Bewildering Stories’
Fourth Quarterly Review, 2014
Year 13 of Bewildering Stories
The Editors’ Choices: issues 590-601
The Quarterly and Annual Reviews are like lighthouses on the chaotic sea of the Internet.
They signal not danger but “Good landfall” and “Safe harbor.” Welcome ashore!
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Everything in green is a link. |
Bewildering Stories ends the season — fall or spring, depending on your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of favorites from the Fourth Quarter of 2014. New readers will have easy access to the recent best of Bewildering Stories, and veteran readers will have a chance to catch up on anything they may have missed.
The Quarterly Reviews are not a contest, competition or poll. And there are no quotas: anything — from everything to nothing — may qualify in any genre. Rather, they answer a practical question: “If a friend asked you to recommend something special from the past quarter of Bewildering Stories, what would you choose?”
As always, the Review Board’s discussions have been extensive and lively. A big Thank You to Bill Bowler, Charles C. Cole, Bertil Falk, Heather J. Frederick, Jo Wharton Heath, Gary Inbinder, Marina J. Neary, Carmen Ruggero, John Stocks and Lewayne L. White.
At Bewildering Stories, no one is the proverbial tree falling unheard in a forest. All contributors know that real people have given their works a thoughtful reading, regardless whether we send regrets or they quaify for the Mariner Awards.
The Review Editors and Associate Editors — our review readers — have functions that are entirely different but equally important. The Review Editors determine how Bewildering Stories shall carry its flag. The Associate Editors enable us to converse with our contributors. They determine what Bewildering Stories shall be.
For that reason we also express special gratitude to our Coordinating Editor Bill Bowler and the Associate Editors. Their insightful and detailed critiques of submissions help us set what we like to think is an Internet standard for editorial practice and for service to our contributors and readers.
The Quarterly News
In the past 12 weeks, the Review Editors cast 533 votes on 68 titles, 33 of which have qualified as Editors’ Choices. We congratulate the authors represented here. We hope they will inspire all our contributors.
We think our Review Editors reflect the range of opinion to be found among our readers. The Order of the Hot Potato is as hot as ever, with 11 titles. The Order of Merit is continued for reader interest and as a special acknowledgment to our contributors. It links to the most highly rated works in genres represented by more than one title in this Quarterly Review.
The Annual Review follows next week, on December 29. We will resume regular publication with issue 602 on January 5, 2015.
| Titles selected of titles eligible | |||
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Novels Novellas Serials Short Stories Flash Fiction |
0 of 1 3 of 5 14 of 30 5 of 11 |
Poetry Short Poetry Drama Essays & Memoirs |
5 of 11 0 of 4 2 of 2 4 of 4 |
- All selections are listed in alphabetical order by author unless noted otherwise.
- Serialized works are eligible only in the quarter in which they conclude.
- Multiple titles are listed in chronological order.
- Italicized titles indicate collections or the presence of chapter, episode or poem subtitles.
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Serials Dave Ervin, The Thirteenth TravelerLaKimbra McKinley, Hold on to My Feets Rudy Ravindra, A Naive Casanova Short Stories Gary Clifton, The Keeper of the San Lo GateBruce Costello, Man to Man Bertil Falk Heather J. Frederick, Jörn Grote, Home, to the Sea Timothy Kay, Virtually Painless Dentistry Mike Madison, Distinction in the Darkness Mike McNichols, I Shot Sonny Battalion Adam Randolph, Teddy Bow James Shaffer, The Sound of Breaking Glass Jennifer Shaw, Orbiting Janus Ross Smeltzer, The Thief and the Hidden Citadel Sherman Smith, If You Say It Again... Flash Fiction Charles C. Cole Tom Wylie, A to Z at Brookview ElementaryPoetry Crystalwizard, Memory HoleOonah V. Joslin Anna Ruiz, Vitruvian Man Drama Charles C. ColeEssays and Memoirs Charles C. Cole, Vermouth and CigarettesSherry Smith Gray, Lawn Nazis in the Suburbs Henry F. Tonn, Rendezvous at Paul’s Place Don Webb, J. J. O’Donnell, The Ruin of the Roman Empire |
Departments Selections are listed in chronological order. Reviews and Interviews are indexed separately. Review articles may be considered essays. Discussions & Challenge Responses The Muskrats’ Rosetta StoneOmniscient Databases What Is the Inquisitor’s Inquest? Perception of Frailty Eyes for the Inquisitor’s Children Traps of Future History A Big Night Out Is the Order of the Day The Sound of Breaking Glass What Is Franky? Challenges
The Order of the Hot Potato Here are the most controversial works of the quarter, the ones on which the Review Editors’ opinions diverged significantly for one reason or another. The titles are listed in descending order with the most controversial first. Eight of the titles appear among the Editors’ Choices. Challenge to the readers: why might these eleven titles be on the list?
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The Order of Merit Here are links to the top winners, the most highly rated works in each genre represented by more than one title in this Quarterly Review. The categories are listed according to their normal order in the Readers’ Guide. In keeping with Bewildering Stories’ astronomical motif, the winners are indicated by the names of space telescopes. The most highly rated title in the quarter is indicated by the name of an arm of the Galaxy. |
Serials
Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Drama
Essays & Memoirs
The Perseus Arm |
