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} }) </script> </div> </form> </fieldset> <article class="entryArticle content STeditorial"> <header class="entryHeader icon-publication"> <h1 class="entryTitle">Science Fiction Eye </h1> </header><p class='tagLine'>Entry updated 22 July 2024. Tagged: Publication.</p><div class="browsingBtns"> <span> <input class="button PNI previous" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/next.php?id=p&entry=science_fiction_eye'" value="Prev" /> </span> <span> <input class="button PNI next" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/next.php?&entry=science_fiction_eye'" value="Next" /> </span> <span> <input class="button PNI incoming" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/incoming.php?entry=science_fiction_eye'" value="About This Entry" title="What links to the entry; contributor initials explained; how to cite; other information" /> </span> </div> <p>US <a href="/entry/amateur_magazine">Amateur Magazine</a> of science-fiction criticism and review. Fifteen issues, Winter [January] 1987 to Fall 1997; edited by Stephen P Brown and Daniel J <a href="/entry/steffan_dan">Steffan</a>, and published by the 'Til You Go Blind Cooperative to issue #5 (July 1989); edited and published Brown alone from #6; published from Washington, District of Columbia, to #8, thereafter from Asheville, North Carolina. All issues were letter-size, saddle-stapled, except #3 (March 1988) which was an extravagant large tabloid (14 x 11 in; 356 x 280 mm). This was also the special fiction issue, most if not all of whose stories were specially commissioned. It presented a range of material by Paul <a href="/entry/di_filippo_paul">Di Filippo</a>, Richard <a href="/entry/lupoff_richard_a">Lupoff</a>, Charles <a href="/entry/sheffield_charles">Sheffield</a>, John <a href="/entry/shirley_john">Shirley</a> and Ian <a href="/entry/watson_ian">Watson</a>, and the debut story by Kathe Koja. The large format, unfortunately disliked by retailers, was intended to signal an experimental sf magazine that might have an impact, appeal and influence in sf similar to that of Art Spiegelman's (1948-    ) <i>Raw</i> (1980-1991) in <a href="/entry/comics">Comics</a>.</p> <p>This intensely lively critical journal, professional in appearance, was at times regarded as the house journal of <a href="/entry/cyberpunk">Cyberpunk</a>, an image it gained because the first issue was a detailed study, or rather "autopsy", of the subject, including <a href="/entry/interviews">Interviews</a> with William <a href="/entry/gibson_william">Gibson</a> and John <a href="/entry/shirley_john">Shirley</a>. Its primary contributors continued to be the names most closely associated with the cyberpunk subgenre, especially John <a href="/entry/kessel_john">Kessel</a>, John <a href="/entry/shirley_john">Shirley</a> and Bruce <a href="/entry/sterling_bruce">Sterling</a>, so it never lost that label even though the magazine was always looking beyond. The second issue (August 1987) had a special section on Philip K <a href="/entry/dick_philip_k">Dick</a> and an interview with Lucius <a href="/entry/shepard_lucius">Shepard</a>.</p> <p><i>Science Fiction Eye</i> was really a magazine for science-fiction radicals, chiefly a new generation of writers aware of how <a href="/entry/technology">Technology</a> was transforming society and looking at the impact and implications. It covered literature (mostly but not exclusively sf), music, technology, <a href="/entry/communications">Communications</a>, or whatever was hot on the streets at a given moment, with an agreeable if occasionally irritating air of seeing itself as living on the cutting edge. It was in <i>Science Fiction Eye</i> that Bruce Sterling coined the term <a href="/entry/slipstream_sf">Slipstream</a> (July 1989) and it was that type of betwixt-and-between fiction that most interested the magazine.</p> <p>Its various controversies included a continuing savage attack on Orson Scott <a href="/entry/card_orson_scott">Card</a>, and others on Craig <a href="/entry/strete_craig">Strete</a> and on <a href="/entry/scientology">Scientology</a>. Further contributors included <a href="/entry/ferret">Ferret</a>, Richard <a href="/entry/grant_richard">Grant</a>, Eileen <a href="/entry/gunn_eileen">Gunn</a>, Elizabeth <a href="/entry/hand_elizabeth">Hand</a>, Richard <a href="/entry/kadrey_richard">Kadrey</a>, Charles <a href="/entry/platt_charles">Platt</a> and Gary <a href="/entry/westfahl_gary">Westfahl</a>, and there were features on J G <a href="/entry/ballard_j_g">Ballard</a>, Samuel R <a href="/entry/delany_samuel_r">Delany</a>, Thomas M <a href="/entry/disch_thomas_m">Disch</a>, Ian <a href="/entry/mcewan_ian">McEwan</a>, Christopher <a href="/entry/priest_christopher">Priest</a>, Connie <a href="/entry/willis_connie">Willis</a> and David <a href="/entry/wingrove_david">Wingrove</a>.</p> <p>With issue #12 (Summer 1993), <i>Science Fiction Eye</i> incorporated Doug Fratz's <i>Quantum</i> (see <a href="/entry/thrust">Thrust</a>): Fratz then served as a contributing editor, but the personality of <i>Quantum</i> never really made its mark, although the subject matter covered by <i>Science Fiction Eye</i> became even more diverse. Paul <a href="/entry/di_filippo_paul">Di Filippo</a> provided a regular column considering the borderlands of science fiction including the writings of Ishmael <a href="/entry/reed_ishmael">Reed</a>. Bruce Sterling examined the French romantics, whilst Stepan <a href="/entry/chapman_stepan">Chapman</a> looked at the role of artist John R Neill in creating the imagery of <b>Oz</b> (see L Frank <a href="/entry/baum_l_frank">Baum</a>). Brown found it harder to sustain the magazine, which saw only four issues in its last five years, but it always remained very readable. <i>Science Fiction Eye</i> was never nominated for a <a href="/entry/hugo">Hugo</a> award but it did win three Small Press awards given by <a href="/entry/readercon">Readercon</a>, run by the Small Press Writers and Artists Organization.</p> <p><i>Science Fiction Eye</i> was also popular in <a href="/entry/japan">Japan</a>, where it sold 10% of its print run, which is why the cover included its price not only in US dollars and pounds sterling but in Japanese yen. Takayuku Tatsumi was a regular contributor and even assembled a Japanese edition of the magazine. [MA/PN]</p> <p><b>links</b></p> <ul class="x"> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.philsp.com/mags/science_fiction_eye.html">Galactic Central illustrated checklist</a></li> </ul> <p><b>previous versions of this entry</b></p> <ul><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/science_fiction_eye' target='_blank'>Internet Archive</a></li></ul><br /><br /></article></div> <div class="sideBarsWrapper"> <div class="sideBarsColsWrapper clearfix"> <div class="column sideBar12 clearfix"> <div class="columnForm"><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2>Recently visited entries<span style="background:url(/images/thingSFE2.png) !important"></span></h2><ul style='width: 50%; float: left;'> </ul> <p align=center style="float:right; padding-top:20px; padding-bottom:20px;">ISSN 3049-7612<br /> <a href="/facts.php?id=logo"> <img src="/images/VitMan.gif" width=150 height=150 title="Click for larger version of this SFE logo"></a><br /> <b><a href="/donate.php"><img src="/images/Paypal-Donate.gif" WIDTH="92" HEIGHT="26" BORDER="0" /></a><br /><a href="/">Home/Welcome page</a></b></p><div style="margin-bottom:10px;"></div></div> </aside><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2><i>SFE</i> Special Features<span></span></h2><p style="margin-top: 10px;"><input type="button" value="What’s New" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/whatsnew.php'">  Latest entries; 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