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Neil Clarke

Goodreads Author

Website

http://neil-clarke.com

Twitter

clarkesworld

Genre

Science Fiction, Fantasy

Member Since

November 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/clarkesworld

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Neil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine. Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a ten-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form (winning once in 2022), three-time winner of the Chesley Award for Best Art Director, and a recipient of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. In the fifteen years since Clarkesworld Magazine launched, numerous stories that he has published have been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Stur ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

What is your theory on short fiction in magazines versus novels in bookstores? What can be gained in a zine such as Clarkesworld that you miss out on with a novel from a bookstore?

Neil Clarke I ran an online bookstore for about eight years. We stocked over one hundred different genre magazines (I'm nuts) as well as books. These are the thre…moreI ran an online bookstore for about eight years. We stocked over one hundred different genre magazines (I'm nuts) as well as books. These are the three things that I think play into what people favor at any given time:

Variety:
I think that people (readers and authors) are more likely to experiment in the short form. It isn't a huge time investment, so I've seen more people more willing to read a short story by someone they've never heard of. I know that's introduced me to a lot of very talented authors and some great ideas. Some of those stories would have never worked as novels and others have later gone on to be expanded into novels or series of connected short stories that explore the world in a way that would have made a clunky novel.

Time:
When my kids were younger, I almost exclusively read short stories because that was all the time I had. In the car, I prefer short story podcasts for almost the same reason. Sometimes it's nice to be able to finish something you start.

Immersion:
Novels allow for more immersion. I know some people like to spend as much time as possible with their favorite characters or worlds, but I get frustrated when I see a series that looks like it's never going to end. I'd rather see the author start something new than take the series one book too far (much like some TV shows eventually jumping the shark).

If you lean too far into any of those categories you run the risk of missing some of the best our genre has to offer. (less)

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Neil Clarke I had a heart attack nearly two years ago and the damage to my heart was significant enough to warrant the implantation of a defibrillator. As I was r…moreI had a heart attack nearly two years ago and the damage to my heart was significant enough to warrant the implantation of a defibrillator. As I was recovering from the surgery, I came up with the idea of creating the first cyborg anthology edited by cyborg. UPGRADED will be released this month and features twenty-six original stories by authors like Greg Egan, Madeline Ashby, Elizabeth Bear, Peter Watts, Ken Liu, and more... Full details at http://neil-clarke.com/books/upgraded/(less)

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Combine Editions
Neil Clarke’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 14,567 ratings · 3,901 reviews · 399 distinct works • Similar authors

	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 132, September 2017 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), A. Brym (Contributor), Stephanie M. Bucklin (Contributor) 4.18 avg rating — 727 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 100, January 2015 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Aliette de Bodard (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Tang Fei (Contributor) 3.82 avg rating — 604 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 160, January 2020 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Naomi Kritzer (Goodreads Author), Isabel Fall 4.17 avg rating — 526 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Galactic Empires by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Paul J. McAuley, Ann Leckie (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 431 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Upgraded by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Peter Watts (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.72 avg rating — 409 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best Science Fiction of the Year, Volume 1 3.72 avg rating — 390 ratings — published 2016 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 177, June 2021 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author), Nancy Kress (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Robert Reed (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.14 avg rating — 333 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 124, January 2017 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Goodreads Author), Lettie Prell (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 341 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 69, June 2012 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), An Owomoyela (Contributor), Aliette de Bodard (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.94 avg rating — 282 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 55, April 2011 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author) (Editor), E. Lily Yu (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Erin M. Hartshorn (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.79 avg rating — 286 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Neil Clarke's Blog

Bulgacon

In early September, I will be a guest at this year’s Bulgacon, held in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. I’ve never been to Bulgaria before, so I’m looking forward to visiting someplace new to me and meeting with local fans and fellow guests. I’ve just received my schedule:

Sept. 6 – 18:00–19:00 [EN] AI in Art and Why It Doesn’t Belong There – Neil Clarke
Sept. 7 – 15:00–16:00 [EN] Overview of the Speculative F

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Neil Clarke wrote a new blog post Bulgacon In early September, I will be a guest at this year’s Bulgacon, held in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. I’ve never been to Bulgaria before, so I’m looking forwar Read more of this blog post »
Aug 26, 2025 02:14AM · like

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Quotes by Neil Clarke (?)

“We are a nation built on the promise that there are no roots. Every generation must be free to begin afresh somewhere else, leaving the old behind like fallen leaves.”
― Neil Clarke, More Human Than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity

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“My grandfather’s treasured ax,” the sheriff said. “It was handed down to my father, who then gave it to me. And in its life, it has had two new heads and three new handles. But it is still my grandfather’s ax.”
― Neil Clarke, More Human Than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity

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“Pestilence, poverty, starvation, wars, and daytime TV programming have all plagued human existence for too long. These problems are not insolvable, however. All that’s required is brain power. Evolved human brain power has not been enough. We need more power. With the rapid development of processing ability, computers are positioned to overtake human abilities and move beyond to a position where they can solve our problems. Thus, we anticipate Singularity to occur at 18:15:32 on Sunday, two weeks from this coming.”
― Neil Clarke, More Human Than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity

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