Genre Grapevine for January and First Half of February 2025
Note: I'm still getting back into the rhythm of a regular, monthly column after my recent burnout. The remainder of the news from this month will be out on February 28. I appreciate everyone's patience. Honestly, the political news hasn't been great in recent weeks, which doesn't help recovering from burnout. But I also know that my column is useful for people and that good journalism is needed now more than ever. I'm committed to getting this column back to its regular schedule, so look for my next Grapevine on February 28th.
The SF/F Genre's Response to Musky Trump
Since Trump was sworn in as president on January 20, his strategy to "flood the zone" with executive orders, threats, and the weird gift of Elon Musk gutting the federal government has been nearly overwhelming. Which, of course, is Trump's intent. With so much shit flying around, with so many things hurting so many people, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. To feel helpless. To resign yourself to being unable to do anything as the world goes to hell.
That's what people like Trump and Elon Musk want to happen.
Civil rights attorney and professor Sherrilyn Ifill recently wrote a powerful essay pushing back about the idea that nothing can be done in times like this. As Iffil said,
"To insist that nothing can be done is to surrender to the pull of inertia. To numb ourselves and settle for watching our country's demise, rather than fight it. If this seems like an option to you it is only because you are unable to imagine how truly bad it can get for our families, our friends, and our communities. I am clear that it can and may become not just worse, but intolerable for many, many people, and that none of us will be immune. That recognition makes it clear to me that there is no option but to fight."
In Ifill's essay, she detailed a large number of ways people are pushing back against everything that's happening in the USA and around the world. Christian Paz also detailed similar ways people are resisting in an article in Vox.
Here's how various people in the science fiction and fantasy genre are responding to what's happening:
Nino Cipri created a guide titled "Organizing your workplace: some 101-level things to know." As Cipri writes, "This guide focuses less on the procedures for organizing a union, and more about general tactics for building collective power. I'm emphasizing this because collective power builds unions, not the other way around. A union won't save you if you and your fellow workers aren't united and willing to struggle together."
Jim C. Hines is running "the Nazi Punch of the Day" on Bluesky, beginning with the classic cover of Captain America Comics #1 from March 1941.
Jordan Harper points out one of the negative things that can happen if the powerful believe people are accepting of what's happening these days: "A friend of mine just pitched something to a studio and the executive said, 'That's great, but nobody is buying anything with a point of view right now.'"
What happens in the coming years is up to all of us. As Malka Older said, "We can argue about whether 'the people' are better at choosing govt than whatever other system (although given our appallingly undemocratic systems, I don't think we have much evidence); the innovation of democracy is allowing people to CHANGE the government. Accountability."
Cherie Priest shared a very personal and moving essay about why the cuts Trump and Musk are making, such as to the Veterans Administration, will hurt many people including her family.
A few days after Trump's inauguration, Fox Meadows noted in a thread how "SFF fans called for a boycott of Chengdu Worldcon on the basis of the CCP's actions in Xinjiang and China potentially not being safe for certain authors? are we going to have a similar discussion about Seattle Worldcon given the circumstances?" Hildur Knútsdóttir added to the discussion, saying "I had all but decided to go to Worldcon in Seattle in August, but these past few days I realised that with all the shit and chaos that is going down in the US it really doesn't feel safe right now (and I am saying this as a cis straight white woman with a passport that allows me to travel anywhere)." Ada Palmer added "Certainly I think we should strongly support non-US located Worldcon bids for these years while travel will be hard and dangerous for so many of our fellow fans coming from abroad." And Kate Elliott agreed with Palmer, but also noted that "it may become unsafe for some Americans to attempt to travel internationally because they might not be allowed back home, or they simply might not be able to get a passport issued or renewed at all."
Three weeks after those concerns about travelling to the USA for Worldcon were first shared, Scott Edelman noticed a number of Worldcon cancellations from his non-U.S. friends. "I suspect both this year in Seattle and next year in L.A. will be far lighter than usual on international attendees, who feel less safe in this country due to the Trump/Musk regime. They're making us a pariah to the world."
