The Alternative To Science Fiction Novels: Short Fiction

Posted Monday, September 19th, 2011 09:00 pm GMT -4 by 0

Many people have read science fiction novels, and not all of them are regular SF readers. It’s a safe bet that not nearly as many people have read SF short fiction such as short stories, novellas, and novelettes. Reading short fiction is analogous to watching films. They do not require much of a time commitment and the entertainment value is high when the quality is high.

Using the definitions of the Nebula Awards, a short story is less than 7,500 words, a novelette is 7500 to 17,499 words, and a novella is 17,500 to under 40,000 words. Any fiction longer than that is considered to be a novel. These are not rules that every editor uses, however, and some prefer different word count guidelines.

If you want to support the creation of new short science fiction while enjoying the stories, the best thing to do is purchase electronic or paper copies, or subscribe to the magazines. The most popular U.S. print magazines that also have electronic editions include Asimov’s, Analog, and Fantasy & Science Fiction. Interzone is probably the most influential British SF magazine.

A number of SF anthologies have collected what each anthology editor considers as the best short fiction from each year. My favorite anthology is ‘The Year’s Best Science Fiction’, edited by Gardner Dozois, a long-time former editor for Asimov’s magazine. While some might view this as a conflict of  interest, Dozois has been surprisingly even-handed in his selections, picking stories from other magazines not owned by his publisher.

Dozois’ anthology started in 1984 and has never missed a year. In 2005, Dozois edited ‘Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year’s Best Science Fiction.’ This epic tome contains a foreword by Robert Silverberg, one of the most skilled writers in SF history.

My favorite authors who have written quality short science fiction include Charles Stross, Alastair Reynolds, James Patrick Kelly, Isaac Asimov, Eleanor Arnason, Michael Swanwick, Greg Egan, Robert Silverberg, Stephen Baxter, Robert Reed, Mike Resnick, Bruce Sterling, Kage Baker, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ken MacLeod, and Nancy Kress. I have also enjoyed reading short fiction from numerous other SF writers.

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  • http://twitter.com/amysuefarmer Amy Farmer

     Here’s the recommended short fiction list I posted in a Facebook comment. These stories should be readily available in anthologies in most used book stores. Also, certain small press publishers like NESFA Press and Haffner Press bring back a lot of classics:Asimov, Isaac: “Foundation”, “Nightfall”, “The Martian Way”; Clarke, Arthur C.: “The Nine Billion Names of God”, “The Star”; Bradbury, Ray: “Rocket …Man”, “Mars is Heaven!” (aka “The Thir…d Expedition”); Russ, Joanna: “When it Changed”; Godwin, Tom: “The Cold Equations”; Brackett, Leigh: “The Veil of Astellar”, “The Jewel of Bas”, Weinbaum, Stanley G.: “A Martian Oddessey”; Ellison, Harlan: “Repent Herlequin, Said the Ticktockman”; and Zahn, Timthy: “Cascade Point”. I could probably come up with a list twice as long.

    • http://twitter.com/JoshKEvans JKE

      I’m not as much of a fan of the Golden Age of Science Fiction as you — primarily because the science is often too outdated — though I appreciate what many of those writers have done to inspire future SF writers.

  • Ingrid Moon

    First thing I did when I bought my Nook was to subscribe to Asimov’s and F&SF. Nothing beats a good read in a short time, especially for slow readers who are always on the go.

  • http://lthemachine.wordpress.com linger

    Analog is my favorite, but another good digital magazine not mentioned here is “Lightspeed.” And one ofthe best things is that they can all be bought DRM-free online, through Fictionwise and such.

    • http://twitter.com/JoshKEvans JKE

      Current digital-only SF mags don’t have the prestige yet of the “big 3″ I mentioned, but it’s possible that at least one of them will gain that prestige in the future. Any digital mag can publish high quality work with the right staff and financing.