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Top Quality
The art of short non-fiction writing lives on.I have subscribed to this magazine since 1981, a very different world then, but have been consistently impressed with WQ.This magazine has always demonstrated an excellence in style, content and quality of writing.My favorite is that it has reviews of other magazine articles, something I always look forward to.If controversy or an edge is what you are looking for, this may not be your cup of soup.But if you are looking for a condensed and concise article on a subject you may know nothing about, coming away feeling just a little bit more informed about the world, I can't think of a better source.

Organ of the Radical Center
How to characterize this magazine? It's a cross between Reader's Digest and US News and World Report, with a higher Flesch-Kincaid rating. Most of the articles read like popularizations of the output of political science departments (with a bias toward Princeton, of course). In my year's subscription, I found it a little too safe, accommodating, and middling, and I did not renew.

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best literary review in the world today
The London Review of Books is simply the best generalist journal on topics of literature, the arts, culture, history, politics, philosophy published in the world today--it now beats the NY Review of Books in terms of giving you the full picture and leaves the TLS back in the dust.If you want to get your bearings in the world ofculture and politics, this is must reading.

Denis Jonnes
Washington D. C./Kitakyushu, Japan

What the....?
I subscribed to this publication expecting to read reviews of various fiction/non-fiction books - what it turns out to be is a series of editorials, premised around virtually all non-fiction.All very high-brow and frankly, quite boring.The one item worthwhile is the classifieds.I think I'll ask to cancel my subscription and obtain a refund.I anticipated something that would help me in finding great books to read but after 4 issues, I haven't seen anything of interest.

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Okay for the price, but could use some improvements
Wine Enthusiast is an average, decently priced, magazine about, of all things, wine. Less of a lifestyle magazine than Wine Spectator, and less serious in tone than Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast has its merit in that it focuses solidly on wine without the pretentious rambling that sometimes diminishes its competitors. Most of its articles are mostly accurate, if in a rudimentary way. Wine Enthusiast does not seem to rate as many wines as its competitors, which can be a problem for vertical comparisons of certain wines, including some well-known examples from Bordeaux and Burgundy. As such, I would probably not recommend Wine Enthusiast to the serious collector. Nonetheless, for its price, Wine Enthusiast offers value and adequate ratings and reviews of many wines, although I have some questions as to how they choose which wines to rate when they leave out many Sauternes in favor of white zinfandels.

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Some of the best science fiction shorts out there
Regular readers of my reviews are probably getting sick of me mentioning Kage Baker, but I have to credit her for getting me to try a lot of things that I wouldn't normally try if she hadn't been a part of them.Asimov's Science Fiction magazine is another time where this is the case.While I have boughtFantasy & Science Fiction magazine every month for a while now, I would also check Asimov's to see if it had a Baker story.If it did, I would buy it.What I have found, however, is that I have enjoyed most of the other stories in the issues I have bought as well.Thus, from now on I will be buying it every month too.

Much like Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov's contains mostly science fiction stories of various lengths (short story, novelette, novella) along with a couple of columns and some cartoons.The difference between the two is that Asimov's contains no fantasy (though some of Mike Resnick's stories have a fantasy feel to them).However, the magazine likes to concentrate on character-based science fiction, so you won't see a lot of "technology first, character second" stories in the magazine.Personally, I think that's a good thing as hard science fiction turns me off.If you're more into the hard sciences, you may find stuff in here to interest you, but there's a good chance that you won't.

Occasionally, there will be guest editorials (they printed George R.R. Martin's Guest of Honor speech from Worldcon in the October/November issue).There's always an "On Books" column, sometimes written by Paul Di Filippo, sometimes by Peter Heck.The authors use this column to recommend books that you may not have come across.Robert Silverberg opens each issue with a "Reflections" column that can cover everything from space exploration to ideas on story-writing.James Patrick Kelly occasionally is featured with an "On the Net" column, examining various science fiction web sites and other online activities.Unlike Fantasy & Science Fiction, there is often some poetry included as well.Finally, there is a calendar of upcoming conventions that covers the world so you can always find someplace to go if you need to get together with a group of fans.

The bread and butter of the magazine, though, are the stories.Each story has an introduction from the editor (currently Gardner Dozois, though that will change to Sheila Williams with the January issue), which may explain the genesis of the story, or just tell us how long it's been since that author has appeared in Asimov's.One of the things about Asimov's that is different is that it often serializes stories that will eventually appear in book form.Allen M. Steele's Coyote series has been serialized over the last couple of years with all of them being collected in two books (Coyote from a couple of years ago, and the upcoming Coyote Rising).Also, Charles Stross' Accelerando has been featured in recent issues.The one drawback to this is for readers who only pick up the occasional issue.For instance, "Survivor" in the October/November issue didn't really mean a lot because I've missed everything that came before it.It does reward regular readers, though.

