Czechoslovakia's Ikarie science fiction magazine followed on from several fanzine/semi-samizdat science fiction almanacs published in the country in the late 1980s. These were titled Ikarie XB-1 through to Ikarie XB-4, with changes apparently being the publisher's attempt to circumvent restrictions on periodical press put in place by the country's ruling regime. However, according to the magazine's publishers the name was originally chosen in honour of the country's classic science fiction film, Ikarie XB-1 (ctd. Sandford).
First published in 1990, Ikarie went on to become one of the most important science fiction magazines in Europe. Published monthly with full-colour covers and black and white interiors, the magazine contained between five or six stories in each issue in addition to reviews and nonfiction articles. Over the years Ikarie published countless Czech authors along with translated stories from some of the best known contemporary science fiction writers from around the world.
After 20 years of publishing and 247 issues, Ikarie closed down after the publication of its November 2010 issue. According to one of the editors, Martin Susta, the magazine's unexpected demise was not due to poor sales but instead the publisher's desire to focus on lifestyle magazines (ctd. Sandford). Sust and other members have since started a new Czech SF magazine, named XB-1 (a reference to the second part of the Ikarie XB-1 film title). The new magazine comprises the same editorial board as Ikarie.
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