Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois, arrived in the mail yesterday. While this anthology is a perennial favorite of mine, this year's edition appears to be even better than the norm (and my opinion has nothing to do with being named to the honorable mention list, although that was a pleasant surprise). As I always do, the first thing I turned to was Gardner's excellent summation of the past year in science fiction. Once again I found his summary to be top-notch, with it both refreshing my memory about a few things and bringing in many points which I had not previously known.

Look for my complete review of the anthology in a few weeks.

Final week of voting for Million Writers Award

We're into the last week of voting for the Million Writers Award. "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" by Matt Bell (Storyglossia) holds a narrow lead over "Friday Afternoons on Bus 51" by Sruthi Thekkiam (Blackbird), while "The Surgeon's Tale" by Cat Rambo and Jeff VanderMeer (Subterranean) and "We Never Talk About My Brother" by Peter S. Beagle (IGMS) are close behind. So don't forget to cast your vote before voting ends on July 17.

More on William Sanders and posting rejection letters

Guess I'm going to have to explain more about my previous comments on the William Sanders rejection letter. I totally agree with Tobias Buckell that the "context" argument from Sanders' supporters makes no sense. I've never used the term "those people" in my entire life. When I've heard the term used by others, it's never been in a good sense (such as "Those people are great!).

The more I think about this issue, the more I realize that if one receives a rejection with similar crap in it the best thing to do is post it online and expose said crap to the light of day. But the truth is that very few rejections will have content which calls for doing this. Just as it is unprofessional to call an editor every week and ask about your story's status, or to submit a handwritten manuscript, or to spam every editor under the sun with submissions, so too is it unprofessional to post a rejection letter online. Yes, the Sanders' letter seems to one of those "exceptions to the rules." But new writers shouldn't look at this situation and think, "Oh, I should post every rejection letter I receive online because that will bring me some attention." Odds are the attention you'd get would not be the good type of attention.

UPDATE: I don't know how I missed this, but on Buckell's website a woman named Nora, who has been published twice in Helix, posted a comment in which she says Sanders told her that because she criticized him in an online forum, he will no longer publish her stories in Helix. Unbelievable. While I stand by my view on (generally) not posting rejection letters, in Sanders' case this exposure was a good thing because it is allowing his festering sore of racism to be exposed to the world.

Campbell and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards

The winners of the John W. Campbell Memorial and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards have been announced. Kathy Goonan’s novel In War Times has won the Campbell award, while the joint winners of the Sturgeon short story award are "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear and "Finisterra" by David Moles. Both of these short stories are amazing. Last year I selected "Finisterra" as one of my stories of the week, and you can read my analysis of the story here. Congrats to all these winners.

Never post an editor's rejection letter!

In case things aren't clear enough from the title of this post, let me repeat: Writers should never post an editor's rejection letter on the internet!

Over on the Asimov's forum, people are discussing an incident where a writer named Luke Jackson posted a rejection letter he received from William Sanders at Helix. The letter was originally posted on the blog of William Preston, who is defending the posting. Luke, however, has now apologized for the posting and Sanders has evidently accepted the apology.

I'm glad Luke Jackson has worked things out with William Sanders, but to everyone else saying editorial rejections are fair game for posting online, I'd like to add a few words: Are you crazy? Do you actually want to see your stories in print one day?

I have worked as an editor for a number of years, both at a commercial publishing house and at the online journal storySouth. The only reason I ever took the time to write a detailed rejection letter like the one Sanders wrote was if I thought the author had talent and I wanted to encourage that talent. If anyone had ever posted one of my rejection letters and then refused to apologize or remove the posting, I would have never considered any other submissions from that author. Period. And while I wouldn't have passed the word about the incident to other editors, if the letter attracted a lot of attention online you can bet other editors would have noticed and taken this into consideration come their own submission time.

It appears Luke Jackson made an honest mistake and has worked things out with his editor. But for all those crying defiance over this issue, pledging to post their own rejection letters for the world to critique, don't say you haven't been warned.

UPDATE: Someone e-mailed asking about my thoughts on the content of William Sanders' rejection letter. Just FYI, I focused this musing on the issue of posting an editor's rejection letter on the internet because I wasn't initially aware of what was in the letter. Once I read his letter, all I can say is that Tobias Buckell sums up my feelings very well on the matter. I've also posted more of my thoughts on all this here.

Review of June 2008 Strange Horizons fiction

My take on the June 2008 fiction from Strange Horizons is now up at The Fix short fiction review. Of the five stories published that month by Strange Horizons, my favorite was "Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe" by Ramsey Shehadeh. For complete details, please see my review.