Asimov's has many writers who write almost exclusively for that magazine, or at the very least the authors submit their stories to this magazine for first refusal.My favourite, Kage Baker, only seems to appear here, with only one story that I know of appearing in Realms of Fantasy.Allen M. Steele is another.Robert Reed seems to be featured everywhere (I swear that guy is churning them out like he's a machine) but he is featured a lot in Asimov's.

The magazine is bound just like Fantasy & Science Fiction, however the cover is thin paper rather than thicker stock, so it will tear a bit easier.This does have the advantage that you can sometimes leave it lying open for reading (though this only works if you're toward the middle of it).It also means it can be rolled up if necessary.

The only other fault I have with it, and this is strictly a personal thing, is that the stories don't always grab me as much as they do in Fantasy & Science Fiction.This is mainly because I'm more into fantasy than science fiction, so this certainly wouldn't be the case for everyone.While the hit and miss ratio varies from issue to issue, I can say that I have never skipped a story in the magazine.Again, that's a benefit of short fiction.You're not going to waste a lot of time on them.

If I had to choose between the two magazines, I would definitely choose Fantasy & Science Fiction.However, Asimov's is certainly good enough that it's easy to make room for both of them.Plus, by picking them both up, I feel like I'm doing my part in keeping short fiction alive.It's only a small part, but every little bit helps.

David Roy

Possibly the greatest SF magazine in existence.
I would encourage everyone to subscribe, and help support the magazine. Asimov's Science Fiction (along with Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Analog Science Fiction & Fact) is truly the lifeblood of the science fiction genre. Short fiction has the unique advantage of being able to develop new worlds in a shorter amount of space than one might find in a novel, although in many cases a large portion of this world-building is left to the reader's imagination. Thus, good short fiction is able to convey a true sense of transaction between writer and reader, giving the impression that more has been said than has actually been specifically stated.

Asimov's is no exception. It publishes some of the best fiction on the market today, by James Patrick Kelly, Michael Swanwick, Robert Silverberg, and Nancy Kress to name but a few. In addition, it still manages to introduce new writers to the field; indeed, it is one of the principle markets for finding and developing vital new talent for the continued success of science fiction as a whole. I believe it to be one of the most important publications in SF today. So, please, subscribe. You don't know what you're missing.

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Excellent Quarterly View of the World
This is an excellent magazine that is put out quarterly with the best writers of Foreign Policy in the world writing articulate and current articles about the state of affairs of various countries, problem spots and emerging issues. My favorite article is their myth breaking of a controversial issue. The myth-breaking feature of the quarter states a general perception and then breaks it down into usually 10 myths that support that perception. They then challenge each myth by a more accurate and fact full analysis that essentially defeats the myth giving you a more accurate state of affairs. One such article is the perception that terrorists have hijacked the Muslim religion, which is a myth as the writer indicates through various arguments that the opposite is true. Another such article was about the Neocons in the Bush administration, by breaking the myths about the Neocons, the article gives you a better understanding about what they really think and what their goals are. This quarter's magazine features a great article about Colin Powell explaining why he dos not seem to have a strong presence as a Secretary of State while he still maintains a positive public rating. An interesting contrast that FP fully explains.

The only negative about the magazine is that comes out only quarterly but these well thought out articles provide a lot to digest in between.

FP Deserves Its Excellent Reputation
FP is published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Articles in the current issue (May-June 2004) are about al Quaeda, world trade in small arms, selling to the world's four billion poor people and American public opinion on Iraq, terrorism, North Korea and free trade.There are also articles on such subjects as saving endangered species and a comparison of Kerry and Bush on foreign policy. FP is marking the second anniversary of the magazine's ambitious attempt to rank the world's 21 rich countries on "how their policies help or hinder social and economic development in poor countries." First place on this year's report card goes to the Netherlands while the United States is ranked seventh.

There are still other articles plus reviews and a lively letters section. The latter is devoted solely to reactions to an earlier article by Samuel Huntington on the impact on the United States from Hispanic immigration.

The contributors include mostly academics with a sprinkling of journalists and other professionals. Some of the recent writersare Allen J. Hammond, C.K. Prahalad, Jason Burke, Steven Kull, Kenneth Rogoff, Minxin Pei, Tamar Jacoby and Patrick Buchanan. The articles cover timely topics and they are written in a highly readable style. The reader does not necessarily have to be an academic to enjoy this publication. FP definitely deserves its reputation for excellence.

Yawn.Provocative it is not.
I find Foreign Policy to be a bit too cocky, dull, and long-winded.I subscribed hoping to find stimulating intellectual discussion, but Foreign Policy can't seem to shake its centrist shackles.Its articles are less well-researched and provocative than they are lengthy, and I was less than impressed with many so-called "expert" authors who seized the opportunity to publish op-eds rather than engaging original arguments.Foreign Policy's decision to feature Samual Huntington's bunk argument regarding the Hispanic "threat" to America on the cover is a case in point.