As Alexander B. Joy said, "If US politics is merely Gamergate writ large, there are probably lessons to be learned from that time a right-wing group tried to hijack the Hugo Awards using similar tactics, only to fail dramatically after the SFF community refused to issue certain awards."
An anonymous group called Survive the Tyrant created "an RPG-style guide for surviving an authoritarian and oppressive regime." The guide can be downloaded for free here and on DriveThruRPG.
In a thread praising the guide, Bree Bridges wisely pointed out that "The idea that any of us can do everything is instant failure. We all have our own skill sets and our own passions and we will accomplish the most if each of us works within those arenas to do what we're already good at, what we already care about. You don't have to do it all. Just a little."
I totally agree with those words from Bridges. Do what you can. Protect yourself. And this includes, as I said last month, protecting yourself from burnout. One of the reasons Trump and Musk are flooding the zone is to make anyone opposed to them give up.
Again, do what you can. And try not to give up hope. As Suzan Palumbo said recently: "Writing is very hopeful because you'll be like: I don't know if people will like this book. I don't know if the industry will exist in 2 years. I'm not sure North America will be functional in 6 months. And still finishing writing the book to go on sub anyway. Hope springs eternal!"
Never Forget They're Claiming SF/F Inspired Their BS
There are two truths involving the science fiction and fantasy genre that people need to remember in the context of our present political moment, where the USA is facing the return of an out-of-control oligarchy and the threat of fascism.
Gareth L. Powell spoke to this first truth when he declared the following:
SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS: Write books warning against a thing for sixty years
THING: Happens
MEDIA AND POLITICIANS: How could anyone possibly have foreseen this?
It's absolutely true that the SF/F genre has warned for decades against exactly what's happening right now. From Octavia E. Butler with The Parable of the Sower to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and George Orwell's 1984, the SF/F genre long ago explicitly warned about the dangers of oligarchies, fascism, political extremism, and the linguistic, cultural, and emotional manipulations that have carried us to these horrifying ends.
However, the SF/F genre shouldn't pat itself on the back and be content that it warned about all this. Because the genre is also partly responsible for this shit happening in the first place.
In a recent essay in Vox, Sigal Samuel examined the real reason Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and other "broligarchs" are supporting Trump. As Samuel notes, yes, they all want tax cuts. However, these tech leaders are also supporting him because of "an ideology inspired by science fiction and fantasy. An ideology that says they are supermen, and supermen should not be subject to rules, because they're doing something incredibly important: remaking the world in their image."
According to Samuel, "It's not just that they want a government that won't tread on them. They want absolutely zero limits on their power. Not those dictated by democratic governments, by financial systems, or by facts. Not even those dictated by death."
And what inspired this vision? Science fiction and fantasy. Samuel notes that Zuckerberg's goal for his Metaverse – "a virtual reality so immersive and compelling that people would want to strap on bulky goggles to interact with each other" – was seemingly inspired by Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. And Jeff Bezos was inspired by Star Trek, and Musk by the works of Isaac Asimov.
And it's not just SF inspiring our current days – fantasy has also taken a key role in this. As Politico reported last year, J. R. R. Tolkien is Vice President J.D. Vance's favorite author, and evidently Peter Thiel also a fan. It appears Tolkien inspired Vance's belief in the need for an "all-encompassing battle between good and evil," along with his views as an isolationist.
Of course, the irony is these broligarchs and politicians completely misunderstood the points of the science fiction and fantasy they supposedly loved. As Samuel's Vox essay points out, Zuckerberg completed missed that Stephenson's novel was a dystopian warning, not "an instruction manual." And a 2016 profile of Peter Thiel opened by bluntly stating "he is a terrible literary critic. The Lord of the Rings is his favorite book, but he has apparently got no earthly idea what it is about."
Neither does J.D. Vance. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is anything but an isolationist story, with the storyline focused on bringing together the peoples of the world to fight for their shared future. Plus Tolkein had very specific things to say about men being corrupted by power, whether or not that power exists in one ring to rule them all.
