Jupiter 15: SF Magazine edited by Ian Redman
01/08/2007 . Source: Rod MacDonald 
e-mag and paper version Price: £2.75 (£10 for 4 issues). Buy Jupiter 15 in the USA - or Buy Jupiter 15 in the UK  check out website: www.jupitersf.co.uk
There are many small press Science Fiction magazines in the galaxy. I read an entertaining one while waiting in the departure lounge on Altair IV recently. Here on Earth, another to attract my attention was 'Jupiter Magazine' which is edited by Ian Redman in Somerset, England. This is actually one of the better small press magazines available today, a fact which is verified by its constant production over the last four years.
One good aspect of 'Jupiter' is that it is available both in print and as a PDF file downloaded from the Internet. Not only is the latter much cheaper, it has the added benefit that being paper free, it is environment friendly. My only slight objection with the PDF version was that it was presented in two columns which meant I had to scroll up and down each page. However, leaving this criticism aside, there were no other problems.
In many respects, 'Jupiter' is a no-nonsense magazine, free from irrelevancies and full of worthwhile fiction. It's definitely value for its subscription price. While you don't get colour, the lack of it isn't a detraction but the best way to judge this magazine is to actually read it yourself. Single copies are available and it is also on subscription in US dollars. If you log on to the website, you'll be able to download an issue for free. This will give an idea as to its to its subscription potential and value for money.
What about the fiction? The style tends to be hard Science Fiction. Believing that categorisation, such as the term 'hard' Science Fiction, gives unnecessary preconceived ideas as to the nature of the writing, putting fiction in pigeonholes nevertheless seems to be what is required today and its practice is therefore a necessary evil.
This edition contained quite a long story. Entitled 'Spaceflight', it's basically about an unreal world on the event horizon of a black hole through which spaceships travel, without the use of anaesthetics or modern surgical implements. Electronics are useless and it's the pilot who is responsible for steering a straight course. Tyler Keevil's short story, all things considered, leaves you a little bit disappointed because it is under-developed and there is sufficient material in plot and idea for a good novel.
There are six stories in this edition. 'Life Among The Lizards' by Lawrence R. Dagstine was, by his own admission, Robinson Crusoe in space. This has been done before, of course, but I like this story very much. An astronaut has crash-landed on an alien world. Fighting for survival, you are taken through his early days of concussed confusion, through the tortured effects of a broken leg to his quest for survival which turns him into a hunter. Despite all his former trappings of civilisation, he has now regressed thousands of years and has to live a Stone Age existence. The story is atmospheric and believable. That's what makes it different from the usual lost in space survival we've all read before.
'Jupiter' relies on its fiction because that's basically all you'll get. This is not a bad thing. If you're in two minds about subscribing to this magazine, it's worthwhile looking at the website to get a better idea. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by its presentation, delivery and value for money.
Rod MacDonald |
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