All posts by Jonathan Strahan

Journal

Birthdays are weird

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For as long as I can remember,  my birthdays have been weird, a little fraught, a little difficult. I do not really enjoy them. Maybe it’s because I was born in a leap year, or maybe I’m difficult, or maybe I don’t get why everyone wants to make a fuss. Maybe it feels a bit like a test I’m going to fail. Who knows?  But something usually goes wrong, someone or someones usually go away upset, and the whole thing feels stressful.

Even when I have a good birthday — and I’ve had good ones — they are complicated. Maybe it’s because I don’t really like to celebrate the things I do or make a big point of things that put me at the centre, but birthdays sort of make me uncomfortable.

So, it’s my 60th birthday tomorrow and there was a possibility of there being a huge fuss, which I was concerned about. Mostly it made me think about how everyone else would feel, how they would react, the chance for people to be hurt or offended. And so, a year ago, for the first time I took a little control.

I booked a place for lunch — a brewpub we like that isn’t special, but we’ve been to a bunch and is fine and not too expensive — and have mostly discouraged gifts (I honestly don’t want much at this age).  Keep it low profile. Don’t make a big fuss. Don’t spend a lot of money on the whole affair. Make it something we can get through without too much drama. And that’s what I’m hoping for tomorrow — not too much drama.  If I get through the day with that it’ll be ok.

 

 

Journal

Carrie and Juliet, or a New Year’s Eve for 2023

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Was up early, had some breakfast, and then did some novella editing. After that, well, Sunday, New Year’s Eve, was a little stormy.  The family was due to go to see the musical &Juliet, tickets having been acquired as part of Marianne’s birthday this year.

For some reason, the eldest took it into her head not to be part of this, so after a lot of disagreement she remained at home. This meant that three of us  headed off to the show, while one stayed home (though ultimately had lunch and spent time with her grandma).

We got to Crown about 11.30am, had a very unspectacular lunch at The Merrywell (like so many places now, overpriced and mediocre), before taking our seats. The show – a jukebox musical that posits Will Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway arguing over the ending of Romeo & Juliet – was amusing fun with a bit of bite to it. Probably the weakest musical we saw all year (after Kimberley Akimbo, Hamilton, Hadestown, Merrily  We Roll Along, which we saw in New York), but still fun.

Then home via nan’s, where we had an unexpected dinner of Christmas ham, lovely salads etc, and got to say Happy New Year.  We got home around 6pm and some idiot who shall remain unnamed left the sprinklers on all night, which will no doubt  show up on the water bill. After that, a quiet evening, an annual rewatch of Carrie Pilby, and then the annual exchange of lists, and bed.

A good day, all in all. The following morning was a little more difficult. I started with a Zoom call with Liza about this year’s Locus Recommended Reading list, which is almost complete, and then a few hours editing that novella, before a very pleasant lunch with Marianne at Leederville’s The Servo (a rare outing for just the two of us), before heading home.  Tomorrow is my 60th birthday, which I feel little enthusiasm for, and then after that, the return to work.

Journal

Saturday night

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The Bright Sword by Lev GrossmanChristmas is only just in the rearview mirror and the things that made me want to keep a journal last year are reading their heads again, so let’s try.

It’s the 30th so I won’t try to detail the week between Christmas and New Year except to say we watched a lot of movies, I did a bit of work on a Tobi Ogundiran novella and didn’t work on the other things I should be working on. I’m on a break from the day job until Jan 3, so I don’t have to worry about that till then.

For Xmas, the whole family came over as is semi-traditional. It was actually a lovely low-stress day.  Stephen did an exceptional job with the charcuterie board (with B’s help), mum did a lovely salad and provided meringues and champagne, Sophie did a meringue charcuterie board and a watermelon salad, Jess did her dip and made fantastic tie-dye shirts for us all, M did the cranberry sauce, and I did a few bits and pieces. We dined inside (it was hot) but that was fine. There was chat and laughter and goodwill and presents. Sophie came up with a silly karaoke game that was fun and we even played Monopoly.   The family arrived at noon and we kicked them out at 7.30pm or so because mum was tired. It was good.

