THE 3rd ALTERNATIVE: ISSUE 20

If you’re tired of a steady diet of the American take on the genre, here’s a care package from the UK. Take a break from the status quo and give The Third Alternative a whirl.

Let’s say you’re into it for the fiction. How about stories from the ilk of James Van Pelt (finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer), Steve Rasnic Tem, Christopher Priest, and British Fantasy Award Winner for “Best Short Story,” Martin Simpson. They’ve even managed to coax author Brian Ruckley out of hiding.

Those are just some of the names you probably already know. Meet talented newcomers Liz Williams, James Harris, Barry Fishler, Lynda E Rucker — all making impressive debuts in The Third Alternative. The fiction can range from surreal to humorous, dark to quirky, but always fresh and innovative.

Reviews are making their first appearance in The Third Alternative in issue #20. Reviews of classics — I Am Legend, The Forever War — and future classics from Vonnegut, Egan, Rushdie, and Priest. Sneak peaks at treasures that may be a while reaching American shores — One of Us by Michael Marshall Smith, The Cybergypsies by Indra Sinha, and Word Made Flesh by Jack O’Connell. Use these reviews as an introduction to what in going on in the rest of the world.

Just for a minute, let’s say you’re more into interviews. Would you be tempted by such subjects as Michael Moorcock, Alasdair Gray, and Joyce Carol Oates?

And, that’s not even mentioning the spectacular cover art, which is reason enough to buy the mag.

As if you needed another reason…