| Interzone #225, December 2009 | |||||
| A review by Sandra Scholes
The reader will be faced with Dave Langford's Ansible Link mentioning various snippets on the world of writing,
publishing and the lives of writers in general. His brand of light humour is just enough to ease the reader into
the magazine at the start. He discusses the finer points of gossip before getting into the seriousness of the
stories and reviews. Dave's Ansible, originally being a one sheet fluorescent coloured newsletter that was mailed
out to subscribers before he started his column here, will bring back fond memories for those who worked with
him and also read it with appreciation. Notable aspects of this article are Conspiracy Corner, Publishers and
Sinners, and wholly famous Thog's Masterclass -- this emphasises the funny as well as the peculiar sentences
plucked from popular novels today. Be prepared for a stiff tickling of the funny bone.
Lazer Fodder is a study of all things Japanese by Tony Lee, editor of Pigasus Press. Ghost in the Shell and
Big Man Japan, and the latest crazy sensation to hit our shores. Kitaro get the review treatment, going
deep into the meaning of each movie and its effect on the viewers who enjoy being different. While most like
their science fiction more traditional or modern, anime and Japanese cinema provide an alternative view of SF
in its many forms from robots to mutated humans which make their movies so recognisable, the slapstick comedy,
and over-the-top way they show their emotions in scenes is hilarious.
On a more serious note, Book Zone is where reviewers tell of the latest novels in science fiction and fantasy today.
Cover artist Adam Tredowski does a more than decent job of making the magazine a major selling point with his
astonishing sepia toned piece showing a huge space craft that nearly obscures two standing figures, almost
dwarfing them instantly due to its sheer size. Adam has an interview online about his inspirations in the art
world and his influences at ttapress.com/interzone.
On a more serious note, Book Zone is where reviewers tell of the latest novels in science fiction and fantasy, where
Mike Cobley, Peter Loftus and Maureen Kincaid-Speller reduce 200-plus page novels to two column paragraphs when
they review the novels to hit the bookshelves. One that is the topic of interest
is The Year's Best Science Fiction collection edited by Gardener Dozois that comes under scrutiny and
acclaim as it is perfect for those who like their fiction in bite-size pieces between work breaks. It is mentioned
how broad a genre science fiction is due to the certain well-known writers becoming popular with their own brand
of fiction, and how some might discover that it is science fiction for the masses.
For those who are not interested in the reviews there are the stories, and vice versa, so everyone is catered to
in this particular magazine.
Sandra writes for Active Anime, The Chronicle magazine, and FantasyBookReview and might at some point finish writing that fairy story she started a year ago. |
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