Views from Medina Road

This past week I finished compiling the results of this year's Locus Survey and the special all-time best fantasy story poll, both conducted in parallel with the Locus Poll itself, and both results scheduled for publication in the August issue of Locus Magazine. (The Locus Poll results will be in the July issue.)

The fantasy story poll was problematic in that the scope of potential votes was so great that even the candidate list of 300 stories on the ballot -- compiled from the tables of contents of a dozen or so anthologies of fantasy classics, plus recommendations from several prominent editors and reviewers -- was criticized by many voters in their comments as being too restrictive or as omitting too many obvious candidates. If there's a better way of conducting such a poll, let us know and we'll use it next time.

On another note, I'm happy that someone noticed my matter-of-fact quotation of the bizarre self-description of a certain recently received and listed book. It would be unprofessional of me to express or imply too much of an opinion in such listings (since anyway I cannot begin to approach the delicate, wry tone of the master, Mr Langford), but I do hope that perceptive readers will notice the occasional droll tone of my typing of such quotations, including some of those 'opening lines' quotes at the bottom of each new books page...