The Mid-December 1985 issue was the last of the three year reign of Shawna McCarthy as editor of the magazine, although she had been associated with the magazine for at least twice that number of years. It was an excellent finish including stories by James Tiptree Jr, Ian Watson and others, as well as the remarkable "Lord Kelvin's Machine" by James Blaylock. When Shawna took over she turned a rather pleasant little magazine into one that mattered, and published a large number of really excellent stories during her tenure. She really caught my attention and got me hooked on the magazine. Gardner Dozois followed Shawna, and turned into a formidable editor in his own right, but I really think Shawna McCarthy deserves the credit for putting it on the path of excellence. My only gripe is that she published those dreadful George and Azazel stories of Asimov's, which I don't think I ever found the least bit entertaining. But just about everything else .... ( )