As David French quoted Professor Michael Drout last year – in an essay appropriately titled "The Lord of the Rings is not the far right's playground" – "Rather than reveling in the acquisition and exercise of power, The Lord of the Rings celebrates its renunciation, insisting that the domination of others is always morally wrong."
Readers and fans have long misunderstood the stories they love, even when the stories are anything but subtle. We saw this in recent years with the anti-superhero show The Boys, where many fans thought Homelander wasn't the villain. As showrunner Eric Kripke said, "Some people who watch it think Homelander is the hero. What do you say to that?" The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them. So if that's the message you're getting from it, I just throw up my hands."
But throwing up our hands is exactly what we can't do. Call out this bullshit. Point out that what we're seeing today is not the true vision of these stories beloved by so many people. And If you're a journalist interviewing J.D. Vance or any of these broligarchs, repeatedly ask why they do and say things that go against what their favorite books are about.
Blurbing the Great Blurb Debate
The SF/F genre and larger literary world have been having yet another of the routine debates about the value of giving and receiving blurbs, which are the recommendation quotes given by authors to the works published by other writers. Constance Grady at Vox wrote a great overview of the discussions and debates, including links to what different people are saying. Instead of me summing everything up I recommend people read that analysis.
One important note in these discussions is that Simon & Schuster publisher Sean Manning announced on January 30 that his "flagship imprint will no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books. This only applies to Simon & Schuster's flagship imprint, and this isn't to say that we will outright refuse to include blurbs on our book covers and in promotional materials."
Obviously there's a lot of wiggle-room in that statement, meaning they'll still use blurbs if the author has them but also that S&S won't directly ask for blurbs. But coming from the leader of one of the world's largest publishers, the statement still received a ton of attention.
I'm conflicted about blurbs. I've given blurbs to a number of other authors over the years, always for books I loved. I've also received blurbs for my own books. Despite that, I hate asking for blurbs as an author or helping my publisher figure out who to ask for a blurb.
But as an avid reader, I also know the value of blurbs. When I see that an author whose works I love has endorsed a book, I'm very likely to check it out.
Here's the thing: In today's world, it's harder than ever for authors to promote their books. Social media is very hit or miss these days – and definitely leans towards many more misses than hits. And even the largest publishers rarely provide complete marketing and promotion support except to their best-selling authors. Even the stereotype of a publisher taking authors on an all-expenses-paid tour to promote their books is, for most every writer, the relic of a long-ago age.
Because of all that, word of mouth is more important than ever to help readers find books they might enjoy. And word of mouth is exactly what blurbs are.
That doesn't mean that blurbs don't have issues, including sometimes stinking of nepotism or favoring authors who are good at socializing with their peers. But generally I agree with Lincoln Michel, who wrote the following about blurbs:
"I too have blurb complaints, although I tend to find the discussion around them somewhat disingenuous. I've seen many anti-blurb takes over the years that were from bestselling and/or award-winning authors who, having reached a place where blurbs no longer helped their career, decided the practice should end. Those can feel a bit 'pulling the ladder up behind you.' What's refreshing about Manning's article is that it was written by a publisher who is actually in a position to change things. Still, I remain skeptical that blurbing will disappear anytime soon because I think the answer to the question of why blurbing is so common is that, well, blurbs work. And in some ways blurbs are more necessary than ever."
Gaiman Allegations Get Even Darker
Last year the revelations from five women that Neil Gaiman sexually assaulted or abused them hit the SF/F genre hard. As I said in my original report on the allegations, I'd long been a big fan of Gaiman's stories. After listening to the allegations revealed in the Tortoise Media podcast series, I knew I was done with Gaiman. After all, I thought, it doesn't get much worse than this.
I was wrong. It can get much, much worse, as the world learned in January when Lila Shapiro published her deeply researched article "There Is No Safe Word" about Gaiman. The article is the perfect example of why we need long-form journalism, as Shapiro goes far beyond what was reported last year to show that Gaiman appears to have been doing this for a long time. In addition, his estranged wife Amanda Palmer may have known about all this, if not actively enabled him.
Shapiro's story is one of the best works of journalism I've read recently. For example, she explores the abuse Gaiman likely endured growing up in a Scientology family without using that in any way to excuse the harm he's done to others.
In response to the article, Gaiman ended his months-long refusal to comment on the allegations with a post on his website titled "Breaking the Silence." The post is insulting, with the title sounding like he's the victim here instead of one of the most powerful authors in the world. As for the statement itself, that read like Gaiman used an AI program to spit out generic phrases such as "consensual sexual relationships," "I'm trying to do the work needed," and "I don't accept there was any abuse."
Since Shapiro's article, there's been a whirlwind of consequences and responses aimed at Gaiman:
Gaiman and Palmer were sued for human trafficking by Scarlett Pavlovich, their former nanny who detailed what happened to her in Shapiro's article. According to NPR, the lawsuit alleges Gaiman "repeatedly raped Pavlovich, and coerced her into sexual services and into providing free childcare. Pavlovich also alleges that Palmer 'knowingly benefited from Gaiman's exploitation.'" Palmer later denied the claims of human trafficking.
Gaiman was removed from the online client list of his U.K. agent Casarotto Ramsay. According to Deadline, "Casarotto Ramsay & Associates failed to respond to repeated requests for comment about whether it continues to rep Gaiman," as did Gaiman's long-time literary agent Merrilee Heifetz of Writers House and the Hollywood agency CAA.
Netflix announced that their highly rated show The Sandman, based on Gaiman's famous graphic novel, would end with season 2. However, it appears the series was always planned to end with season 2. However, Gaiman did see his works dropped by Dark Horse Comics and a planned Broadway musical based on Coraline was cancelled. This is on top of other works cancelled after last year's revelations, such as Disney indefinitely pausing an adaptation of The Graveyard Book. And finally, The Good Omens Kickstarter run by the Terry Pratchett Estate again offered refunds to donors (they originally offered refunds after the original allegations last year). They also announced "that Neil Gaiman will not receive any proceeds from the graphic novel Kickstarter."
Matthew Boroson wrote a must-read public Facebook post where he discussed how authors are frequently inspired by other authors' works. While most authors acknowledge this inspiration, Boroson points out that even though Gaiman modeled his series on Tanith Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth, Gaiman never acknowledged his debt to Lee. "... Gaiman has never given her any credit. Despite the fact that the main character – a byronic, pale, otherworldly, deity-like character – is the prince of night and dreams. Despite the fact that every time people see art depicting Tanith Lee's main character Azhrarn, they think it's Morpheus from the Sandman. (How bad is this? When people see depictions of her character, they say SHE must have ripped HIM off.)"
I totally agree with Boroson's closing statement: "If you loved Neil Gaiman's stories, if you are heartbroken to learn the storyteller you loved is apparently an abuser, here is my suggestion: track down Tanith Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth books. Her prose is more exquisite and imaginative, her ideas more original, her empathy real."
On Problematic Authors and Their Stories
The new revelations about Neil Gaiman also prompted discussions across the genre about what to do about problematic authors and their books. Many of the discussions were private and all of them resonated on a very personal level with people. Some people said they were donating or throwing away his books, others said they'd keep the books for now but doubted they'd still read them.
I totally understand the pain these allegations have caused to Gaiman's many fans. I grew up on The Sandman and Gaiman's other stories, which were extremely influential to the development of my fiction writing. Despite that, he's been dead to me since the allegations first came out last year. Basically, fuck him for the horrific shit he did to all these people. I won't be reading or buying any more new stories by him, or recommending him to people. And his stories that once meant so much to me? I'll never again read them.
In response to all this, some people recommended readers check out lists of so-called "good authors," or to avoid lists of "problematic authors." However, that strategy is flawed. As Joshua Rivera pointed out, "I don't think that coming up with lists of 'good' authors helps anyone. On a very basic level: you have no way of knowing if that's true about anyone." Which is absolutely true. Afterall, "ten years ago, Neil Gaiman would have been on every list of 'good authors' out there."
