The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The December issue of Interzone (issue 213) has something of a eastern theme running through it – John Paul Catton, a regular for Interzone’s sister publication Black Static, has a good report on the World Science Fiction Convention in Japan, Andy Hedgecock interviews the very fine author Gary Gibson and there is the usual compliment of book and DVD reviews. But interesting as those are it is the short fiction that is the jewel in the crown of Interzone and the eastern theme I alluded to continues with not one but two tales of alternate history in which China is one of the dominant world powers.

(the cover of Interzone #213, art by Kenn Brown, (c) TTA Press)

As the editorial introduction notes both stories – Metal Dragon year by Chris Robertson and The Lost Xuyan Bride by Aliette de Bodard – arrived closely together; both were considered too good to drop one or the other and so the decided instead to make a feature of it and run both in the same issue. It’s a decision I heartily approve of – both are fascinating works, very well written (as you’d expect, Interzone generally has impeccable standards on this score) and while both are alternate history stories involving China taking a different path from our own history they are both very different in style and theme. Chris’ Metal Dragon year is set in his Celestial Empire universe and follows the struggle to launch the Tainkong One rocket, while Aliette wonders what would have happened if those astonishingly advanced Chinese fleets which were recalled home as China turned inward centuries ago had instead kept exploring and become the first to contact the Aztec empire ahead of the Spanish. Given the current remarkable expansion of China in both terms of industry and science both stories also – like all the best science fiction works – have a lot of relevance to the contemporary world we inhabit

I’ve always been partial to the alternate history strand of science fiction, probably because I’m a bit of a history buff as well as a comics and SF geek. But there is something I find endlessly fascinating about the ‘what ifs’ of alternate histories, about conjecturing how the world would have unfolded if a turning point in history (and history is full of turning points, large and small) had forked down another path; its a speculative area that science fiction does especially well in my opinion (on which note, if you are interested in the field I’d recommend Kim Stanley Robinson’s Years of Rice and Salt, which also features an expanded role for China and South American civilisations, Keith Roberts classic Pavane and one of the great grandaddies of the genre, Ward Moore’s brilliant Bring the Jubilee).

(detail from Kenn Brown’s cover for Interzone #213, which also serves as the original artwork for Chris Robertson’s tale metal Dragon Year)

Warren Ellis recently discussed the worrying trend of declining sales for SF journals – and it should be worrying to both readers and authors (and especially those nascent authors still working hard towards that elusive first book deal). For decades journals like Interzone have been where many readers (and some publishers) are introduced to us; it’s from this launch pad and testing ground that a good writer can both hone their craft in front of a demanding audience (although an understanding one – we want to see them succeed) and establish a name for themselves, hopefully landing a book deal from it. In many ways it is the literary equivalent of a new band going on the road and playing small clubs – you try to make a name for yourself and sharpen your skills while you do so. And readers get to do the “ah, I was reading him before he was famous, you know” thing to friends to show how finger-on-the-pulse of the genre they are.

Sure we have online resources available – both from individual authors and organisations – but good as this is (and it is, especially since it often gives a chance you might not otherwise have to read the short stories nominated for major award because they stay available online while a periodical publication will have been and gone) there is no substitute for sitting down with a story in print. Don’t get me wrong, I will read on-screen, I love new technology (and the revamped TTA Press site makes use of this, offering up articles and tales online too), but at the end of the day there is no substitute for being able to sit down with an actual, physical print version of a story for a good read. It is also perfect for reading on that bus or train commuter journey. And then there is that real joy a reader experiences if they later see a full-length novel from a writer they first enjoyed in a short tale in a journal.

There’s certainly a lot of use to be made of the web in sharing short fiction from new, up and coming writers (and the same is true in comics as well), but it would be a dreadful shame to forget about the print journals – they’ve not only been the backbone of the SF community for decades, I’d argue that they still have a very important role to play, most especially in the introduction and promotion of new writing talent. So please, if you are an SF reader, think about that, think about some of the strange, new worlds you could be exploring, new ideas, new writers you may not otherwise come across; think about that and pick up a copy and, just as importantly, share your enthusiasm with other readers, because I am sure there are plenty out there who have just forgotten about the journals, or younger readers who aren’t even aware of them and who are missing out. Interzone is available from your friendly, neighbourhood Forbidden Planet International store or online via the TTA Press site.