Interzone #256 Jan – Feb 2015

The January–February 2015 issue of Britain's longest running sf magazine magazine, Interzone, starts the year with new stories by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, T.R. Napper, Pandora Hope, Christien Gholson and Neil Williamson. 2015’s cover artist is Martin Hanford and his first of six connected images is 'Berenice'. Interior colour illustrations are by Richard Wagner, Warwick Fraser-Coombe and Ben Baldwin. All the usual features are present: Ansible Link by David Langford (news and obits); Mutant Popcorn by Nick Lowe (film reviews including Interstellar, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Horns. Tony Lee’s Laser Fodder (DVD/Blu-ray/VoD reviews X-Men: Days of Future Past and others; Book Zone (book reviews include Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Sword and many others); Jonathan McCalmont's Future Interrupted (comment) and Nina Allan's Time Pieces (comment). Elaine Gallagher interviews award-winning author Ann Leckie, and Steven J. Dines interviews film and TV concept artist Wayne Haag. The 2014 readers' poll gives you the opportunity to vote for your favourite stories from the past 6 issues.

So Interzone is essentially a fiction magazine containing short science fiction and fantasy stories. But it covers other aspects of the genre via comment, news, reviews of books, movies, DVDs and TV.

Fiction this issue
Nostalgia by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
An Advanced Guide to Successful Price-Fixing in Extraterrestrial Betting Markets by T.R. Napper
The Ferry Man by Pandora Hope
Tribute by Christen Gholson
Fish on Friday by Neil Williamson

Artists this issue
Martin Hanford
Richard Wagner
Warwick Fraser-Coombe
Ben Baldwin

Books reviewed this issue
Book Zone, edited by Jim Steel, has
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (plus author interview); Shadowboxer by Tricia Sullivan; The Brick Moon/Another Brick in the Moon by Edward Everett Hale & Adam Roberts; Willfull Child by Steven Erikson; Retribution by Mark Charan Newton; Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets edited by David Thomas Moore; Modern Masters of Science Fiction: Greg Egan by Karen Burnham; Sibilant Fricative by Adam Roberts; Irregularity edited by Jared Shurin; Solaris Rising 3 edited by Ian Whates; Sacrifice on Spica III by Eric Brown; Of Whimsies & Noubles by Matthew Hughes

Nick Lowe's Mutant Popcorn movie reviews this issue include Cinema releases including Interstellar; The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies; Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1; Horns; The Remaining; Ouija; What We Do in the Shadows.

Tony Lee's Laser Fodder, TV/DVD, reviews this issue include X-Men: Days of Future Past; Out of This World: Little Lost Robot; Spirited Away; The Congress; Patema Inverted; Left Behind; Before I Go to Sleep; The Giver; Beyond; Ejecta

Other non-fiction this issue
David Langford - Ansible Link
Nina Allan - Time Pieces column
Jonathan McCalmont - Future Interrupted column
Editorial - Spoilerama by Tony Lee
Readers' Poll Vote for your favourite stories of 2014
Wayne Haag: 2014 Cover Artist interviewed by Steven J. Dines about his work as a concept artist and matte painter for TV and film
Elaine Gallagher interviews award-winning author of ‘Ancillary Justice’ Ann Leckie