Weird Tales 359. Conrad Williams
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WEIRD TALES 359
Winter 2012
Publisher | Nth Dimension Media
Editor-in-chief | Ann VanderMeer
Nonfiction Editor | Paula Guran
Art Directors | Stephen H. Segal, Mary Robinette Kowal
Contributing Editor | Kenneth Hite
Editorial Assistants | Tessa Kum, Dominik Parisien, Alan Swirsky
Cover art | Matt Mills
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Weird Tales® is published by Nth Dimension Media, Inc. Postmaster and others: send all changes of address and other subscription matters to 525 West End Avenue 12E, New York, NY 10024. Single copies, $7.95 in U.S.A. & possessions; $10 by first class mail elsewhere. Subscriptions: 4 issues $20 in U.S.A. & possessions; $40 elsewhere, in U.S. funds. Single-copy orders should be addressed to Weird Tales at the address above.
Copyright © 2012 by Nth Dimension Media, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction prohibited without prior permission.
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owned by Viacom International Inc.
THE EYRIE, by Ann VanderMeer
Oddspeed, Weird Tales
This editorial is bittersweet as it will be my last in these pages, although I will still be involved in Weird Tales.
When I was approached to take over as fiction editor back in 2006, I was thrilled and honored at the opportunity to be a part of this venerable magazine’s history. My goal when I took over was to bring Weird Tales into the twenty-first century while still keeping the same spirit of the original magazine, publishing work that is unique and pushed the boundaries of weird fiction. I’d like to take this time to look back but also look to the future with anticipation and excitement.
First, I would like to thank all the readers for coming along on this adventure at Weird Tales with me, and trusting me to find the kind of stories that you love. Thanks also to the writers and artists for trusting me to take good care of your work and to present that work to the world. I had the opportunity to bring to your attention some great short fiction while also helping further the careers of a lot of up-and-coming writers.
I am proud of what I have accomplished these past five years. I worked hard to publish a wide variety of weird fiction. In addition to work from Weird Tales’s stalwarts like Tanith Lee and Darrell Schweitzer, I published a new Elric novella by Michael Moorcock, and new fiction from brilliant writers like Kathe Koja, Jeffrey Ford, Michael Bishop, Norman Spinrad, J. Robert Lennon, Ian MacLeod, Karen Hueler, Felix Gilman, Sarah Monette, along with work in this issue by Conrad Williams, Joel Lane, and Stephen Graham Jones.
With the aid of Weird Tales creative director Stephen Segal during my first couple of years, we ran many memorable theme issues, including the “85 Weirdest Storytellers” issue to celebrate 85 years of publication (which included a very extensive online discussion), an “Uncanny Beauty” issue, a steampunk issue and an international fiction issue. In fact I published work by contributors from over 20 countries during my five years with the magazine, more than any prior editor—including from New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Bulgaria, Philippines, Israel, Serbia, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, Finland, Singapore, and Sweden.
I also published many, many new or up-and-coming writers, including: Ramsey Shehadeh, Jeff Johnson, Matthew Pridham, Karin Tidbeck, Leena Likitalo, Tamsyn Muir, Tom Underberg, Peter Atwood, L.L. Hannett, Alistair Rennie, Kelly Barnhill, Micaela Morrissette, Jonathan Wood, Gio Clairval, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Amanda Downum, Catherine Cheek, and N.K. Jemisin.
During my tenure, this iconic magazine was not only nominated for but won the Hugo Award for the first time in its 80-plus-year history. And Weird Tales also truly entered the twenty-first century, by regularly producing the One-Minute Weird Tales videos, mixing in more art, comics and profiles on provocative artists of all kinds and reaching out to a wider audience to embrace the many ways there are to tell a story. It was a great ride, but now it’s over. I am still dedicated to seeking out the best of weird fiction wherever it is and bringing it to you (I will still have a hand in here at Weird Tales selecting an original story each issue in a section titled ODD). And now I turn the reins over to the new editor—Marvin Kaye—who I am sure will continue to make this your first go-to magazine for the best in weird fiction.
THE LIBRARY, by Paula Guran
This issue The Library simply takes a look at a few books the Head Librarian, nonfiction editor Paula Guran, wishes to offer for your consideration.
The Silent Land, by Graham Joyce
Doubleday | $23.95
Written with precise clarity and vivid description, this short novel begins with Zoe and Jake, a happily married couple, on a skiing holiday that is quickly altered by an avalanche. After digging out, they return to their luxurious hotel and find both it and the surrounding resort village deserted. Phones don’t work. At first they think the area has been evacuated, but then notice meat left out in the kitchen is not spoiling and candles don’t burn down. Leaving the village by car or on skis simply returns them to where they began and a compass does not work. Whatever is going on—or not—feels ominous and the suspense builds. The couple is not, at first, all that endearing. Their relationship seems both self-centered and rather too good to be true, but gradual revelation, clever but believable repartee, Zoe’s intrepid curiosity and Jake’s philosophical acceptance soon make them people the reader cares for. The reader will likely come up with theories as to what is going on before the characters do, but that merely adds to the tension—and whatever postulations are made, even if close to correct, will not provide all the answers. The mystical and mysterious becomes a reasonable milieu while losing neither the enigma of the former nor the intrigue of the latter. Joyce has a gift for writing moving stories that reveal core truths about human existence and the meaning of our humanity. His fiction is consistently significant and The Silent Land is yet another excellent addition to an already remarkable body of work.
Anno Dracula, by Kim Newman
Titan Books | $14.95
Anno Dracula was brilliant when first released in 1992; now—in this handsome new expanded edition—it’s better than ever. The premise is a simple “What if...?”: What if Bram Stoker’s Dracula were real and, instead of being destroyed, he married the widowed Queen Victoria, become Prince Consort, and subsequently controlled Great Britain and its Empire? Clever alternative history idea that it is, Newman takes it to the level of genius by populating the novel with both fictional and historical characters from the era. The primary thrust of the narrative features girlish vampire Geneviève Dieudonné (who has been around for close to half a millennia) and Charles Beauregard, an agent of the Sherlockian-inspired Diogenes Club untangling the Silver Knife (Jack the Ripper’s) murders. This aspect provides a broad canvas for Newman to paint—at a breakneck pace—a panoramic masterpiece that includes sociopolitical commentary and satire, hearty adventure, thrilling mystery and espionage, a decent dollop of romance, edgy horror, occasional comedy, and an extensive exploration and appreciation of vampire lore. Titan Books will also be re-issuing sequels Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron and Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha, as well as a new novel: Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard. Whether as a classic of several genres or as a new discovery, Anno Dracula is recommended to anyone with the intelligence to appreciate it.
What Lies Beneath the Clock Tower, by Margaret Killjoy
Combustion Books | $8
A clever experiment—adapting the “choose your own adventure” format for adults—What Lies Beneath the Clock Tower may be worth the minimal ($8) investment simply for the fun of it.
Whether the experiment completely succeeds, however, probably depends on the reader’s individual imagination. Author Killjoy provides little detail and the writing seldom departs from the utilitarian. Patience is