Rank your favorite SF Magazines.

[Monomaniac]

Looking for opinions on what the best SF magazines are. I've been reading Clarkesworld Magazine and Lightspeed Magazine because they are free but am thinking about subscribing to something else.

 

[Rodders]

To be honest, i only read the glossy's. SFX, Sci-Fi now and the Star Wars Magazines. I used to get Deathray which was a great magazine as it always had quite a unique style and the articles were a little different.

I used to read Starlog and Starburst when i first got into SF.

By the way, welcome to the boards.

 

[mosaix]

Can't rate Analog highly enough.

 

[J-Sun]

I've posted similar stuff, but, of the main living zines:

1. Asimov's
1. Analog
2. Interzone
2. FSF

Very outdated ratings were that Asimov's had more of the best stories and more of the worst stories and published a significant fraction of fantasy (sometimes excellent but not often excellent enough to justify it). Analog was more my kind of thing except that there was a high percentage of just okay stories (though it had it's share of greatness and terribleness, too). So it's more or less a tie.

I haven't read much F&SF because it seems like a fantasy mag when I do, but I've read many great stories in many anthologies that come from there. If a reader is indifferent to the fantasy/SF distinction and likes a Cowdrey story in almost every issue, F&SF is probably the best for them but not for me. I've also seen good work from Interzone but it's too expensive and tricky to get in the US. I also understand it's a large slick. I'm happily habituated to reading (approximately) digest-sized non-slicks (can't really call them pulp and most pulps were large, too).

 

[David Evil Overlord]

I would suggest Analog if you like hard science. Asimov's and F&SF if you like fantasy and/or stories where the science is less important than the characters.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I've downloaded the free version of F&SF on Kindle.

There's on story, which is a bit ho-hum, but the reviews and comments are interesting.

I think mine's dated from November so I suspect there's another issue coming up, which I'll certainly look forward to.

Interzone - I love the reviews in there, especially from Ian Sales. I hope he never reviews anything I ever get published for, because he's as sharp as a scalpel.

 

[jojajihisc]

and likes a Cowdrey story in almost every issue, F&SF is probably the best for them but not for me. I've also seen good work from Interzone but it's too expensive and tricky to get in the US. I also understand it's a large slick. I'm happily habituated to reading (approximately) digest-sized non-slicks (can't really call them pulp and most pulps were large, too).

Even more so for Robert Reed (who I do like, but haven't read any of Cowdrey's stuff yet). I'd agree about Interzone. Its look is pleasing to the eye but is too expensive and less durable compared to the other digest-size magazines.

My favorites right now:

Print

1. F&SF
2. Asimov's
3. Analog

Web

1. Lightspeed
2. Subterranean
3. Tor and The Drabblecast (tie)

 

[Pyan]

I buy SFX and SciFiNow magazines, and subscribe to Asimov's and Analog on my Kindle, mainly because the latter two are much more text-orientated, and Kindle-subscribed mags just don't carry the photos that hard-copy ones do.
I agree with Rodders about DeathRay - a great publication that folded all too soon.

 

[Roy1]

Not sure why Interzone is less durable compared to the other digest-size magazines. We use higher weight and quality paper than Asimovs and Asimovs.
If you have a Kindle or other E reader there is a free issue (#230) at Smashwords see this link.

 

[Nerds_feather]

1. lightspeed
2. clarkesworld
3. asimov's
4. beneath ceaseless skies (though it's fantasy, not SF)
5. apex

 

[chongjasmine]

Mine is strange horizons.

 

[Bick]

Wow, good necropost chong. I suspect the OP has gone though!
But the 'best' current magazines, including e-zines, in my opinion based on my recent reading of quite a lot of them, in order of best to worst are:

1. Analog
2. Lightspeed
3. Clarkesworld
4. Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
5. Asimov's
6. Tor.com
7. Strange Horizons