Presents were successful, I think, and everyone was happy. Boxing Day was cricket, leftovers, movies and such. I think we were all a little ready to put Christmas movies behind us, so we’ve been watching action movies instead.   In the following days we had a plumber out to look at noisy pipes before WaterCorp replaced the meter, bought a new car battery after I was almost stranded at Bunnings, watched season 4 of Bump,  and so on.

I’ll keep a better record of things in future, but we just re-watched The Bourne Identity, which Marianne liked, I didn’t mind,  and Sophie was bored. I’m not really committed to reading anything right now, but let’s say I’m reading Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, because I have started it and I do want to commit to reading more.

I think that’s about all for now. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and some of us are off to see &Juliet, while Sophie and I will probably rewatch Carrie Pilby tomorrow night. Then New Year’s and then my 60th birthday. I’ve pushed to keep it low key and mostly discouraged presents. I’ve even, without quite meaning too, rebooked the same restaurant we went to last year.  I think I want it to be simple, but who knows?  I’m not good at celebrating things.

Oh, and I have an anthology introduction to rewrite.

Science fiction

A Year at Tor.com – Stories I acquired for 2023

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I had a busy year over at Tor.com. Below are the twelve stories I acquired and edited for the site. My thanks to all of the authors and to everyone at Tor.com for letting me be involved in such a very special year!

“The Counterworld” by James Bradley

Illustrated by Mary Haasdyk
Published February 1, 2023

A grieving mother wakes up to find all traces of her lost son have been erased as if he had never existed. Only in the hallway mirror is she able to see a glimpse of the reality she remembers having lived—the reality she wants back.

“The River and the World Remade” by E. Lily Yu

Illustrated by Changyu Zou
Published March 29, 2023

When the waters rose, the people who stayed on the River learned they weathered the storms best together, but what happens when one of their own becomes curious about the Land?

“Salt Water” by Eugenia Triantafyllou

Illustrated by J Yang
Published April 12, 2023

While all her friends’ fish are changing into mermaids, is 12-year-old Anissa’s fish becoming something else?

“Counting Casualties” by Yoon Ha Lee

Illustrated by Julie Dillon
Published April 26, 2023

Commander Niaja vrau Erezeng is up against an enemy that doesn’t just destroy all the beings, ships, and planets in its path, but also consumes their greatest arts, somehow scratching them from existence everywhere…

“The Star-Bear” by Michael Swanwick

Illustrated by Bill Mayer
Published June 7, 2023

A Russian émigré poet living in Paris is visited by a mysterious bear with an agenda…

“What It Means To Be A Car” by James Patrick Kelly

Illustrated by Scott Bakal
Published July 26, 2023

An AI car is caught between its ruthless employer and the people she hurt…

“The Three O’Clock Dragon” by John Wiswell

Illustrated by J Yang
Published August 23, 2023

Prosperity City’s corrupt mayor never guessed his greatest opponent would be a fire-breathing dragon and her unconventional platform…

“The Job at the End of the World” by Ray Nayler

Illustrated by Keith Negley
Published August 30, 2023

A weary resilience worker should know better than anyone: no one is safe when the world is always ending…

“Detonation Boulevard” by Alastair Reynolds

Illustrated by Ben Zweifel
Published July 12, 2023

In a cosmic rally race winding 12,000 kilometers across Io’s treacherous surface in just 60 hours, all while dodging the competition, fatigue, and violent lava geysers—there’s only one way Cat knows how to win: Just. Drive.

“The Passing of the Dragon” by Ken Liu

Illustrated by Mary Haasdyk
Published September 13, 2023

A woman who fears she’s failing as a painter and as an artist seeks inspiration from one of her favorite poets and finds something even more wondrous, but also more impossible to capture on canvas…

“FORM 8774-D” by Alex Irvine

Illustrated by Zoe van Dijk
Published September 27, 2023

It’s just business as usual at the Bureau of Metahuman, Mutant, and Occult Affairs until an employee for the government agency begins to wonder if work is following her home…

“The Locked Coffin: A Judge Dee Mystery” by Lavie Tidhar

Illustrated by Red Nose Studio
Published October 25, 2023

A new Judge Dee mystery!

