Asimov’s hits another important milestone with the publication of our April/May 2009 issue. With its arrival, we celebrate the four hundred opportunities we’ve had to showcase science fiction and fantasy short stories. When I realized this moment was nearly upon us, I contacted the issue’s contributors for their thoughts on the occasion. Robert Reed replied, “Congratulations, Asimovs! Here’s to the next six-hundred issues!” while Brian Stableford said, “Many congratulations on reaching the four hundredth issue; Asimov’s has made tremendous progress over that time to become the leader in the field, and continues to make an invaluable contribution to the promotion and showcasing of SF short fiction—which has always occupied a precious place at the heart of the genre. I’ve been very proud to have been featured fairly regularly in the magazine over the last two decades, and hope to continue that association for many years to come.” In the midst of his congratulations, Brian neatly summed up what Asimov’s is all about. It is a venue that nurtures and celebrates the short story. The stories receive some of this nurturing from the magazine and its editors, but most it comes from you—the people who read and support the stories and authors that you discover here.

One of our long-time readers is Kristine Kathryn Rusch, the author and former editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. On a recent walk, she realized that “I’d met most of my favorite SF/F writers in the pages of Asimov’s. I first read Connie Willis, Michael Swanwick, James Patrick Kelly, and Nancy Kress in its pages. I never miss Bob Silverberg’s column. And since I’ve quit editing, I’m always happy to see my favorite writers, the ones I used to buy from, showing up in Asimov’s—people like Robert Reed and Mary Rosenblum. I’m also happy to see all the new writers, too, and I look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.” Going Bob Reed one better, Kris adds, “I hope that Asimov’s will be around for four thousand issues. That seems close to forever. But forever is good too.”

Chris Beckett is one of those newer writers. Chris writes, “Congratulations to Asimov’s on reaching your four hundredth issue: quite an achievement. Many would argue that the short story is science fiction’s crowning glory. If so, Asimov’s has done as much as anyone to nurture it. Writers like me owe a huge amount to magazines like this that make it possible for our tales to see the light of day.” The authors owe most of their thanks to you, because you have proven to be extremely receptive to the works of new writers. On more than one occasion, you haven’t hesitated to hand out the annual Readers’ Awards to a story by an author making his or her first appearance in our pages. Three such winners that come immediately to my mind are Alan Gordon’s “Digital Music” (# 220), Darryl Gregory’s “Second Person, Present Tense” (# 356), and Elizabeth Bear’s “Tideline” (# 377). Looking over the early returns for the twenty-third annual awards, I can see that some of this year’s first-timers are in the running. Readers tell me that the discovery of new authors in Asimov’s often leads to the authors’ novels and a long-term enjoyment of their fiction.

Asimov’s has primarily been a home for science fiction, but we’ve also published some fantasy and a smattering of those weird and indefinable stores. Perhaps it is those unclassifiable tales that led Michael Swanwick to make the obvious connection between our latest issue and the Battle of Thermopylae. Michael says, “Ah, the four hundredth issue of Asimov’s! It is on this hallowed text that we celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the fabled three hundred—the issue where a mere handful of Spartan writers turned aside the seemingly unstoppable onslaught of Xerxes’ Persian army of conquest. Though faced with more than a million opponents, a small force of genre writers led by King Leonidas held the pass of Thermopylae. This action was one of the most glorious literary events of all history. According to Herodotus, when a representative of the Persians boasted that their arrows would darken the sun, the Dieneces retorted, ‘Then we shall write in the shade!’ ” Or maybe that’s just Michael being Michael. It is in the shade of Asimov’s, though, that writers like Michael have the freedom to follow the associations of their imaginations, and to take us along with them.

The magazine’s longevity seemed to have crept up on the unsuspecting Nancy Kress. She says, “Four hundred issues! I didn’t realize it was that many (although she knows that she should have. A story of hers appeared in our fifth issue), but these days, four hundred isn’t old. In fact, four hundred is the new two hundred, and Asimov’s is just entering its prime, healthy and full of juice. In fact, four hundred may even be the new one hundred. . . .”

We’re hitting our prime with terrific stories and new ideas. While most of you read Asimov’s paper editions, sales of our electronic editions are growing. We’re doing well at Fictionwise.com and the Kindle editions of Asimov’s are selling briskly at Amazon.com. New to our own website, Asimovs.com, is a monthly movie review. Also at our website, you’ll find links to podcasts of some of your favorite Asimov’s stories. These podcasts are courtesy of Starshipsofa.com, the audio science fiction magazine. I’m sure you’ll find lots of exciting new stories and innovations in the six hundred or six thousand issues that lie ahead.