Читать книгу Weird Tales 359 - Conrad Williams - Страница 4

THE EYRIE, by Ann VanderMeer

Oddspeed, Weird Tales

This editorial is bittersweet as it will be my last in these pages, although I will still be involved in Weird Tales.

When I was approached to take over as fiction editor back in 2006, I was thrilled and honored at the opportunity to be a part of this venerable magazine’s history. My goal when I took over was to bring Weird Tales into the twenty-first century while still keeping the same spirit of the original magazine, publishing work that is unique and pushed the boundaries of weird fiction. I’d like to take this time to look back but also look to the future with anticipation and excitement.

First, I would like to thank all the readers for coming along on this adventure at Weird Tales with me, and trusting me to find the kind of stories that you love. Thanks also to the writers and artists for trusting me to take good care of your work and to present that work to the world. I had the opportunity to bring to your attention some great short fiction while also helping further the careers of a lot of up-and-coming writers.

I am proud of what I have accomplished these past five years. I worked hard to publish a wide variety of weird fiction. In addition to work from Weird Tales’s stalwarts like Tanith Lee and Darrell Schweitzer, I published a new Elric novella by Michael Moorcock, and new fiction from brilliant writers like Kathe Koja, Jeffrey Ford, Michael Bishop, Norman Spinrad, J. Robert Lennon, Ian MacLeod, Karen Hueler, Felix Gilman, Sarah Monette, along with work in this issue by Conrad Williams, Joel Lane, and Stephen Graham Jones.

With the aid of Weird Tales creative director Stephen Segal during my first couple of years, we ran many memorable theme issues, including the “85 Weirdest Storytellers” issue to celebrate 85 years of publication (which included a very extensive online discussion), an “Uncanny Beauty” issue, a steampunk issue and an international fiction issue. In fact I published work by contributors from over 20 countries during my five years with the magazine, more than any prior editor—including from New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Bulgaria, Philippines, Israel, Serbia, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, Finland, Singapore, and Sweden.

I also published many, many new or up-and-coming writers, including: Ramsey Shehadeh, Jeff Johnson, Matthew Pridham, Karin Tidbeck, Leena Likitalo, Tamsyn Muir, Tom Underberg, Peter Atwood, L.L. Hannett, Alistair Rennie, Kelly Barnhill, Micaela Morrissette, Jonathan Wood, Gio Clairval, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Amanda Downum, Catherine Cheek, and N.K. Jemisin.

During my tenure, this iconic magazine was not only nominated for but won the Hugo Award for the first time in its 80-plus-year history. And Weird Tales also truly entered the twenty-first century, by regularly producing the One-Minute Weird Tales videos, mixing in more art, comics and profiles on provocative artists of all kinds and reaching out to a wider audience to embrace the many ways there are to tell a story. It was a great ride, but now it’s over. I am still dedicated to seeking out the best of weird fiction wherever it is and bringing it to you (I will still have a hand in here at Weird Tales selecting an original story each issue in a section titled ODD). And now I turn the reins over to the new editor—Marvin Kaye—who I am sure will continue to make this your first go-to magazine for the best in weird fiction.