Our March issue features three new novelettes by genre talents both recent and established. The first, William Preston’s subtle and affecting “Helping Them Take the Old Man Down,” may strike some fans of the grand pulp era as oddly familiar. Whether or not you’re already conversant in the ways of super-science and mystical vigilantes, you will find much food for thought in this tale of a larger-than-life hero unwillingly brought back down to earth by one of his former associates. I won’t ruin the surprise of the story’s origins, but we feel this will be considered one of the best SF tales this year. Next you’ll find a powerful story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, this time set within two historical periods, as an intrepid band of time travelers from the future venture back to Merry Olde England on an historial mission using risky technology that could strand them back in time—and, of course, certain members of the team cannot not be trusted anywhere near “The Tower.” Alexander Jablokov returns with a tale of gene-modded animals drastically changed to live in a world where the way of nature is most assuredly secondary to the instant gratification of its humans in “Blind Cat Dance.”

Everyone remembers that being a teen wasn’t easy no matter where you lived—even if some adults seem pleased to live their lives like adolescents. In Benjamin Crowell’s latest, “Centaurs,” we find teens in a harsh environment expected to behave like adults; will they still have time to act their own age amid all the hardships? New talent Derek Zumsteg’s latest for us features an unlikely member of the human race acting as diplomat to alien tourists; his title describes it better than I can: “Ticket Inspector Gliden Becomes the First Martyr of the Glorious Human Uprising”; and Will Ludwigsen, making a fine Asimov’s debut, considers “The Speed of Dreams” from the viewpoint of a rather precocious eighth grader.

Robert Silverberg’s Reflections column offers invaluable insight into the art of writing in “Showing and Telling”; James Patrick Kelly considers the true cost of “The Price of Free” in “On the Net”; Paul Di Filippo brings us “On Books”; plus an array of poetry you’re sure to enjoy.

Look for our March issue on sale at your newsstand on January 26, 2010. Or you can subscribe to Asimov’s—in classy and elegant paper format or those new-fangled downloadable varieties, by visiting us online at www.asimovs.com. We’re also available on Amazon.com’s Kindle!

New stories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Stephen Baxter, Pamela Sargent, Robert Reed, Tom Purdom, Allen M. Steele, Anna Tambour, Chris Beckett, Steven Popkes, Molly Gloss, Sara Genge, Peter Friend, Barry B. Longyear, and many others!