OtherRealms

OtherRealms is a Science Fiction Fanzine I put out between 1986 and 1992. It was primarily focussed on reviews and criticism of Science Fiction and Fantasy, but also contained other material that I found interesting. Beyond my own writing, it contained the work of many others, some fans like I was at the time, others authors in the field who were looking for an outlet for informal pieces. Authors who were to be found in OtherRealms included Mike Resnick, Jack Chalker, Charles de Lint, Harry Turtledove, Melissa Scott, Kevin J. Anderson, Michael P. Kube-McDowell, and Lawrence Watt-Evans. I'm proud to admit that at the 1989 World SF convention in Boston (Noreascon Three), OtherRealms was nominated for a Hugo award for Best Fanzine, and I was nominated for Best Fan Writer. I'm even prouder to note that I finished ahead of No Award in both categories, even though there was a voting controversy which affected the Hugos that year.

32 issues have been published. 30 of them were available on the net, while 31 and 32 were paper only. OtherRealms grew out of a wish to find a better way to publish material on the net. You have to realize that back in 1986, things were plain text and distribution was by e-mail and USENET. Even then, USENET was showing signs of strain from growth and popularity, but none of us had a clue how good we had it at the time. USENET today is nothing but a shadow of what it was, quality-wise. A second reason for OtherRealms (other than thinking I had something useful to say) was that I was fighting a serious, nasty writer's block, and I felt that putting myself on a writing schedule and forcing myself to write (or embarass myself in front of the readers waiting for each issue) would help me break out. It did, but it also took on a life of its own and became a much larger thing than anyone expected.

Of course, in today's World Wide Web world, OtherRealms looks (and is) horribly primitive. But it was one attempt to find a better way to deliver and distribute information on-line, long before the WWW existed (or was even under consideration).

Please abide by the copyright notices in the issues -- people's lack of concern over copyright protection was one reason I removed the final issues. Don't screw it up for others.

  • OtherRealms #2 (February 1986)

    • Editorial: The Making of OtherRealms and Other Stories by Chuq Von Rospach, Editor of OtherRealms

    • Authors: A Profile of Karen Joy Fowler by James Brunet

    • Reviews: Wasp by Eric Frank Russell Reviewed by James D. Johnston

    • Awards: Nebula Awards Final Ballot

    • Writing: How to Write a Review by Chuq Von Rospach

    • Pico Reviews by Our Readers

      • BLOOD MUSIC, by Greg Bear [****]

      • BROKEDOWN PALACE, by Steven Brust [*****]

      • CARDS OF GRIEF, by Jane Yolen [**]

      • CLIFFS NOTES ON HEINLEIN'S WORKS [**]

      • CORONA (A Star Trek Novel) by Greg Bear [***]

      • ENDER'S GAME, by Orson Scott Card [*****]

      • THE FRANKENSTEIN PAPERS, by Fred Saberhagen [**]

      • FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE, by H. Beam Piper [***]

      • KING KOBOLD REVISED, by Christopher Stasheff [***-]

      • A MALADY OF MAGICKS, by Craig Shaw Gardner [***+]

      • A MALADY OF MAGICKS, by Craig Shaw Gardner [***+]

      • NIGHT OF POWER. by Spider Robinson [*]

      • NO DOORS, NO WINDOWS, by Harlan Ellison [***]

      • ORBIT 19, edited by Damon Knight, [***]

      • PET SEMATARY, by Stephen King [****]

      • THE PROTEUS OPERATION, J. P. Hogan, Bantam, [*1/2]

      • ROBOTS AND EMPIRE, by Isaac Asimov, [***]

      • THE SERPENT, by Jane Gaskell [*-]

      • SHIELD, by Paul Anderson [*****]

      • THE SNOW QUEEN, by Joan D. Vinge [*****]

      • THE SONG OF MAVIN MANYSHAPED , by Sheri S. Tepper [**]

      • STREETLETHAL, by Steven Barnes [****]

      • TIMESCOOP, by John Brunner [**]

      • UNACCOMPANIED SONATA AND OTHER STORIES, by Orson Scott Card [****]

      • THE WARLOCK IN SPITE OF HIMSELF, by Christopher Stasheff [***]

      • THE WARLOCK UNLOCKED, by Christopher Stasheff [***-]

      • WORLDS END (VOLUME 2 IN THE SNOW QUEEN CYCLE), by Joan D. Vinge [***]

      • YENDI, by Steven Brust [****]

    • Writing: WORKSHOPS AND CRITICISM: HELP FOR THE SF WRITER by James Brunet

    • Readers Survey: Our monthly question to our readers

    • Masthead: The necessary administrivia

  • OtherRealms #1 (January 1986)