There are no simple answers.
When the first revelations about Gaiman came out last year, John Scalzi said we need to stop idolizing creative people. Which is still very good advice. Unfortunately, it's also difficult advice to follow. People naturally want to form human connections with others, especially those who create things that resonate with their lives.
Despite that, it's important to remember that what resonated with you wasn't the person who created that story you loved, but the actual story itself. I can't forget what Gaiman's stories meant to me once upon a time, or the stories of other problematic authors who I've since learned did things I strongly disagree with. I long ago absorbed those stories into my soul and made them my own. I believe everyone who reads or experiences a story they love does this.
Gaiman's stories inspired me at a time in my life when I really needed them and helped me become the person I am today. But Gaiman didn't do that – I did that, by seeking out and reading his works along with the stories of many other authors.
When an author writes a story, it may seem as if that's a single act of creation on their part. But as I wrote in my essay "No One Creates Alone," nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, writing a story is an act of creation, but similar means of creation take place when people share a story and read a story. Essentially, reading a story you love is to self-create something new within yourself.
And once we're gone through such an act of self-creation, we aren't the same person we were before.
So again, fuck Neil Gaiman. I won't read any more of his works or support him with my money. But when an author you loved turns out to have been a problematic asshole, that doesn't mean you must cut from your soul what that author's stories once meant to you.
Instead, I'm going to take the stories of his that I've already read – the stories that worked their way into my soul, that I used in part to create who I am today – and I'm going to create new stories. I’m going to imagine new dreams that Gaiman is incapable of even imagining or comprehending. I'm going to make the world a better place, a place where people like Gaiman can't hurt others like he did.
I urge others to do the same.
Awards
Nominations for the Hugo Awards are now open through March 14. To nominate, you must have purchased a current Worldcon membership before January 31 of this year or have been a member of the 2024 Glasgow Worldcon.
The Washington Science Fiction Association's Small Press Award is open to short fiction nominations through March 31.
The judges for the 2025 World Fantasy Awards have been named and will consider submissions of eligible works through June 1. However, earlier submission is better because the judges may not have time to read works sent in close to the deadline.
Laura Lippman and John Sandford are the 2025 Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters.
The BSFA Award longlist has been released. BSFA members will vote for the finalists through Feb. 28.
Other News and Info
The novel Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros set a new publishing record, selling more than "2.7 million copies in its first week. All together, the three novels, part of Yarros' planned five-book Empyrean series, have sold more than 12 million editions in the United States, according to her publisher, Entangled."
Katy Waldman in The New Yorker explored the controversy around Tracy Wolff, the bestselling romantasy author who is being sued for copyright infringement. But was it copying another writer's work or simply the fact that romantasy, like many literary genres, sometimes relies on standardized tropes to aid in storytelling? There doesn't appear to be an easy answer in this case.
In a similar vein, in January various commentators on social media accused Chuck Wendig's new novel The Staircase in the Woods of stealing the idea of a mysterious staircase in a forest from the beloved creepypasta story Search and Rescue Woods by Kerry Hammond, which was originally published on Reddit. Many of these posts were later deleted, such as this Reddit thread, leading to speculation this was another attempt to hurt Wendig’s reputation (similar to previous attacks on him for writing in the Star Wars universe or blaming Wendig for the publishers lawsuit again the Internet Archive). Wendig posted about all this on Bluesky, saying the novel was an intensely personal story for him and that "I'm not exactly sure why people think I stole anything from anybody – my book has zero to do with anything or anyone from Reddit. Staircases in woods are a real phenomenon and I'd suggest folks read the book before… assuming I ripped anyone off, thanks." As Jeff VanderMeer noted, "The main thing about staircases in the woods is... they exist in literature. Like, in a footnote in House of Leaves, in one story and one novel of mine, etc, etc. I don't think you can copyright or trademark the concept of ... stairs... in... the... freakin'... woods."
