THE EDITOR’S WORD by Mike Resnick

Welcome to the thirty-eighth issue of Galaxy’s Edge. We’re proud to present stories by new and newer writers Emily McCosh, James Reinebold, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Alex Shvartsman, Eric S. Fomley, Rachelle Harp, and Eric Leif Davin, plus old established friends Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Todd McCaffrey, Michael Swanwick, and the very first appearance here, with a brand-new story, Nebula winner Nina Kiriki Hoffman.

We’ve also got our regular (and very popular) columns: Recommended Books with brand-new reviewer, Nebula winner Richard J. Chwedyk, our science column by Worldcon Guest of Honor Gregory Benford, our literary column by Hugo and Nebula winner Robert J. Sawyer, and the Joy Ward Interview, in which Joy interviews F&SF editor and publisher Gordon van Gelder.

In other words, it’s a typical issue of Galaxy’s Edge.

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I recently had the experience of spending close to a month in a hospital and a rehab center. (No, don’t cheer; I’m back out and reasonably healthy again.)

While I was there, since I had a ton of time on my hands, I had Carol bring my laptop and began writing. Of course all the nurses wanted to know what I was writing, and it turns out that a number of them were science fiction fans—though most had been originally attracted to the field by Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas rather than by Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, and that whole crowd.

Which is not to say they weren’t aware of some names. Sooner or later every single nurse asked me if I knew George R. R. Martin. They were thrilled when I explained that we were starving writers together in Chicago back in the 1960s, and that he’s a little less starving than me—or just about anyone else in the world—these days.

One nurse spent her break time learning about the field on the internet, and when she felt sufficiently versed in it she told me that Heinlein was the writer who most fascinated her, and what has he done lately?

I explained regretfully that he hasn’t done much for the past thirty years, since he died in 1988.

I thought she might cry, so I added that he had a new book coming out later this year.

Her eyes went wide, her hands started shaking, and she said, in a very tremulous voice: “He’s still writing? God help us, where is the publisher located?”

Her reaction was almost worth the time I spent at her facility.