While visiting the mysterious castle of Maidstone for an investigation, Judge Dee and Jonathan discover the only thing more menacing than a vampire child is twin vampire children…

Science fiction

Awards eligibility – 2023

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2023 was a year when I edited two original anthologies, two Tordocom novellas, eleven of Tor.com’s short stories, and acted as reviews editor for Locus for the 21st consecutive year. As a podcaster, I co-hosted and produced a total of 19 episodes.

Fiction edited in 2023

Anthologies

Novellas

Novelette

  • Here Instead of There, Elizabeth Bear (Communications Breakdown)
  • The Counterworld, James Bradley (Tor.com)
  • What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata, P. Djèlí Clark (The Book of Witches)
  • John Hollowback and the Witch, Amal El Mohtar (The Book of Witches)
  • FORM 8774-D, Alex Irvine (Tor.com)
  • The Witch Is Not the Monster, Alaya Dawn Johnson (The Book of Witches)
  • What It Means to Be a Car, James Patrick Kelly (Tor.com)
  • Less Than, Lavanya Lakshminarayan (Communications Breakdown)
  • The Passing of the Dragon, Ken Liu (Tor.com)
  • Cuttlefish, Anil Menon (Communications Breakdown)
  • At Every Door a Ghost, Mohamed (Communications Breakdown)
  • Company Man, Shiv Ramdas (Communications Breakdown)
  • Detonation Boulevard, Alastair Reynolds (Tor.com)
  • The Luck Thief, Tade Thompson (The Book of Witches)
  • The Locked Coffin: A Judge Dee Mystery, Lavie Tidhar (Tor.com)

Short story

  • What Dreams May Come, C.L. Clark (The Book of Witches)
  • As Wayward Sisters, Hand in Hand, Indrapramit Das (The Book of Witches)
  • Noise Cancellation, S B Divya (Communications Breakdown)
  • Moral Hazard, Cory Doctorow (Communications Breakdown)
  • Orphanage of the Last Breath, Saad Hossain (The Book of Witches)
  • Catechism for Those Who Would Find Witches, Kathleen Jennings (The Book of Witches)
  • Met Swallow, Cassandra Khaw (The Book of Witches)
  • Nameless Here for Evermore, Fonda Lee (The Book of Witches)
  • The Liar, Darcie Little Badger (The Book of Witches)
    Good Spells, Ken Liu (The Book of Witches)
  • The Excommunicates, Ken Macleod (Communications Breakdown)
  • Night Riding, Usman T. Malik (The Book of Witches)
  • My City is Not A Problem, Tim Maughan (Communications Breakdown)
  • Sigh No More, Ian McDonald (Communications Breakdown)
  • Just a Nudge, Maureen McHugh (The Book of Witches)
  • So Spake the Mirrorwitch, Premee Mohammed (The Book of Witches)
  • The Job at the End of the World, Ray Nayler (Tor.com)
  • The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches, Garth Nix (The Book of Witches)
  • The Nine Jars of Nukulu, Tobi Ogundiran (The Book of Witches)
  • Déjà Vue, Tochi Onyebuchi (The Book of Witches)
  • The Academy of Oracular Magic, Miyuki Jane Pinckard (The Book of Witches)
  • In a Cabin, In a Wood, Kelly Robson (The Book of Witches)
  • Through The Woods, Due West, Angela Slatter (The Book of Witches)
  • Her Ravenous Waters, Andrea Stewart (The Book of Witches)
  • The Star-Bear, Michael Swanwick (Tor.com)
  • The Cost of Doing Business, Emily Teng (The Book of Witches)
  • Mask of the Nautilus, Sheree Renee Thomas (The Book of Witches)
  • Salt Water, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Tor.com)
  • The Three O’Clock Dragon, John Wiswell (Tor.com)
  • Witchfires, E. Lily Yu (The Book of Witches)
  • The River and the World Remade, E. Lily Yu (Tor.com)

Editor, Short-Form (Hugos)/Professional Achievement (WFA)

  • Jonathan Strahan (The Book of Witches ; two Tordotcom novellas;  11 Tor.com stories;  Locus [reviews editor]

Best Fancast/Podcast

I hope you’ll consider supporting the talented people that I’ve worked with during the year.