Short fictionI read this primarily for Bao Shu's contribution, but ended up enjoying most of the other pieces as well.Bao Shu's speculative novella What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear seems at first to be a straight-forward non-genre story about a young boy in modern-day China - excerpt of course, for that thing about him being born on the day the world was supposed to end, but obviously it didn't. You read on, thinking that's going to become the sfnal bit, but it isn't really mentioned...

I've written this review with a few more additions you can find at SF Signal. NOTE: I go deep into the stories, so you want to be surprised by the works, better not read. Writing this introductory paragraph has involved more effort than the entire review for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, issue March/April 2015. How does one introduce an issue without finding purchase on an overarching theme? I guess saying an issue doesn’t need to have one central conversation built in its table of

review later

This is the second edition edited by CC Finlay - and according to the announcement in this edition, he will be the on-going editor going forward. I think this is pretty exciting, as I've enjoyed his editing, though this edition less than the first. I do think he brings "fresh" eyes and a new voice."What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear" [novella]by Boa Shu (translated by Ken Liu)I struggled with this one as I'm not as familiar with Chinese history as it probably requires. I also find the

Favorite issue to date. This is the handoff issue between editor Gordan Van Gelder and C.C. Finlay. If this issue is representative of Finlay's influence on the selection (it's hard to tell), I can't wait to read his next ones. I usually only get through one of the two long novella/novelettes at the beginning of an issue. Maybe I'm not enough of a hardcore genre reader--in the plethora of Mars colony diaries and fantasy sagas about thieves with names like Raffalon, I sometimes miss real, complex...

Excellent!! short story. One of the most grotesque stories I've ever read, and one of the best. Little Girls in Bone Museums is gripping...not bloody, horror, but just wonerfully grotesque. Highly recommend it.

I may be writing this review on the whole issue prematurely, as I have only read a few stories. Regardless, I felt the need to capture some first impressions. I like CC Finlay as an editor, and was very excited to see his first dedicated issue of F&SF. I'm not sure our tastes overlap completely, but out of what I have read so far, a story I found to be memorable is Bilingual, referenced upthread by its author Henry. The Good: Nontraditional narrative, Emotional appeal, Colorful list of character...

A change can be good from time to time, and I greeted the news that CC Finlay was taking over as editor of F&SF with optimism. Yet, I also found the one guest edited issue he did a few months ago to be rather underwhelming. His official inaugural issue here is really impressive though. While I didn't adore each story here, not a one was a clunker, and a few that I thought wouldn't be my cup of tea at first, quickly won me over. Of the three longer pieces, the novella by Bao Shu, as translated by...

I didn't read this magazine, I've only read What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear, by Bao Shu, through the Best SFF Novellas of 2016 Anthology. Unfortunately, that's the only place this novella appeared, so it doesn't have a cover or anything else and I've enjoyed it a lot and wanted it on my shelf.The story uses the concept of "Arrow of Time" and it passes on China. Imagine that instead of starting in 1917 with the Communist revolution in Russia, WWII in 1939 and the Cold War afterwards,...

Disclaimer: This issue was given to me by one of the authors published in this volume. In return I said I would give this issue an honest review on Goodreads.Overall I really enjoyed this issue of F&SF. I didn’t like every story in this volume, but the fact that it’s such a wide mix makes me appreciate it more than a magazine where I liked every story. This issue packs in a wide range of experiences, from quirky humor to body horror.‘Things Worth Knowing’ is a near-future story about a school un...

A truly stand-out issue.Any issue of a magazine is naturally a grab-bag, and some stories are better than others, and every reader will have his own favorites. But this issue has a rare confluence of fantastic stories, of all kinds of different types, which will delight lovers of excellent short fiction - particularly those who delight in variety.The jewel in the crown is "What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear," by Bao Shu (translated by Ken Liu); one of my favorite stories I've read all

NOTE: I won this issue in a contest on twitter. I received no other consideration and my views are my own.I used to have a subscription to "Weird Tales" before the editorial shake up and subsequent doubling-down on racism and then implosion of the magazine. I really enjoyed it. It was a great chance to read a lot of different short fiction, essays, art, and poetry and I found some new favorite authors. It reminded me quite a bit of being a kid and having a subscription to "Cricket" magazine. Whe...

The short stories in this issue are mostly of decent to good quality, with a couple of mediocre pieces that made me question whether the editor was just using them to fill space. Jenn Reese's very brief How to Masquerade as Human Before the Invasion is creepy and funny and probably the most effective work among them. Bilingual by Henry Lien and Little Girls in Bone Museums by Sadie Bruce stand out as well, but my enthusiasm for them can be described as mild at best.The real draw for this issue,

"What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear," by Bao Shu. 5 stars. Novella."La Heron," by Charlotte Ashley. 4 stars. Short Story.

It was through N. K. Jemisin that I knew about Paul M. Berger, after her mentioning his name in a blog post. I believe they are in the same writting group. "The Mantis Tattoo" was first published in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" and more recently the author asked and was granted permission to offer the download for free. Here is the PDF: http://www.paulmberger.com/2016/02/14... and it's worth reading. It would be great if it was re-published and we could actually pay the author too...

After an eighteen year run as editor of F&SF, Gordon Van Gelder hands off with this issue to C.C. Finlay. Finlay did a guest editor issue back in 2014 that I have not read. This is his first official issue at the helm. In general this magazine has maintained a very high quality over the decades although I have not been reading it very much in recent years. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.There are twelve stories in this digest, along with several book and film review columns and...

F&SF is transitioning from the editorship of Gordon Van Gelder to C.C. Finlay. I expect to see more of Finlay's editorial style with every issue. So far I like what I see. There is a lot of variety in this issue, a little something for everyone, and everything was solid. This issue's novella is "What has Passed shall in Kinder Light Appear" by Bao Shu, translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu. I enjoy any opportunity to read international science fiction/fantasy. I also enjoyed Charlotte Ashley's

If Bao Shu's story, What has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear does not win a major award as best novella 2015, I'll eat my beret. This is a really strong issue with some absolutely unforgettable stories.

Took me a little longer to finish this issue due to a busy schedule. But it was definitely worth the wait. CC Finlay's recent attempt as a guest editor showed great potential, and his first issue as full-time editor certainly lives up to the hype. Great variety of stories from a mixture of older and newer writers.I cannot wait to dive into the next issue (which just happens to be waiting for me on my end table) .

9 • Things Worth Knowing • 14 pages by Jay O'Connell Good. Stanley is the custodian/principal of a teaching facility. There is a student doing very well and being aggressively recruited by several corporations.23 • La Heron • 18 pages by Charlotte Ashley Good/VG. La Heron comes to Caen to enter the Black Bouts and win the contest prize. She needs to get a second, who turns out to be sister Alex. Nice description of her three bouts.41 • This is the Way the Universe Ends: With a Bang • 21 pages by...