Interzone book reviews

[Brian G Turner]

I just wanted to give a heads up that the book reviews in Interzone are great, and make for very entertaining reading.

Unlike the usual gushing - or at least polite - praise I usually expect to see, the Interzone reviewers are simply brutal and cutting.

They are obviously very demanding readers, and don't hold on the blows when they don;t like what they see. Which, appears to be much of the time.

And makes for some very fun reading in themselves.

 

[chopper]

*scratches head*

is there a subtext here?

 

[iansales]

Thanks, Brian. Glad you enjoy them.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Yes, I thought I recognised at least one of the names.

I was actually going to quote from your piece on the Poison Throne, but as I haven't will do so here:

In a modern fantasy novel, which is paramount: world or plot? ... [This book] manages to fail in both areas.

I thought it was a wonderfully cutting comment.

The review reads as fair and balanced, though (despite the complete deconstruction of the world character names as unrealistic!) and overall you do raise the positive points.

Does make for entertaining reading, though, especially with Lawrence Osborn and Mike Cobley's reviews either side.

 

[Omphalos]

I can no longer get this magazine in Sacramento. The distributors that service this town, for some strange reason, no longer carry it. When I saw this thread I learned that the e-commerce site on the Interzone home page is not working. Anyone have any idea where I can get this thing on line? Where I can buy it and get it shipped to me?

Or maybe even (gasp!) subscribe to it?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Scathing reviews can be the most fun to read.

I always admire the dedication (or stamina) of anyone who can finish a book they despise and then go over it, probably several times, in order to dissect it for a review. I hope they pay you guys handsomely, Ian.

 

[iansales]

Brian, not all the books I get are bad Actually, most of them have been good. Depends what's available. (They send out a list, we pick six titles and we might or might not get one of those six titles.) Glad you thought the review was balanced though. I think it's important to be fair.

Omphalos, you can get Interzone electronically from Fictionwise. But if you want a print copy, it's £52 for 6 issues. Or perhaps you can check the IZ forum for distributors in your area.

Teresa, we get to keep the book we review. That's our only payment.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Teresa, we get to keep the book we review. That's our only payment.

Then I hope that at least some of them are books that you like enough to want to own them. In either case, I admire your dedication to saving readers from disappointing reading experiences.

 

[Roy1]

Omphalos

I can no longer get this magazine in Sacramento. The distributors that service this town, for some strange reason, no longer carry it. When I saw this thread I learned that the e-commerce site on the Interzone home page is not working. Anyone have any idea where I can get this thing on line? Where I can buy it and get it shipped to me?

Or maybe even (gasp!) subscribe to it?

Hi Omphalos we certainly prefer you too subscribe and when I sell Iz 6 issue subscriptions to US readers at conventions the price is £27 which depending on exchange rates could be $41. I'm surprised our website subscription service didn't work but it should and the link is here.

E subscriptions at Fictionwise link

We did lose our US distributor but we have new one now so you may be able to order, or even find it, but US cost may well be >$12, over twice the UK price.
This new distributor (Pineapple Media UK) says beginning with IZ227, (the March 2010 issue) Interzone will be distributed to the following countries:
Germany
Greece
Cyprus
Austria
Norway
Croatia
USA (includes Barnes & Noble)
New Zealand
Australia
Hong Kong
Singapore

I'm assuming this means special traveller/tourist frequented bookshops in big cities rather than village newsagents so let us know if you come across IZ in the wild.

Also you might find these TTA Website links interesting

Free Podcasts - stories from TTA magazines and books Transmissions From Beyond | Transmissions From Beyond, The TTA Press Podcast; Featuring stories from Interzone (SF & Fantasy), Black Static (Horror), and Crimewave (Crime) magazines

Short fiction reviews The Fix (in archive at present) but plenty there.

Roy Gray
TTA Press Advertising, Publicity and Event Sales.
If you, or others, have a problem with our webshop site email me at roy (at) ttapress (dot) com

 

[Urien]

I echo the comments above; the book, and film reviews in both Interzone and Black Static are informed and wonderfully ruthless... and of course when the book or film is good, they are wonderfully, er... ruth.

 

[Omphalos]

Omphalos Hi Omphalos we certainly prefer you too subscribe and when I sell Iz 6 issue subscriptions to US readers at conventions the price is £27 which depending on exchange rates could be $41. I'm surprised our website subscription service didn't work but it should and the link is here.

Thanks, Roy. I went through here:

TTA Press - Online Shop

And that link below was not working for me the day I posted that message. But it is now.

GTT

 

[Roy1]

Good, my link brings you in further down the same 'tree', if you see what I mean.
Don't miss out on the podcasts if you listen to MP3 speech or drama.
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