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asimov's science fiction july/august 2025
Stories from Asimov's have won 53 Hugos and 28 Nebula Awards, and our editors have received 20 Hugo Awards for Best Editor.
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published June 1, 2025
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Williams
277 books66 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.
Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.
She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.
Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
Sheila Williams is the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. She is also the recipient of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.
Sheila grew up in a family of five in western Massachusetts. Her mother had a master's degree in microbiology. Ms. Williams’ interest in science fiction came from her father who read Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. Later Ms. Williams received a bachelor's degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, although she studied at the London School of Economics during her junior year. She received her Master's from Washington University in St. Louis. She is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.
She became interested in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (as it was then titled) while studying philosophy at Washington University. In 1982 she was hired at the magazine, and worked with Isaac Asimov for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.
Along with Gardner Dozois she also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women (2001) with Connie Willis. Most recently she has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by Asimov's: Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology. Booklist called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams."
She has been nominated for 4 Hugo Awards as editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
See also Sheila Williams's entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 2, 2025
This was one of Asimov's best issues in a long time.
The Chronolithographer’s Assistant by Suzanne Palmer
A chromolithographer and her young assistant are lost in a sea of water and time.
The teacher learns as much from her student as he learns from her...as it should be.
A story sure to be on many award short lists.
Most Things by Rich Larson
It’s easy to slip, but watch out for the semantic lurch. A Lovecraftian quantum biomechanical horror story of a sorts.
Another Mother on Mars by Dominica Phetteplace
The times, technology and location may be very different, but many of the worries and concerns of soon-to-be-mothers are very much the same.
In the Gardener’s Service by Michèle Laframboise
The Questor Who Came In From the Cold. The author did a wonderful job making a very different non-human be a likable and completely relatable person who we can root for.
Pirates of Highship by Stephen Case
A possible first contact…utilizing weather balloons, deep data diving and quantum computing.
Gas giant riders on the storm indeed!
Perri’s Fate by Robert Reed
Will distance, time and death stop Perri on his long journey back to his love? A Great Ship story
In the Halls of the Makeshift King by Tobias S. Buckell
Pointless rituals may not be as pointless as they seem. As the grinding wheel slowly turns over the millennia, a community is held together.
Worm Song by Derek Künsken
A Grateful Dead song ran through my head as I read this story—“Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world”—except ears rather than eyes and the world is a gas giant.
Aftermath by William Preston
Events have/will happen; Rocket Summer seen through an occasionally open door.
“Isn’t this a good day?”
The Courier by Lavie Tidhar
In the high-tech, far-flung future, there will still be the need for someone to get something from one place to another. And there will be folks who love doing it.
The Chronolithographer’s Assistant by Suzanne Palmer
A chromolithographer and her young assistant are lost in a sea of water and time.
The teacher learns as much from her student as he learns from her...as it should be.
A story sure to be on many award short lists.
Most Things by Rich Larson
It’s easy to slip, but watch out for the semantic lurch. A Lovecraftian quantum biomechanical horror story of a sorts.
Another Mother on Mars by Dominica Phetteplace
The times, technology and location may be very different, but many of the worries and concerns of soon-to-be-mothers are very much the same.
In the Gardener’s Service by Michèle Laframboise
The Questor Who Came In From the Cold. The author did a wonderful job making a very different non-human be a likable and completely relatable person who we can root for.
Pirates of Highship by Stephen Case
A possible first contact…utilizing weather balloons, deep data diving and quantum computing.
Gas giant riders on the storm indeed!
Perri’s Fate by Robert Reed
Will distance, time and death stop Perri on his long journey back to his love? A Great Ship story
In the Halls of the Makeshift King by Tobias S. Buckell
Pointless rituals may not be as pointless as they seem. As the grinding wheel slowly turns over the millennia, a community is held together.
Worm Song by Derek Künsken
A Grateful Dead song ran through my head as I read this story—“Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world”—except ears rather than eyes and the world is a gas giant.
Aftermath by William Preston
Events have/will happen; Rocket Summer seen through an occasionally open door.
“Isn’t this a good day?”
The Courier by Lavie Tidhar
In the high-tech, far-flung future, there will still be the need for someone to get something from one place to another. And there will be folks who love doing it.
October 3, 2025
Solid issue!