As a staff reviewer for The Fix, I will be reviewing Strange Horizons' fiction each month. Look for my thoughts on their July fiction in early August.

Story of the Week: "The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay

My new story of the week is "The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay from the August 2008 Fantasy and Science Fiction. A sequel to Finlay's 2002 story "The Political Officer," which was reprinted in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twentieth Annual Collection, this story picks up the tale of Maxim Nikomedes, a political officer/secret agent for the fundamentalist Christian world of Jesusalem. In the last story, Max's work as a double agent almost cost him his life; in this story, it causes him to be sent to a reeducation camp on his harsh and austere homeworld.

Jesusalem barely supports human life and since its settlement the colonists have been terraforming the planet. However, since the Christian sects of this world reject most advanced technology, this terraforming is done by hand, by prisoners dragging baskets of algae across the planet's burning sands in an attempt to create topsoil. Finley's descriptions of the harsh reality of a reeducation camp--which is modeled on those infamous gulags of the old Soviet Union--are simply awe-inspiring, as are his descriptions of what people will do to survive in such a death-inducing environment.

However, the most amazing aspect of the story is Max himself. As a political officer, Max has a unique view on why all of this is being done to him. For example, when prisoners are killed as a way to teach everyone to stay in line, Max is both horrified at the sight and appreciative of the political skill of the man doing the killing. Likewise, he is now seeing the fruits of his own political work. For example, decades ago he created a derogatory term for a group of genetically altered humans; now Max hears people bandying this term around as they hate these altered people with an outsized passion. Max is vain enough to take pride in this outgrowth of his work--and old enough to also be ashamed. It is in this conflict between what Max has done in the past, and the changes he is undergoing in the reeducation camp, which makes the story such a winner. This story will likely be reprinted in some of the "year's best" anthologies, and I highly recommend it to all readers.

Nebula Awards website

In the "it's about time" category, the SFWA has created a website devoted to their Nebula Awards. The site is informative and nicely laid out, although it is still very much a work in progress. For example, the archives of all the past winners is missing the years 1967 to 1989, and the guest blog is still in progress. But all in all, this is something the SFWA has been needing to do for a long time and I'm glad it finally exists.

Vincent Chong's artwork for my upcoming story

Vincent Chong illustrated my story "The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain," which is due to be published in a few days in issue 217 of Interzone. He has now uploaded a full-color version of the story's artwork--titled "The Weather Tower"--to his website.

I think Chong's interpretation of the story is amazing. In other good news, Chong said he will also illustrate my next story for Interzone, titled "When Thorns Are The Tips Of Trees." I'm truly honored that Interzone has paired me with this world-class artist. I should also mention that Chong sells prints of all of the artwork found on his website.

Earl Kemp's Who Killed Science Fiction

Per George Santayana's famous comment that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," I would like to point out that the continual hand wringing over whether or not short science fiction is dying is almost five decades too late. In 1960 Earl Kemp asked the top science fiction authors a series of questions, the first of which was "Do you feel that magazine science fiction is dead?" The results were published as Who Killed Science Fiction, which went on to win the 1961 Hugo Award for best fanzine.

Two years ago Earl Kemp published an updated and unexpurgated online version of Who Killed Science Fiction. It's an amazing experience to read through the responses from authors like Robert A. Heinlein, Philip José Farmer, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Ray Bradbury, and Marion Zimmer Bradley. One highlight is the interview with Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who states that "Anybody who announces that he is a science fiction writer is announcing that he is in damn bad company financially and artistically." Kemp's updated version of the publication then gives Vonnegut's second thoughts about those harsh words, as he states in a letter to Kemp that "My own contribution to Who Killed Science Fiction? was irresponsible, and I'm sorry for it."

I challenge everyone who moans about the coming death of science fiction short stories to read through this amazing piece of SF history. I think you'll find that many of the arguments and issues being raised today are the same ones being raised back then, which leads me to suspect that forty years from now people will still be writing and publishing SF short fiction--and moaning about the genre's coming death.

(As a side note, Earl Kemp still publishes a monthly e-zine. Check out the back issues here.)

Million Writers Award update

Voting for the Million Writers Award appears to be going smoothly, with just over 500 people casting their votes so far. "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" by Matt Bell (Storyglossia) remains in first place with 18% of the vote, while "Friday Afternoons on Bus 51" by Sruthi Thekkiam (Blackbird) and "The Surgeon's Tale" by Cat Rambo and Jeff VanderMeer (Subterranean) are close behind.

So far attempts to stuff the ballot have been manageable and I've only had to remove a few votes. I should also note that there isn't that big a vote difference between the top five ranking stories, so this remains a very competitive race which can easily swing any way. Remember, voting ends on July 17.

Top science fiction films since 1991

Over on SciFi Scanner, John Scalzi suggested how to improve the American Film Institute's list of top ten science fiction films. The problem with AFI's list is that it only contains films from 1991 and before. Since there have been a ton of great SF films created in the last 17 years, that's a hell of an oversight.

I agree with all five of Scalzi's additions--The Matrix (1999), Ghost in the Shell (1995), The Incredibles (2004), 12 Monkeys (1995), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). I would also propose the following films: Gattaca (1997), Children of Men (2006), and most importantly, Alex Proyas's masterpiece Dark City (1998). People might also be interested in Cinemension's Great Films List, which breaks the best films down by genre, director, and more.

About Jason

 

NeverNeverStoriesCoverJason Sanford is the award-winning author of a number of short stories, essays, and articles, and an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Born and raised in the American South, he currently lives in the Midwestern U.S. with his wife and sons. His life's adventures include work as an archeologist and as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Jason has published more than a dozen of his short stories in the British SF magazine Interzone, which once devoted a special issue to his fiction. His fiction has also been published in Asimov's Science Fiction, Analog: Science Fiction and Fact, InterGalactic Medicine Show, Tales of the Unanticipated, The Mississippi Review, Diagram, Pindeldyboz, and other places. Book anthologies containing his stories include Year's Best SF 14 edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, Bless Your Mechanical Heart edited by Jennifer Brozek, and Beyond the Sun edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

A collection of Jason’s short stories, titled Never Never Stories, was published by a small press in 2011.

Jason’s awards and honors include being a finalist for the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novella, winning both the 2008 and 2009 Interzone Readers' Polls for best story of the year (and being a co-winner of the 2010 Poll), receiving a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, being nominated for the BSFA Award, and being longlisted for the British Fantasy Award. His stories have also been named to the 2012 and 2013 Locus Recommended Reading Lists along with being translated into a number of languages including Chinese, French, Russian, Polish, and Czech.

Jason co-founded the literary journal storySouth, through which he ran the annual Million Writers Award for best online fiction. His critical essays and book reviews have been published in a number of places including SF Signal, The New York Review of Science Fiction, and The Pedestal Magazine. He also writes a regular column for the Czech SF magazine XB-1.

Jason can be contacted at jasonsanfordsf (at sign) gmail (dot) com. He can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, Medium.com, and other social media platforms.

Awards and media

Here are some of the awards and honors I've received for my writing:

  • Winner of the 2008 and 2009 Interzone Readers' Polls. Co-winner of the 2010 Readers' Poll.
  • Finalist for the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novella.
  • Story reprinted in Year's Best SF 14, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer.
  • Story nominated for the 2009 British Fantasy Award.
  • Two stories nominated for the 2008 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction.
  • Multiple honorable mentions in the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th annual collections of The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, edited by Gardner Dozois.
  • Winner of a 2002 Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship.
  • 2003 Gold Award for Communications Crafts, Writing, from University of Minnesota Communicators Forum.
  • Winner of the 2005 Fiction Warehouse Hypnologic Experiment writing contest
  • Winner of the Magnificent Magnolia 2003 essay contest
  • Jury selection in the Walker Art Center's 5 Minutes of Fame, December 2002
  • Winner of a 1997-98 Loft Mentor Series Award for Fiction.
  • Finalist for a SASE/Jerome Award.
  • Finalist at the 2001 Op-Ed Slam, sponsored by the National Writers Union.
  • Three-time judge of the Minnesota Book Awards, including judge of the 2003 fiction category.

 

Below is a sampling of the media coverage about my work. Reviews of my fiction are on this page.

Reviews and interviews

 

Quick links

 

Here are reviews of my fiction along with interviews with me. For specific publication information on these stories, please see my fiction page.

Interviews with Jason

 

General Reviews about Jason's Stories

  • "Sanford (and some other writers) are producing SF that truly has a different feel than much that has gone before." — Rich Horton, Locus, February 2011
     
  • "Few SF/fantasy writers generate a buzz through short fiction alone, but Jason Sanford is an exception. Over the past few years, he's created a growing fan base through his brand of modern speculative fiction, something he called 'SF Strange.'" — Jeff VanderMeer on Amazon's Omnivoracious blog
     
  • "Interzone is really spoiling me when it publishes Jason Sanford so regularly. As far as I'm concerned, they couldn't publish too much of this author if they named it Jason Sanford's Science Fiction Magazine." — Sam Tomaino, SFRevu
  • "A writer whose reputation grows with each story." — author Colin Harvey
  • "Sanford expertly blends world building and storytelling. In fact, he makes it look easy." — John DeNardo, SF Signal