Worth noting there's a fascinating subReddit focused on stairs in the woods, with tons of great photos.
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for bad writing has ended after 42 years. Run by E.J. Rice, a professor of English at San Jose State University, the contest "challenged entrants to compose opening sentences to the worst of all possible novels." For example, last year's Grand Prize winner by Lawrence Person was "She had a body that reached out and slapped my face like a five-pound ham-hock tossed from a speeding truck." The contest also highlighted winners in various genres, such as the 2014 science fiction winner by Suzy Levinson: "The spaceship hovered like a saucer, only rounder, deeper, the product of an unholy union between dessert plate and finger bowl, as any of the villagers familiar with traditional service à la russe dining could plainly see." Fortunately, the contest archives will be maintained for posterity.
Daily Science Fiction, an email and online magazine founded in 2010, ended publication in 2023. However, the magazine's archives remained up until December 2024, when they vanished after someone purchased the magazine's url. However, many of the magazine's archived stories can still be accessed through the Wayback Machine.
Psychopomp, which publishes the acclaimed magazine The Deadlands, will relaunch Fantasy Magazine on June 1. Fantasy was originally published by John Joseph Adams until it ended publication in October 2023. In the announcement, Psychopomp's publisher Sean Markey added that Fantasy will pay authors 10 cents a word for stories and open to submission in the near future. Markey also shared the magazine's new submission guidelines.
Andy Cox and Richard Wagner have launched a new print horror magazine titled Remains. Cox was the long-time editor of Interzone and Black Static and the magazine is currently open to submissions. Unfortunately, the submissions page doesn't include pay rates, suggesting the magazine isn't paying pro rates.
In the SF/F genre version of the film Groundhog Day, Dave Truesdale again emerged from his pearl-clutching, snowflake cave to write a rambling introduction for the 2024 Tangent Online Recommended Reading List. In the introduction he whined for 2,000 words about the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) under the headline "Social Justice or Writers Organization: A Modest Proposal." Of course, only 7 of those words were used to admit he hasn't been a SFWA member in 22 years. Again, 2,000 words complaining about SFWA while 7 of those words discussed not being a member in 22 years. That's essentially admitting how out of touch he is with the organization. And no, I won't be linking to the rant. Google it if you must.
You can now purchase and read e-books from local bookstores through Bookshop.org's new e-reader platform. The money you spend goes to the local bookstore of your choice.
John Scalzi's Old Man's War was published 20 years ago in January 2005. Andrew Liptak has written a fascinating look at both the novel and how it helped Scalzi become one of the world's best-known science fiction authors.
The US Authors Guild launched an "online portal for members to confirm that their work 'emanated from the human intellect' and not from artificial intelligence. The initiative, called Human Authored, will allow authors to log on to the portal and register their book. They will then be able to use a specially designed logo on book covers and promotional materials to show that their work has been created without AI."
Opportunities
Dark Matter INK seeks "previously unpublished or self-published fantasy novels for publication in Fall 2026 and beyond." They are interested in both standalone novels and novels that are part of a series. Details>>
Horror Tree seeks submissions of "weird westerns that are pulpy, unexpected, character-driven stories written by women" for the anthology Women of the Weird West. Submissions accepted from April 1-30. Details>>
Lambda Literary is seeking an executive director "to lead Lambda Literary as a powerful advocate against the suppression of LGBTQ narratives." The position is fully remote but "will require periodic travel throughout the United States." Details>>
Seize The Press Magazine, "an anticapitalist publication looking to publish dark speculative fiction," seeks "bleak sci-fi, dark fantasy, horror and all kinds of weird, messy, genre-defying stories that defy labels." Details>>
khōréō magazine is looking for a social media manager. The magazine notes this is a leadership position and they're "primarily interested in people who identify as immigrants or members of a diaspora for this position!" Deadline to apply is March 3. Details>>
Reckoning Magazine seeks submissions to It Was Paradise*, a special issue to be edited by Sonia Sulaiman. Deadline is June 22. Details>>