The book series Cutting Edge that I conceived a few years ago and now produce in collaboration with Tom Turtschi and p.machinery publisher Michael Haitel – a showcase of the best of contemporary speculative fiction in German, planed to be complemented with classics and selected works by international writers – is slowly gaining momentum. I have recently set up the website and around the turn of the year two new books were published, this time story collections by Wolf Welling and by Tom Turtschi.

Wolf Welling, born in 1943, has gained a reputation as a regular contributor to anthologies and magazines mostly in the field of science fiction and fantastica. His tales have a strong leaning towards the surreal and the Kafkaesk. It was a pleasant experience to work with him on Nebelwelten,  a selection of his best stories from 2005 to 2023. Horst Pukallus has contributed an afterword.

Since I have published a number of his stories in Nova, Swiss writer and media professional Tom Turtschi has grown into a kind of creative and intellectual brother-in-arms. His collection Protokoll Delta Bravo compiles seven somewhat thematically connected stories mostly about the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. I was honored to be invited by Tom to contribute an afterword which I hope will provide some insights into his thinking and writing.

The – as we hope – unique look of the Cutting Edge books is not only due to Tom’s cover concept, including a self-designed font, but also to the individual approaches that he and me tried to realize my idea of creating cover illustrations by means of some kind of generative or artificial intelligence technique. Tom’s cover for his own book is based on real-word photos processed with an API by Chuan Li. My own cover illustration for Wolf’s collection was created with a self-developed procedure for generative image crossing, using public domain photos by Martin Vorel.

The fifth online issue of the international science fiction magazine InterNova, that I edit in collaboration with a small team of international supporters, has recently been uploaded and is available here. An e-book version in various formats can he downloaded from publisher p.machinery’s website here.

This time it’s a mixed issue that, under the loose motto “Uncommon Relationships”, includes stories by Ahmed A. Khan (Canada), C. M. Teodorescu (Romania), Álex Souza (Brazil), Bill Kitcher (Canada), Sven Kloepping (Germany), Mike Jansen (Netherlands), Mark Tiedemann (USA), Jeremy Szal (Australia), Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (USA), and Vaughan Stanger (UK).

The fourth issue of InterNova, the international science fiction magazine that I relaunched in late 2022, has been uploaded a few weeks ago. This time it’s a theme issue about French science fiction that I compiled in collaboration with translator Michael Shreve and French sf veteran Jean-Claude Dunyach. It includes stories by Jacques Barbéri, Claude Ecken, Jean-Claude Dunyach, Pierre Pelot and Jean-Louis Trudel, two rediscovered classics by José Moselli and Maurice Renard, with historic introductions by Michael Shreve, and an exclusive update of Jean-Claude Dunyachs well-known “Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to French Science Fiction”.

An e-book version in various formats can be downloaded here.

In 2002 I founded, in collaboration with Ronald M. Hahn and Helmuth W. Mommers, the short story magazine Nova which over the years has grown into a major showcase of contemporary German language science fiction. Since 2012, when I took over from Ronald M. Hahn, I have been Nova’s fiction editor, a rewarding but in the long run also exhausting position. For several years I have been looking for a capable successor and such has finally been found in the experienced and well-liked writer and editor Marianne Labisch. By the end of June I have handed over the last issue that I have compiled as a fiction editor to publisher Michael Haitel. Marianne, who has already been part of the editorial team for two years, will start her work as fiction editor with issue #34.

I will not completely retreat from Nova but further contribute some work with regard to logistics, promotion and the guest story section. I’m confident that Nova under the aegis of Marianne Labisch will have some more good years coming.

My novella “Briefe an eine imaginäre Frau”, published in Nova 31, has been nominated for the Deutsche Science Fiction Preis (German Science Fiction Award) as best science fiction story of 2022. The story has initially been written in English and the original will be published before the end of the year in the first printed issue of InterNova.

I have already won this award in the story category in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013 and 2017 and I’m curious how my chances are this time.

My novella “Briefe an eine imaginäre Frau”, published in Nova #31, has been nominated for the Kurd Lasswitz Preis, one of the most prestigious German science fiction awards, in the category of best German science fiction story of the year 2022.

The story has initially been written in English and its original version “Letters to a Non-Existing Wife” will be published later this year in the first printed issue of the international science fiction magazine InterNova, along with tales by Tetiana Trofusha and Guy Hasson.

Another issue of the international science fiction magazine InterNova, that I edit in collaboration with numerous international writers, editors and fans, has recently been uploaded. This time it’s a mixed issue under the loose motto “New Fabulists”, with stories from seven countries and an insightful guest editorial about the current developments of international science fiction by my veteran collaborator Guy Hasson from Israel.

An e-book version in various formats can be downloaded here.

p.machinery has recently published issue #32 of Nova, the German speculative fiction magazine that I co-founded in 2002. It includes stories by Thomas Grüter, Karsten Lorenz, Victoria Sack, Ricky Wilhelmson, Aiki Mira, Wolf Welling, Benjamin Hirth, Frank W. Haubold and Canadian guest writer Brandon Crilly. The nonfiction section presents, apart from an updated German version of my essay on James Tiptree, jr.’s story “Her Smoke Rose Up Forever” – initially published at the World Culture Hub -, three insightful obituaries of the renowned Austrian researcher, computer artist, science fiction and popular science writer Herbert W. Franke.

Nova #33, due to be published later this year, will be the last issue of Nova that I have compiled as a story editor. With Nova #34 I will hand over matters to my more than capable colleague Marianne Labisch who will be supported by upcoming critic and editor Yvonne Tunnat.

A few years ago I had the idea for a new book series called Cutting Edge, intended to present the best of contemporary German language speculative fiction, supplemented with selected German classics and works by outstanding international writers, to an audience outside of the usual science fiction readership.

The idea could only be realized by overcoming some difficulties. After differences with two previous publishers Cutting Edge finally found a home as an imprint of my frequent collaborator Michael Haitel‘s small publishing house p.machinery. Luckily some of my favorite German writers stuck with me despite the delays and the first two Cutting Edge books were published in December. The focus of the series will be on short fiction, so we naturally started with two story collections: Belichtungszeit, a selection of Thorsten Küper’s best short stories and novellas from 2003 to 2019, edited and with an afterword by me, and Am Abend kamen die Schnecken, the latest story collection by my long-term friend and collaborator Horst Pukallus.

For both books I also acted, for the first time, as a cover artist. In line with Cutting Edge’s ambition to publish fiction based on fresh, innovative concepts, I had the idea of trying new ways with the book design and using generative artworks as cover illustrations. I devised an own procedure of generative image crossing, using public domain photos by Martin Vorel as source material. The result, however, would only have been half as interesting without Tom Turtschi‘s stylish cover design and logo.

Further books are in preparation, including a story collection by Tom Turtschi himself who is not only a seasoned graphic design professional but also a noteworthy writer.

Auf diesem Wege möchte ich meiner Tochter Juliana ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und einen guten Start in ein glückliches und erfolgreiches neues Jahr wünschen.

Wo immer Du bist und was immer Du tust, ich bin mir sicher, dass ich stolz auf Dich sein kann. Ich habe Dich nicht vergessen und hoffe, dass wir uns eines Tages wiedersehen werden.