Atlantic Unbound/The Atlantic Monthly

eSCENE 1997 was a "Web Citation" for November 11, 1997, saying:

"At three years old eSCENE is already an online veteran: smart, handsome, and cleverly designed, it moves with the clarity of confidence of an established publication."

After a short discussion of online- versus print-published fiction, the review concludes:

"An online anthology's very existence may deepen the rift between 'online' and 'print' writing - a seemingly needless distinction considering that both forms are, after all, prose. But eSCENE may very well be just the sort of vehicle to bridge the gap."

Greensboro News & Record Online

eSCENE and series editor Jeff Carlson is mentioned prominently in an article by Sarah Atkinson titled, "The Web Turns Literary" (December 22, 1997):

"Electronic literary publishing is finally gaining some hard-earned respect. eSCENE (http://www.escene.org/), the yearly online anthology of the Web's best literature, is etching its place in history."

And further into the article:

"Carlson advises: 'We need to become more sophisticated readers. Because there are so many unknowns (on the Internet), the emphasis shifts back to the text, to the stories, and the words - an emphasis I think has been lost in the current climate of best-selling authors based on name-recognition alone.'"

NetGuide

NetGuide gave eSCENE 1996 a "platinum" review:

"This stunningly designed annual zine culls the best fiction from the Web and publishes the stories in anthology format, with guest editors, information on writers and, of course, the texts themselves. Each issue comes in a variety of formats, designed for your modem speed and browser--the striking Espresso version, the middle-of-the-road Capuccino, and the text-only Decaf. The stories here live up to eSCENE's boast that it presents "the world's best online fiction," with a slight prejudice toward more classical, literary-review-type pieces. Make sure you visit the Vacuum Packed Section, where last year's stories stay fresh."

Overall Rating: five stars [out of five]
Content: four stars
Design: five stars
Personality: five stars

Project Cool

eSCENE was named Project Cool Sighting of the Day, Aug. 1, 1996.

Cool Site of the Day

eSCENE was a Cool Site of the Day on Aug. 17, 1996