Abyss & Apex Magazine
Abyss & Apex Magazine is a long-running, semi-professional online speculative fiction magazine. The title of the magazine is derived from a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche : "And if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." The magazine's stories and poetry explore how humans would react if new technology, magic, or supernatural powers affected them.
Abyss & Apex publishes dark fiction, though not horror. The magazine features an approximately equal mix of fantasy and science fiction stories. Initially, it was published bimonthly until issue #13, after which it transitioned to a quarterly release schedule.
Subgenres
Per Wendy S. Delmater, "A&A likes to show all the different things speculative fiction can be." According to the magazine's submissions page:"We look for the unique—stories that stand out in a genre that pushes the envelope of the unusual. We take special delight in detailed world-building. We like slipstream, YA, hypertext fiction, dark fantasy, science fiction puzzle stories, magical realism, hard science fiction, soft science fiction, science fantasy, urban fantasy, military science fiction, ghost stories, space opera, cyberpunk, and steampunk. There is very little we will not consider, although we have a severe allergy to zombies, elves, retold fairy tales, sports, westerns, vampires, and gratuitous sex and violence. We have no subject or topic preference beyond the requirement that the work contain a speculative element. We are happy to read stories that don't quite seem to fit elsewhere."
As a result, Abyss & Apex has published a broad range of science fiction and fantasy subgenres, from hypertext science fiction to YA fantasy.
Past and present editors
Abyss & Apex was founded by Carol Burrell and originally published under Burrell's ByrenLee Press imprint in Riverdale, New York. Elizabeth Bear served as managing editor from the first issue until issue #7, alongside editor Leah Bobet. She was succeeded by Kathryn Allen and later Aleta Daknis.Wendy S. Delmater became managing editor with issue #15 and took over as publisher with issue #37, when the magazine transitioned to a WordPress format under Abyss & Apex Publishing in Lexington, South Carolina. Delmater continues as head editor.
Poetry editors have included Robin Mayhall, Trent Waters, Stephen A. Wilson, and John C. Mannone. Since 2010, Abyss & Apex has had a dedicated flash fiction editor, Jennifer Dawson, leading a team focused on this short form of storytelling.
Over the course of the magazine's history, several assistant editors have contributed, most notably Rob Campbell as science fiction editor, Jude-Marie Green as associate editor, and Tonya Liburd as senior editor—the first Caribbean editor in the genre.
New and contributing writers
Twenty-five percent of the stories published in Abyss & Apex have been first-time publications for their authors. The magazine has also served as an early publishing credit for writers who later became well known. Among them, Abyss & Apex has published early works by Aliette de Bodard, Marie Brennan, Karl Bunker, Paul Carson, Rae Carson, J. Kathleen Cheney, N. K. Jemisin, Lisa Mantchev, Will McIntosh, Tony Pi, Mercurio D. Rivera, Lawrence M. Schoen, and Lavie Tidhar.Abyss & Apex follows a policy of publishing veteran science fiction and fantasy writers alongside emerging authors, allowing newer writers to share the Table of Contents with established names in the genre and gain greater recognition. Notable veteran authors published by the magazine include Barth Anderson, Greg Beatty, C. J. Cherryh, Ian Creasey, Paul Di Filippo, Samantha Henderson, Matthew Kressel, Jay Lake, Richard A. Lovett, Tim Pratt, Cat Rambo, Ken Scholes, Justin Stanchfield, Bud Sparhawk, Michael Swanwick, and Rachel Swirsky.
Anthology
A selection of fiction and poetry, primarily from issues #15 to #27, was published in The Best of Abyss & Apex, Volume One, edited by Wendy S. Delmater.Awards and honors
2015Abyss & Apex was nominated for a 2015 Hugo Award in the Best Semiprozine category.2014
- "Principles of Entropy" by Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg was nominated for a 2014 Rhysling Award by the Science Fiction Poetry Association.
- * "The Artist, Deeply, Brushes" by Ken Altabef
- * "Luminous Fish Scanalyze My Name" by Paul Di Filippo and Damien Broderick
- * "The Shadow Artist" by Ruth NestvoldAbyss & Apexs 4Q 2010 story "Rumor of Wings" by Alter S. Reiss was the featured story on the PodCastle podcast.
- * "Land of Fire & Ashes" by Colin P. Davies
- * "Lace Downstairs" by Arkady Martine
- * "Aurum" by Genevieve Valentine
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- "No Ruined Lunar City" by Greg Beatty won the 2005 Rhysling Award.Year's Best SF, honorable mentions for 2004:
- * "Live from the Volgograd Blackout!" by Barth Anderson
- * "Those Boiled Bones" by Jay Lake
- "Making a Sparrow" was included in the Honor Roll of The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, edited by Jane Yolen and Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and received an Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin Grant.