Editor’s Note – April 2011

Issue 11? We are closing in our first year at Redstone Science Fiction already. Simply hard to believe. Things have gone very well for us and we appreciate all the people who have contributed their efforts to Redstone.

This month I wanted to recognize the efforts beyond RSF of one of our cover artists, Richard Newton. His photos were the covers for issues 4, 6, and this month. His intense photo of Tokyo makes an outstanding cover. Richard has a lifelong devotion to Japan and the Japanese people, and in the weeks since the devastating earthquake and tsunami he has worked to provide information about Japan, encourage positive action, and to counteract misinformation. I encourage you to visit his website, Let’s Japan, to get a point of view about what’s happening in Japan that is quite different from, and far more encouraging than, what we get from the news channels.

When I write that I like post-cyberpunk science fiction, I’m referring to the idea that there will be pervasive computing in all walks of life, not just the low-life. Speculation of how it might play out is very interesting to me and augmented reality is one facet of this. In April’s Perfection Jay Garmon does an excellent job of considering how these might be used to our advantage. I love this story. (At least my sensory inputs tell me I do).

At Redstone we also have a soft spot for adventure science fiction, especially when it evokes Heinlein just a little. Brittlestar by Mike Barretta does just that, by incorporating many contemporary elements of speculative stories and then taking us somewhere we didn’t expect our ultralight to land.

This month’s flash piece, Time’s Arrow by J. Chant, is a thought-provoking reminder of the vastness of space and perhaps the wages of sin. We’re excited to have the chance to share it with you.

Our SF critic, Henry Cribbs is turning his analytical eye towards Mars and four very different novels that focus on our dusty neighbor: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Martian Chronicles by the incomparable Ray Bradbury and Red Thunder by John Varley. You’ll be glad to you checked this one out.

Our Publisher, Paul Clemmons, spent some time in the Philippines recently, and met with Charles A. Tan, SF blogger and interviewer, promoter of Filipino Science Fiction, and all around neat guy. We’ll break this one up into two parts and share it with you in April and May.

We have more fiction than usual to share with you this month because of our successful Kickstarter project to raise funds that would allow us to publish more original words this spring. In fact, this month we were able to publish three stories, thanks to the project. I have the honor of listing here the backers who all made substantial pledges of support to Redstone SF and our publishing efforts.

The Friends of Redstone SF
CB Ash
Sandy McConnell Athey
Chad Sessions
Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
Flying Pen Press
Sarah Einstein
Jennifer Brozek
Bart Lieb
Jim Isbell
Kelsey Gower
David Alastair Hayden
Nathan Dodge
Robert Hampson
Mandy & Michael Mendez (love)

Can’t thank all of you enough.

As always, we here at Redstone SF hope that you find something in this issue that you enjoy.

Your Friend,
Michael Ray
Editor
Redstone SF