Pringle suggested the title, which came from the city of Interzone described in William Burroughs' novel The Naked Lunch.
[3] The first issue, in A4 format, was dated Spring 1982, and subscribers to the new magazine received a booklet edition of J. G. Ballard's story News from the Sun.
[4][5] Edwards and Greenland obtained a grant from the British Arts Council that helped support the magazine in its first few years, and it was also assisted by donations from Clive Sinclair and Arthur C.
[11][12][13] Ounsley left for health reasons after the Summer 1988 issue, leaving Pringle in sole charge.
The result of the experiment disappointed Pringle; there was no increase in subscriptions, though there were a handful of positive comments from readers.
Only one more bimonthly issue appeared; the next, dated Spring 2004, was three months late, and was the last one edited by Pringle.
[5][13] Editorial collective Simon Ounsley & David Pringle David Pringle Andy Cox Gareth Jelley The first issue included an extract from The Brothel in Rosenstrasse by Michael Moorcock, and stories by Angela Carter, M. John Harrison, John Sladek, and Keith Roberts, whose "Kitemaster" subsequently won the BSFA short fiction award for 1982.
[28][29] The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE3) describes the early years of the magazine as "hoping rather too obviously to revive something of the feeling of Michael Moorcock's New Worlds and its New-Wave glories", but adds that by 1986 it had developed away from these beginnings.
[16] In 1984 and 1985 Pringle published editorials that challenged writers to submit science fiction that was "a more realistic forecast and melding of the social and human impact of technological developments", in SFE3's words.
[16] These editorials, along with the availability of Interzone as a fiction market, led to the emergence of a new generation of young British sf writers, including Stephen Baxter, Eric Brown, Nicola Griffith, Peter F. Hamilton, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross, and Liz Williams.
Established British writers such as Gwyneth Jones, Brian M. Stableford and Garry Kilworth also became contributors, and Interzone attracted overseas submissions as well, from Greg Bear, Thomas M. Disch, Karen Joy Fowler, Geoffrey A. Landis, Pat Murphy and Michael Swanwick, among others.
[31] "The Salt Box", by Gwyneth Jones, in the July 2001 issue, included a reference to underage sex and led to Pringle receiving a visit from the police, though they took no action.
[33][34] Beckett's short story "The Circle of Stones" in the February 1992 issue was expanded into Dark Eden, which won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1992.
[16] Under Cox's editorship the nonfiction departments such as reviews were expanded, and new writers continued to appear, along with well-established names like Christopher Priest.
[36] In 2006, the Science Fiction Writers of America removed the magazine from its list of professional markets due to low rates and small circulation.
In 2008 a Mundane SF issue was published, guest edited by Geoff Ryman, Julian Todd and Trent Walters.