 

Reviews of Selected Stories

"Plague Birds" (short story originally published in Interzone)

  • "Breath-taking in its audacity ... a story to remind jaded reviewers why they fell in love with SF in the first place." Colin Harvey, Suite 101
  • "Hugo-worthy." SFRevu
  • Five Stars. SF Signal
  • "Ingenious fiction." Tangent Online
  • "Intriguing and a worthwhile base story for what seems like a planned series." Rich Horton, Locus, Aug. 2010
  • "Good solid entertainment." Gardner Dozois, Locus, Oct. 2010.
  • Honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, 28th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois.

"A Twenty-First Century Fairy Love Story"  

"Into the Depths of Illuminated Seas"  

  • "Will make my Hugo short list when I nominate in 2011." SFRevu
  • "The original premise and good writing recommend the story." Tangent Online

"Here We Are, Falling Through Shadows"

  • Longlisted for the 2010 British Fantasy Award.
  • Honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, 27th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois.
  • Reprinted in the Czech SF magazine Ikarie and the French book anthology Ténèbres.
  • "A dark, tragic tale that somehow ends with a measure of hope." Suite 101
  • "Will make my Hugo shortlist." SFReview
  • "A chilling story of the unknown." SF Crowsnest
  • Four stars. "Marvelously engaging story." SF Signal
  • A "haunting story that stayed with me long after the first reading." Tangent

"Sublimation Angels" (Link to ebook editions)  

"When Thorns Are The Tips Of Trees"

"The Ships Like Clouds, Risen By Their Rain"
 

"Where Away You Fall"

  • Honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, 26th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois.
  • Selected by Richard Horton as one of four impressive Analog short stories for 2008.

"Book Scouts of the Galactic Rim"

"Rumspringa"

  • Selected as an honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction Stories, 25th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois.

 

Pictures of a Martian dust devil

Alan Taylor at Boston.com has compiled some amazing photos from the different NASA probes sent to Mars. While there plenty of mind-blowing images here, perhaps the eeriest is seeing dust devils blow across the surface of the red planet. The video results from a series of images acquired in 2005 by NASA's Spirit Mars Rover. To see the dust devils, pan down about a third of the way through the page.

Revelations on the success of Battlestar Galactica

The season-ending episode of the new Battlestar Galactica series has now aired. For an excellent review and analysis of this amazing episode (titled "Revelations"), see Alan Sepinwall's dead-on comments. Instead of joining in with praise for the episode, I want to address a bigger issue on why Battlestar Galactica is in the running for the best science fiction TV series in history.

There has been a lot of grumbling from people that season 4 was too slow and that the series had become nothing more than a soap opera in space. Personally, I didn't agree with these comments because I thought the season was shaping up to be the best in an already top-notch broadcast run. However, as I listened to these complaints, the truth began to dawn on me: Many SF fans can't stomach a TV series that actually practices what so many in the genre have preached for years.

For decades SF authors and fans have been saying that the best SF is based on character development and insight into deep human issues. Yes, SF features exciting future worlds with lots of space ships, fun technology, and massive interstellar backdrops, but when you cut to the essence of the best SF stories they are about individual humans and their struggles. Well guess what: Battlestar Galactica has truly followed this formula. The reason this season's last episode paid off so amazingly well is because of the character development we've witnessed these last few months and years.

I believe the mixed critical reaction among SF fandom to Battlestar Galactica results from a scism between those who want their SF to reach truly human understanding and depths, and those who see SF as more like escapism. This doesn't mean that Battlestar Galactica isn't also a great thrill ride, which it is. But what pushes the series into TV greatness is it's not afraid to address incredibly deep issues such as what makes us human and what our purpose in this crazy universe might be--all while tying the audience into knots over the personal dramas of the main characters. Speaking for myself, I expect nothing less from the best SF, and that's why I've loved every minute of Battlestar Galactica season 4.

The Chekhovs and Maupassants of the weblit era

Writer Robert Laughlin e-mailed that he analyzed all the authors who've made it to the different levels of the Million Writers Award over the last five years. His purpose: to determine who are "the Chekhovs and Maupassants of the weblit era."

His findings:

  • Richard Grayson and Corey Mesler, with 7 stories from each author making the MWA notable lists over the years.
  • Stephen Gillis, with 5 stories.
  • Elizabeth Bear, with 4 stories.

So there you have it--the new weblit Chekhovs and Maupassants.