New York Times Book Review, Now Featuring Sci-Fi

The New York Times has a new science fiction column in its book review. I'm happy to see it, because the columnist, Dave Itzkoff, seems genuinely enthusiastic in talking about science fiction itself, in contrast to most critics who just want to explain the meaning of science fiction, yet always begin and conclude their column alluding to its geekiness. (For example, I like her reviews, but see this recent review of Battlestar Galactica in the New Yorker.) True, Itzkoff also rather lamely opens and concludes with a self put-down, but at least the middle is about the book he set out to review.

The new columnist also has a list of ten favorite science fiction books, which is interesting because the authors on it are familiar, but his selections are offbeat.

Changes in the New York Times Book Review have been long rumored, and everyone seems to be happy about it. This oft-referenced article from a journalism website, PoynterOnline, was one of the first to report on some of the new changes.

By the way, for those of you actively blogging at home to overthrow the MSM, then you should be heartened! A rather good and straightforward update to the broader changes at the New York Times in BusinessWeek magazine is here. It is much better than the navel-gazing, self-flagellating articles -- full of rather schizophrenic anger and rueful self-pity -- that the NYT seems to run regularly now whenever they make obvious missteps in journalism (see: Jayson Blair, Judith Miller, or holding back stories on illegal wiretaps).