• Title: Analog SF Magazine Nov/Dec 2023
• Author: Various
• Genre/Subject: Science Fiction and Science Fact
• Publisher: Dell Magazines
• Publication Date: 2023
• Start date: 12/15/23
• Finish date: 2/22/24

Review:

You might be saying to yourself, a magazine? But this is a book review blog! Yes, but this is quite different.

Analog is a digest style magazine that has roots going back to the pulp magazine heyday in the early 20th century. I have bought individual issues before but always wanted to subscribe and have them delivered right to my doorstep. So in 2023 I finally hit subscribe and this was the first issue that I received in the post. The magazine itself is 208 pages of very small print, so reading it cover to cover counts as a book in my estimation.

The science fact articles were timely and accurate, one actually compared the Dune world to exoplanets and even our own deserts. The fiction was, like any anthology, mostly great with a few just okay ones and one or two that were not to my taste.

Two of the stories involved the much talked about Trappist system, The Trap as it was called in one of them. So this was a nice tie in to the leading edge of astronomy right now in the real world. And along with that, our contemporary obsession with AI featured prominently.

So many authors that are now household names got their start in magazines like this (and Omni back in the 1980s) so the best way I figure to keep up with the new talent and rising stars is to read these periodicals. Checked the mail and the latest issue just arrived!