My highlights:
- "In The Halls of the Makeshift King" had a kind of haunting symbolic surreal feeling that left me with questions in a good way!
- "Pirates of Highship" was probably my favorite, with a fascinating concept that plays out in spectacular, swashbuckling fashion!
- "The Chronolithographer's Assistant" had me in its emotional grips until it took a drastic tonal shift that left me scratching my head. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing story, but I felt a bit of whiplash that I had to recover from.
My highlights:
- "In The Halls of the Makeshift King" had a kind of haunting symbolic surreal feeling that left me with questions in a good way!
- "Pirates of Highship" was probably my favorite, with a fascinating concept that plays out in spectacular, swashbuckling fashion!
- "The Chronolithographer's Assistant" had me in its emotional grips until it took a drastic tonal shift that left me scratching my head. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing story, but I felt a bit of whiplash that I had to recover from.
July 30, 2025
Mack and Arvo decide to take a job on the dark web while stoned off their heads. A kidnapping with high rewards but medium risk. However, the object of the kidnapping is also the one who ordered it, and she did it to escape being murdered by her military employers after they allowed an entity from The Slip to escape. Wild action and adventure from Rich Larson in “Most Things”. Zetta longs to have a child but on Mars births are strictly regulated and her partner is about to return to Earth. But Zetta’ s father is a famous if contentious scientist and he supports her desire for a clone. Unfortunately his support is psychopathically severe in “Another Mother On Mars” by Dominica Phetteplace. Sirius kho Delsi, questor to the emperor he inadvertently helped put on the throne, has been tasked with finding the Emperor Pallan’s niece Lami. She has been kidnapped by a rival to the emperor who seeks a forced marriage which will gain him merit points enough to challenge for the rule of the 800 planets. Sirius finds that his mission is complicated by a real romance and his imprisonment in the entertaining “In The Gardener’s Service” by Michéle Laframboise. Trapped on different sides of a rift on the Great Ship, Perri seeks his wife of millennia Quee Lee. But his body is destroyed leaving his bioceramic brain to fend for itself. Reincarnated after 1200 years his search is both hindered and assisted by the enigmatic and powerful !eech in “Perri’s Fate” by Robert Reed. In the “Pirates Of Highship”, Stephen Case gives us a wealthy researcher in the clouds of a gas giant planet, where he hopes to show the electrical activity of the planet is a manifestation of intelligence. But a greedy and ruthless pair of pirates capture him with ideas of great wealth. Thomas Neary is a sailor’s son who is terrified of the sea, so he seeks employment with the odd woman near the cliffs who makes lithographs - stone prints. At first he is reticent but soon finds he has a knack for the work. But if the right paints are combined in the right way in the giant press called Dorothy something incredible happens. Suzanne Palmer’s “The Chronolithographer’s Assistant” is a wonderful and exciting tale. Good issue.
July 26, 2025
Solid anthology. A couple of the stories did not engage me as all usually do, but this was made up for by the excellence of other stories. I appreciated the continuation of one earlier story and quickly recalled enough of it to add depth to my enjoyment of the story in this volume. My favorite was the cove story, The Chronolithographer's Assistant, but found the other stories engaging. In The Halls of the Makeshift King was a near miss in my book, it ended well, but I never felt the environment and the physicality of what was happening, although the philosophical musings were top notch.
November 6, 2025
I enjoyed this issue, especially the cover story "The Chronolithographer's Assistant". Printing and time travel makes for an interesting combination. I liked it enough to buy a second copy to mail to a printmaker I know in Italy. It only took 2 months for him to receive it, after a detour through Poland!
August 21, 2025
I didn't connect with many of the stories in this issue. "Worm Song" and "The Chronolithographer's Assistant" were the two standouts for me.
September 22, 2025
3.5 stars overall. The best story was " The Chronolithographer's assistant" by Suzanne Palmer
August 20, 2025
Favorite stories:
1. Another Mother on Mars-Dominca Phetteplace
2. The Courier -Lane Tidhar
3. The Chronolithographer's Assistant-Suzanne Palmer
1. Another Mother on Mars-Dominca Phetteplace
2. The Courier -Lane Tidhar
3. The Chronolithographer's Assistant-Suzanne Palmer
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews