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Lightspeed Magazine, issue 49
by Christie Yant
Part 49 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month, we present our special anniversary issue, Women Destroy Science Fiction!, an all-science fiction extravaganza entirely written-and edited!-by women.
Guest-edited by long-time LIGHTSPEED assistant editor Christie Yant, our Women Destroy Science Fiction! Issue contains eleven all-new, original science fiction short stories, plus four short story reprints, a novella reprint, and for the first time ever, an array of fifteen flash fiction stories. In addition to all that goodness, we also have more than two dozen personal essays by women talking about their experiences reading and writing science fiction, plus seven in-depth nonfiction articles.
Here's what we've got lined up for you in this special issue:
Original science fiction by Seanan McGuire, N.K. Jemisin, Charlie Jane Anders, Maria Dahvana Headley, Amal El-Mohtar, Kris Millering, Heather Clitheroe, Rhonda Eikamp, Gabriella Stalker, Elizabeth Porter Birdsall, and K.C. Norton.
Original flash fiction by Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Denham, Samantha Murray, Holly Schofield, Cathy Humble, Emily Fox, Tina Connolly, Effie Seiberg, Marina J. Lostetter, Rhiannon Rasmussen, Sarah Pinsker, Kim Winternheimer, Anaid Perez, Katherine Crighton, and Vanessa Torline.
Reprints by Alice Sheldon (a/k/a James Tiptree, Jr.), Eleanor Arnason, Maria Romasco Moore, Tananarive Due, and a novella reprint by Maureen F. McHugh.
Nonfiction articles by Pat Murphy, Stina Leicht, Tracie Welser, plus a roundtable interview by Mary Robinette Kowal with Ursula K. Le Guin, Pat Cadigan, Ellen Datlow, and Nancy Kress, and a feature interview with comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick by Jennifer Willis. Our cover for this issue is brand-new art from Galen Dara, who also conducted our artist showcase interview this month.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 101
by John Joseph Adams
Part 101 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month, our cover art is by Reiko Murakami, illustrating new science fiction from Dale Bailey ("The Horror of Party Beach"). We also have new SF from Molly Tanzer ("The Real YouTM"), along with SF reprints by Adrienne Celt ("Big Boss Bitch") and Jack Skillingstead ("Tribute"). Our original fantasy shorts are by Cameron Van Sant ("Super-Luminous Spiral") and Mel Kassel ("Ten Deals with the Indigo Snake"). We also have fantasy reprints by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ("Kaleidoscope") and Alex Irvine ("The Dream Curator"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. We also have a feature interview with author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Our eBook exclusive novella reprint is "Investments" by Walter Jon Williams. eBook readers can also enjoy an extract from Dale Bailey's new novel IN THE NIGHT WOOD.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 102
by John Joseph Adams
Part 102 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month's cover art is by Galen Dara, illustrating an original fantasy short story by Theodora Goss ("Queen Lily"). We also have new short fiction from Matthew Hughes ("Hapthorn's Last Case"), and fantasy reprints by Cadwell Turnbull ("Other Worlds and This One") and Sofia Samatar ("Meet Me In Iram"). We have original science fiction by Theodore McCombs ("Talk to Your Children about Two-Tongued Jeremy") and Stephen Graham Jones ("Moon Boys"), along with SF reprints by Charles Yu ("America: The Ride") and Maureen McHugh ("Oversite"). Our nonfiction team brings us our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview is with author Andy Duncan. For our e-book readers, this month's novella reprint is "Trinity," by Nancy Kress. We also have an excerpt from Molly Tanzer's new novel, CREATURES OF WANT AND RUIN.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 103
by John Joseph Adams
Part 103 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month, our cover art comes from Marcel Mercado, illustrating the first story in a new series of fantasy shorts by Ashok K. Banker-"A Love Story Written on Water." Plus, we have a mouth-watering new short fantasy piece by Shaenon K. Garrity ("Grandma Novak's Famous Nut Roll"), and fantasy reprints by Adam-Troy Castro ("Of a Sweet Slow Dance in the Wake of Temporary Dogs") and Karen Lord ("The Counsellor Crow"). For science fiction, we have original shorts by Lizz Huerta ("Mouths") and Seanan McGuire ("Under the Sea of Stars"). We're also featuring SF reprints by Kim Stanley Robinson ("Remaking History") and Maurice Broaddus ("Vade Retro Satana"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 105
