Top 10 Science Fiction Magazines

In creating our Top 10 Science Fiction Magazine list, we used three main factors to decide what we feel are the best magazines. 1. We looked at the popularity of the magazine. 2. We looked at the awards the magazine has won. 3. We looked at how long the magazine has been publishing. If you check around the web and in your local library or a neighborhood used book store, you might be lucky enough to run across an old pulp science fiction magazine from the “golden age.” You’ll also notice that many more defunct science fiction magazines are out there than those currently in publication.

We have tried to put high-quality science fiction magazines on this list. The amount of professionally published science fiction magazines in the publication needs to be more to make this list a thoroughly professional list, so we’ve picked what we felt were the best professional fanzines. We wanted them to be something other than transient, but the market for science fiction magazines is tough. Many people love sci-fi, but too few support the publications. The following list is our Top 10 Science Fiction Magazines publishing today. You’ll find that some of these websites could be more aseptically pleasing, but the print publications behind them are. We hope you find this list helpful. All of these magazines have worked hard to keep science fiction literature alive. Post your comments below. 

Top 10 Science Fiction Magazines

1.The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

This professional magazine began publishing in 1949, making it the second oldest continually publishing science fiction magazine in the country. They have one up on the most senior, however, in popularity. The publication is tremendously popular. It is the most widely read science fiction magazie in the country. It consistently publishes outstanding authors like (from their site) “Stephen King’s Dark Tower, Daniel Keyes’s Flowers for Algernon, and Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz.” This magazine is the cream of the alien crop.” Fantasy & Science Fiction magazines represent all of what’s best in science fiction today. 

2. Analog Science Fiction and Fact

This professional magazine began publishing in 1930 and is, as they say, “often considered the magazine where science fiction grew up.” They do it well and have published many outstanding science fiction authors, including “Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Spider Robinson, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Michael F. Flynn.” The publication is the oldest science fiction magazine in the country and consistently wins awards. This publication has done an unequivocal job over the last 80 years of keeping excellent science fiction literature alive in print. 

3. Asimov’s Science Fiction 

This professional magazine began publishing in 1977 and is a high-quality science fiction magazine showcasing some of the best in science fiction today. They publish great authors, and the publication is one of the best science fiction magazines ever published. 

4. Strange Horizons

It began publishing in 2000. Strange Horizons is a popular online science fiction magazine. In 2007 they were nominated for a Hugo award. Works from their issues consistently are included in national anthologies. They are a science fiction magazine of the best kind. Strange Horizons represents where science fiction magazines are going in the future. 

5. Apex 

Apex Magazine, formerly Apex-Digest, has been publishing since 2005. The magazine has won countless awards. After a short hiatus in 2019, the publication returned better than ever. They are currently on issue 135. 

6. Interzone

It began publishing in 1982. Interzone is the longest-running science fiction magazine in the UK. They have published many greats, including: “Brian Aldiss, Sarah Ash, Michael Moorcock, Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, M. John Harrison, Stephen Baxter, Iain M Banks, J.G. Ballard, Kim Newman, Alastair Reynolds, Harlan Ellison, Greg Egan,” and many more. They are a fabulous magazine that has fought the odds to keep science fiction alive. 

7. Weird Tales

Weird Tales began publishing in 1923. They stopped publishing several times, started again in 1988, and were “revamped” in 2007. They are currently publishing speculative fiction.

8. Lightspeed 

Lightspeed started publishing in 2010 and has won many awards. They have published some very famous writers, and the magazine gets better and better each year. 

9. Uncanny 

Uncanny started publishing in 2015 and has won a Hugo award almost every year it has been in publication. They get writers recognized. The magazine is published in electronic formats and is bi-monthly. 

10. Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld is the newest magazine on our list, established in 2006, but the magazine came on in a blaze of glory. They have won many awards in the science fiction world, and they publish a yearly chapbook of all the stories that have appeared in their magazine. Clarkesworld is where science fiction magazines are going—professionally done, full of outstanding science fiction writing, and devoted to creating a presence on the web and in the real world. Every science fiction writer trying to publish their stories should consider this magazine seriously. 

If you have suggestions on magazines we missed, please leave them in the comments below. We like hearing from you.

Updated on 1/25/2023

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Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) is the founder of EveryWriter and a 25-year veteran of the publishing industry. With degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology, and Education, Richard has dedicated two decades to teaching writing and literature while championing emerging voices through EveryWriter's platform. His work focuses on making literary analysis accessible to readers at all levels while preserving the rich heritage of American literature. Connect with Richard on Twitter  Bluesky Facebook or explore opportunities to share your own work on ourSubmissions page. For monthly insights on writing and publishing, subscribe to our Newsletter.

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