Editorial

It seems to be that time of year again, so I guess I should write something seasonal. You know, lots of "ho ho ho-ing" and the like, the odd sprig of holly and maybe a christmas carol or two, but to be honest there really is not much to say about it, since Christmas is everywhere these days, and we have all been there so many times before. It has all already been said. It had crossed my mind to write something about how science fiction treats Christmas but there does not seem to be a lot to say on that front either. I would have thought the potentials for seasonal science fiction would be infinite, but as far as I can tell it seems to be a bit of an untapped resource. I was flipping through my own book collection in search of some inspiration on that front but I didn't really find very much. I did happen upon one short story that did have a topical leaning. It's an amusing little number, from a collection of comic fantasy short stories I bought way back in the mists of time, when I was still young and innocent (I may even have been short then, it was that long ago!) The story is intrguingly entitled "The Return of Mad Santa". Written by Al Sarrantonio in 1981 (a good 16 years before Sluggy), the title really says it all. Told from the point of view of one of his elves, the tale charts the fateful Christmas eve when Santa finally flips. It is an entertaining read and I would recommend it if ever you run into it. It struck me as slightly odd that the Christmas setting has rarely been used as a science fiction setting and it struck me as very odd that the only times I have come across the christmas setting in science fiction Santa has gone mad and tried to kill people. Oh what a cynical world we live in. Anyway, it is now 5:30am and the sun will soon be pokeing its nose over the horizon. I think it is time I turned in. It just leaves me to say, have a fantastic holiday, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and I'll see you all in January. Goodnight.

Alex Crosse - Editor