by John Joseph Adams
Part 105 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month, Matthew Baker looks beyond ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK to imagine the future of corrections. Is his idea better than our current prison system? Decide for yourself after you read "Life Sentence." If you like your science fiction with a steampunk flavor, we're happy to share "Harry and Marlowe and the Disinclined Laboratory," the latest installment in Carrie Vaughn's The Aetherian Revolution series. We also have SF reprints from Elizabeth Bear ("Okay, Glory") and Gord Sellar ("The Incursus by Asimov-NN#71"). Our fantasy selections start off with an original take on Canadian folklore from KT Bryski: "Ti-Jean's Last Adventure, as Told to Raccoon," a tale of trickster versus trickster. The saga of Vrath and Sha'ant continues in the newest installment of Ashok K. Banker's Legends of the Burnt Empire, "The Terrible Oath." We also have fantasy reprints by Crystal Koo ("The Perpetual Day") and Dennis Danvers ("Healing Benjamin"). Our nonfiction lovers will enjoy our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. We also have an interview with author Lilliam Rivera.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 106
by John Joseph Adams
Part 106 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month, Carolyn Ives Gilman takes citizen science to the stars in her original science fiction short "On the Shores of Ligeia." Our other SF short, "My Children's Home," by Woody Dismukes, paints a picture of a far future orphanage with disturbing social implications. We also have SF reprints by Violet Allen ("The Synapse Will Free Us From Ourselves") and Charlie Jane Anders ("A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime"). Maria Romasco Moore brings us our first original fantasy short-"Self Storage Starts with the Heart"-which gives us a plastic-wrapped solution to loneliness. Of course, Ashok K. Banker's series continues with "A Hundred Thousand Arrows," a short story hinging on a very thrilling chariot race. We also have fantasy reprints by Richard Kadrey ("Ambitious Boys Like You") and Kat Howard ("Those Are Pearls"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. For our eBook readers, we have an eBook-exclusive reprint of the SF novella "Of Love and Other Monsters," by Vandana Singh, and an excerpt from Arkady Martine's new novel A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 107
by John Joseph Adams
Part 107 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Ever wonder what it would be like if archaeology could skip digging in the dirt and just go straight to excavating time? Caroline M. Yoachim explores just this idea in her new short story "The Archronology of Love." Our cover art this month, from Reiko Murakami, illustrates this story. Our other original SF short is by Matthew Corradi ("Gundark Island, or Tars Tarkas Needs Your Help"), taking us adventuring with a group of boys and their very interesting companion. You can also enjoy SF reprints by Cory Doctorow ("To Market, To Market: The Branding of Billy Bailey") and Michael Swanwick ("The She-Wolf's Hidden Grin"). Ashok K. Banker's Legends of the Burnt Empire series comes to an explosive conclusion in "The Seeds of War," a new story about Vrath and the terrible repercussions of his vows. Shweta Adhyam takes a look at the pros and cons of prophecy in her new story "A Conch-Shell's Notes." We also have fantasy reprints by Carmen Maria Machado ("Blur") and Carrie Vaughn ("The Lady of Shalott"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. We also have an interview with Rebecca Roanhorse.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 108
by John Joseph Adams
Part 108 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Usually, artwork is commissioned to illustrate a story, but we're turning things on their heads! Our cover this month is from the multi-award-winning artist Julie Dillon, and it served as the inspiration for Kathleen Kayembe's science fantasy novelette "The Ocean That Fades Into Sky." It's a tale that asks "What happens to the gods of a planet when human beings arrive to terraform it?" If you're a fan of superhero stories, you'll enjoy the new fantasy short from Adam-Troy Castro called "The Minor Superhero at Home, After His Series Ends." We also have fantasy reprints by Debbie Urbanski ("The Portal") and Kurt Fawver ("The Convexity of Our Youth").
