Reactor, formerly Tor.com, is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction. Unlike traditional print magazines like Asimov's or Analog, it releases online fiction that can be read free of charge.[1]
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| Categories | Science fiction, fantasy |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Company | Macmillan Publishers |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | reactormag |
Reactor was founded (as Tor.com) in July 2008[2] and renamed Reactor on January 23, 2024.[3]
Reception
editGardner Dozois called Tor.com "one of the coolest and most eclectic genre-oriented sites on the Internet". He felt in 2011 that its short fiction output that year was weaker than usual, but said it was still a fascinating place to visit.[4] In 2014, The Guardian's Damien Walter remarked on a "digital renaissance" in short SF, and cited a new generation of online magazines, including Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Tor.com and Escape Pod, as having transformed the genre. Of these, he described Tor.com as "the reigning champion of science-fiction magazines". He noted the broad range of its output, and said that it had published "many of the most exciting new talents" such as Maria Dahvana Headley and Karin Tidbeck.[5]
Awards
editTor.com has won eight Locus Awards for Best Magazine (2015, 2017–23), breaking a 40-year-long streak where the category was only won by Asimov's and F&SF (in addition to Locus itself).[6] For its art direction, Irene Gallo received the 2014 World Fantasy Award for Professional Work.[7]
There have also been several award-winning collections of Tor.com content. Reviews and commentary by Jo Walton were collected in the books What Makes This Book So Great and An Informal History of the Hugos, with the former winning the 2014 Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction, and the latter nominated for the 2019 Hugo and Locus Awards.[8] The fiction anthology, Worlds Seen in Passing: 10 Years of Tor.com Short Fiction, won the 2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.[7]
References
edit- ^ Liptak, Andrew (September 8, 2018). "How Tor.com went from website to publisher of sci-fi's most innovative stories". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ Langford, David (June 28, 2021). "Tor.com". In Clute, John; et al. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (3rd ed.). Gollancz. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Lough, Chris (January 23, 2024). "Welcome to Reactor! Here's Where Everything Went and How to Use It". Reactor. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Dozois, Gardner, ed. (2011). The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection. St. Martin's Press. p. xx. ISBN 978-0-312-54633-5.
- ^ Walter, Damien (June 13, 2014). "A digital renaissance for the science fiction short story". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ "Locus Awards Winners By Category". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Irene Gallo Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "Jo Walton Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.