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Great magazine on Many Fronts!
I am not a magazine reader at all. Adventure is the only magazine I have a subscription to (going on my 3rd year). It has great photography, travel journals, spotlights on different place to visit (i.e. South Africa). It also is fantastic if you are an avid outdoorsman/woman. The cover a lot camping, rafting, kayaking, etc. Well written, informative, great pictures. Always finding new places to write about. Good read every month - and CHEAP!

National Geographic Adventure
I don't know what the person was thinking who reviewed this magazine (Jan 2004) and said he had cancelled his subscription of 15 years.This magazine only first began publication a few years ago.I have every issue and have loved and read every one.Adventure is the best of the National Geographic publications and is for those who are young or at least young at heart.Some of the articles are a bit sassy -- but just enough to make them fun!

Not what it used to be.
I have just cancelled my subscription to National Geographic Magazine after 15 years of membership.Regrettably the magazine has lost its former lustre and has become too americanized and too focussed upon 911 and the two wars in the middle east.I need a magazine that is truely worldly in scope and covers nature and cultural diversity.My search led me to three candidates: Geo Magazine - good but not available in english; Geographical - british, good but a little shallow; and finally I settled upon CNN Traveller - an excellent magazine to which I am now subscribed and is all and more than what National Geographic used to be.I just wish more publishers would give National Geographic some competition.

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The most fulfilling magazine to read cover to cover
Even if you can only afford the time to read a sporadic issue here or there, this is by far the most gratifying magazine to read.

This is more like an encyclopedia of current events affecting out world than a magazine.The gamut of topics is amazing and can in one article cover a topic with comprehensive, excellent writing.The consistency of quality makes it a number once choice.

It continues to carry the most intriguing articles I have ever read.If you're thinking about a subscription- pick one up at a newstand and revel in the pages of information.Chances are good you'll be so impressed you won't hesitate to indulge in a subscription to satisfy your appetite for more.

Look forward to every issue
I started receiving Smithsonian magazine a few months ago.It was the best choice I could have made in selecting a magazine.I find myself reading the articles out loud to my husband.I want to read every article because I am afraid I am going to miss something.I am saving them so my young son can enjoy them when he is older.

We are impressed with every issue
Every issue we get, we say the same thing: "WOW! This is the best issue ever!! Just look at this article, and this one...."

We took a visit to the Smithsonian in Washington, hosting some guests from Germany who had the treasures of the mineral exhibit on their "must see first time to the US" list of attractions. We were a bit nonplussed by this--we didn't know that foreigners would be interested in the Smithsonian Museum. We spent an entire day, seeing just a small percentage of thenational treasures in this montsrous museum complex. While we were shopping in one of the gift shops, we were offered a membership. We signed up to support the Smithsonian and to get this magazine.

Recently, there was an article on Cambodia's huge temple complex Ankhor Wat (filmed in "Lara Croft"), an article on sled dogs and an article onthe Kansas-Nebraska Act, a key law that added to the tinder sparking the Civil War. And best of all, an article on Diane Arbus, the photographer who was famous for her portraits of seemingly ordinary people, somehow caught with an eye to freakishness or evil. Though I've been familiar with Arbus' work for year, this article had so much new information.

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superfantastic
I've been getting this magazine since it first came out years ago, and every issue is just as exciting as the first. It not only gives you the military aspect of events, but often goes into detail as to how and why these events occured, which is invaluable in itself. I can't wait for the next issue to come out, and wish it would come out more often. And the fact that it comes in hardcover format makes a nice presentation on my bookshelf. Thank you MHQ

Wide-ranging, thorough study of military history
MHQ is perhaps the most in-depth publication of military history that is regularly available.The range of subjects span from ancient history and the battles of the Greeks, Romans, Chinese and others, to what has happened in the last 15 years/ Desert Storm.

Most of the authors are very experienced, and the names of most of them can be found in your favorite bookstore's History section.Maps and photos help illustrate everything, and the magazine itself holds up a lot better with time than most thin-papered pages.It is surprisingly durable.

I have used this magazine many times in preapring material for my history classes, and while it can by dry in some points, and certain topics aren't always in my interest area, its scholarly and informative efforts make it a far better than average magazine in its scope and quality.In short, its biggest drawback may be its quarterly issuance, since it seems to not come out often enough.

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This Is a Joke, Right?
I was suprised to see that the Saturday Evening Post was still being printed. I happened to get a chance to examine a few of the "new" issues the other day. I guess they've gone through a format change from what I remember as the older magazines. It was almost like reading a satire of a badly made magazine. At first, I thought the magazines' only value could be the reprints of old artwork by Norman Rockwell and Liendecker. But the "new" material was so bad, it had to be done on purpose. I laughed out loud several times durring my review. I'd reccomend this magazine to anyone who enjoy the Sun, the Globe, the Weekly World News, or any print gurus who want to see how NOT to craft a magazine. It's a shame that they couldn't continue to make a respectable body of material for their readers. I'm sure Rockwell and Liendecker are rolling in their graves right about now.