The Top 50 Black Gate Posts in December

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December was the most active month the BG blog has ever seen, breaking every traffic record in our history. It’s good to have you folks hanging out with us, instead of risking your neck skiing or snowboarding or something. Exercise kills, and it especially has it in for long-time readers with weak vision and poor motor skills. If you’re just joining us, you missed some great stuff last month. Theo took on the entire SF & fantasy establishment, Rich Horton proved there’s still…

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Three Against the Stars Blasts Off for Intergalactic Adventure

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Three Against the Stars is the second book I’ve read by Joe Bonadonna. Unlike his sword & sorcery work, this marks a venture into pure space fantasy. My knowledge of the genre is admittedly spotty. I was unfamiliar with the works of Edmond Hamilton and E. E. “Doc” Smith, who are both cited as influences, but part of the joy of genre fiction is that one does not need to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all that has gone before…

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