I have been a subscriber to the US published Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine for several years now (this is short compared with many subscribers, its readership is typically very loyal), and have never had an overall bad issue.
-- Overview --
Despite the title, the magazine is mainly science fiction. I will cover a breakdown of contents below. The science fiction is of the 'hard' variety. This means that the science is an integral part of the story. In 'soft' SF the story could effectively be set anywhere- it 'just happens' to be set (for example) space. In Analog the vast majority of the stories are firmly based on what could potentially happen (i.e. the science is realistic) - this is definitely not a fantasy magazine. However do not be put off by this; the characters, plots etc are not reduced in quality because of this. In my opinion, the opposite is true- a realistic and fascinating setting makes the story more believable and engrossing.
-- Format -- Just under 150 pages per issue (except for the twice-yearly double issues), compact size (about the same dimensions as a normal paperback book). Fits in a surprising amount of content (two columns per page, small but clear font, and small margins). Published monthly except for the Christmas and summer double issues.
-- Typical Contents --
EDITORIAL Every issue of Analog has an editorial, written by Stanley Schmidt (the editor, surprisingly enough!). These are always of a very high standard, thought provoking and often controversial (to the American readers at least! Just kidding, everyone can find his or her views challenged). They fit are just the thing for the magazines target audience- people with a brain! (And by that I certainly don’t exclusively mean geniuses in the academic sense).
THE STORIES These make up the vast majority of the magazine. They come in all lengths- from couple of sides long short stories all the way through to full-length novels serialised over several issues. They range from the deadly serious to ‘just a big of fun’. It is hard to describe a typical story, so all I can say is that I really enjoy the variety. Whilst inevitably there will be the odd one I do not enjoy the majority of every issue worth reading.
It is worth noting that all the stories printed are now all new and original. They do not re-print stories (often it works the other way round and stories appear first in Analog, and are later re-printed elsewhere or in another format).
SCIENCE FACT Each issue contains one main science fact article. Personally, I have found these to vary in content and quality. It is probably safe to say you will not use this magazine to stay up to date with all that is going on in science, but the article can still give you insight into an area you are not familiar with. Analog also features ‘THE ALTERNATIVE VIEW’, which as the title suggests takes a different look at, for example, an area of science, a theory, discovery or even a book.
THE REFERENCE LIBRARY Book reviews. Again slightly misleading title as most of the reviews are for fiction novels, although some non-fiction is covered as well. This is one of the few parts of the magazine where it really tells that is American based ($ pricing and availability information).
BRASS TRACKS Reader’s letters. If an author gets something wrong- they will hear about it!
There are also a few other bits and pieces, nothing else really important.
-- The Authors -- I have to say I don’t really pay much attention to the authors. They mainly aren’t the ‘big names’ of the past like Asimov, Clarke etc. Just glancing at the contents page of the issue in front of me gives Michael A. Burstein, Mary Rosenblum, Grey Rollins, Eric James Stone, Lawrence M. Schoen, Larry Niven, Carl Fredrick, Jerry Oltiion, Kevin J. Anerso and Kevin Walsh. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of them- that’s exactly what the editors are there for, selecting the best so you don’t have to.
-- Availability and Pricing –
It is possible to find Analog on the shelves in the UK (I have occasionally seen it) but it certainly isn’t easy to do so. You would be much better off getting a subscription- as long as you have a card that can be used for international transactions (which should be all credit cards and visa based debit cards as far as I know). Current international pricing (including worldwide delivery) on www.analogsf.com is USD 21.49 for 6 months (approximately £2 per issue) or USD 79.97 for two years (approximately £1.90 per issue). So it is very good value for money. It is worth noting that to keep costs low they do use a very cheap postal service so it can take around a month for each issue to arrive (i.e. you get one issue just as the next one is published). This really isn’t much of a problem as the magazine has a long lead time anyway and the content isn’t very time-sensitive (it’s not a newspaper!).
It is also worth noting that you can buy the e-book version of Analog at www.fictionwise.com , good if you want to try an issue before committing to a subscription.
-- Contact info –
The website is www.analogsf.com. For subscription enquires contact smarlowe@pennypublications.com
More details
Price
Approx £2 an issue- see review
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
