Publications: Reviews

THE ANT-MEN OF TIBET AND OTHER STORIES edited by David Pringle

Big Engine 2001 255pp £8.99

The ten stories in this anthology were all first published in Interzone -- the British science fiction magazine that has been published regularly for longer than any other in this country, and is currently the world’s only monthly sf magazine. The Ant-Men of Tibet reprints, then, a representative selection of Interzone’s fiction content from the mid to late 1990’s.  

As someone who has read Interzone since its foundation in 1982, I would’ve encountered all of these pieces at one time or another (and still have the original magazines lined up along three or four feet of skirting board behind me as I type this).

However, for those who don’t keep their magazines, or haven’t yet tried Interzone, then The Ant-Men of Tibet is well worth reading. Contributors include Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds, Molly Brown, and Eric Brown -- all authors who largely started out with Interzone, and who have made good (or deserve to) in the wider sf field since.

There is a wide range of themes and styles, from straightforward hard science fiction, to the sort of pastiche and recursive fiction that has always been a strong element in the magazine's content. Modern fantasy and exotic planetary settings are also represented.

True to form so far, Big Engine has published an attractive and lively package. My only regret is that the particular title chosen could give the impression that the anthology promises light-weight and juvenile fiction. Neither of which the parent magazine publishes, or ever has done.  

Copyright (c) 2001 John Howard