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The State of Science Fiction Magazinesfrom January 26th, 2012
When science fiction publications hit the market it was very much a niche genre – you either got it or you didn’t. Those of us that did were treated to rich vistas of the human imagination; alien worlds that defied human logic or comprehension. One could argue that it was a product of the times – we didn’t know much about the universe or the neighboring planets so when these fascinating stories first came out as early as the 1920s, we were not only dazzled by what we read but by the possibility that some of it might be true and closer than you think.
Of course, nowadays we know better, don’t we? We know the moon is not, in fact, made of cheese or home to some advanced race of benevolent super beings – it’s a rock. We know that the universe, the one closest to us is somewhat emptier than we would have liked, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming. Now, science fiction has taken on a broader appeal and people with business class internet and smartphones can read their science fiction on the go.
And science fiction, as a genre, has changed too. We are somewhat grounded and while you will still find plenty of imagination in these works, stories are often crafted for broader appeal. Stories about everyday life bookended between elements of some truly fantastical sci-fi. Some writers still continue to break the mold and stretch the boundaries of human imagination – it’s just a shame so few remember what it was like, back in the day.