Our first original SF short is set in a war-torn futuristic India. It's called "This Way to Paradise," by Rati Mehrotra. Our other piece of original science fiction-Matthew Kressel's "Truth Is Like the Sun"-looks at the effects of the first pop music concert broadcast from space. We're also reprinting science fiction by Max Gladstone ("The Iron Man") and Nancy Kress ("Cocoons").
Of course, in the nonfiction department, we have our usual assortment of author spotlights. Our feature interview is with frequent LIGHTSPEED contributor Ashok K. Banker. We also have the latest installments in our book and media review columns.
If you're an eBook reader, you'll get to enjoy an eBook-exclusive reprint of "Fallow" by Sofia Samatar, and an excerpt from AN ILLUSION OF THIEVES by Cate Glass.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 110
by John Joseph Adams
Part 110 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
This month's cover features artwork from Sam Schechter, illustrating a brand-new science fiction story by Violet Allen ("The Null Space Conundrum"). This story is a wild adventure that's just as colorful as its artwork! Also, if you're the type of person who ever wondered what happened to the golf balls Alan Shepard smacked around on the moon, our new story from Andrew Penn Romine ("Miles and Miles and Miles") might hold an answer. We also have SF reprints by Karen Lord ("The Mysteries") and Indrapramit Das ("The Moon Is Not A Battlefield"). Our first original fantasy story this month, "Ahura Yazda, The Great Extraordinary" by Senaa Ahmad, gives us to some fantastical creatures ... trying to make a quiet life in Canada's farm country. We also have some salty new fiction from Adam-Troy Castro ("Sand Castles"), as well as fantasy reprints by J. Anderson Coats ("Mother Carey's Table") and Micah Dean Hicks ("Song Beneath the City"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. For our eBook readers, we also have and an excerpt from Sarah Gailey's new novel, Magic for Liars.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 112
by John Joseph Adams
Part 112 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 112th issue! This month's cover art is from Galen Dara. It's illustrating a new fantasy short by Brooke Bolander, "A Bird, a Song, a Revolution," that blends the Neolithic with the post-apocalyptic. We also have a new Weird Western short from Rajan Khanna ("All In"), and fantasy reprints by Micah Dean Hicks ("Flight of the Crow Boys") and Kiini Ibura Salaam ("Desire"). Our original science fiction shorts include a very unique prison experience run by some very unique artificial intelligences in Adam-Troy Castro's new short, "Sacrid's Pod." In our other original short, Jenny Rae Rappaport writes about motherhood and time paradoxes in "The Answer That You Are Seeking." We also have SF reprints by Ramez Naam ("Exile from Extinction") and Seanan McGuire ("Hello, Hello"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview this month is with debut novelist Lisa Bradley. And if you're reading our ebook edition, we also have an exclusive excerpt from Annalee Newitz's new novel THE FUTURE OF ANOTHER TIMELINE.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 113 (October 2019)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 113 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to LLIGHTSPEED's 113th issue! This month's first original short story comes from E. Lily Yu--and it's a classic tale of a naïve prince, a scheming queen, and a good-hearted cook. So where do the deer come in? You'll have to read "The Valley of Wounded Deer" to find out. Our other original fantasy short ("Windrose in Scarlet") is by Isabel Yap, who plaits two well-known fairy tales into a brand-new story. We also have fantasy reprints by Kai Ashante Wilson ("«Légendaire.»") and Ken Liu ("The Hidden Girl"). Our science fiction shorts include an original story by Eli Brown, "Nesting Habits of Enceladan Jade Beetles," which takes us on a scientific expedition to icy Enceladus. Once you defrost from that chilly read, warm up with Ray Nayler's new short, "The Death of Fire Station 10," a thoughtful muse on intelligence in all its forms. We also have SF reprints by Sam J. Miller ("The Beasts We Want to Be") and WC Dunlap ("Revival"). Of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, book and media review columns, and a feature interview with Valerie Valdes. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from Cixin Liu's new novel, SUPERNOVA ERA.
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Lightspeed Magazine (January 2020)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 116 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
“Lightspeed” is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Welcome to Lightspeed’s 116th issue! This month, both our SF originals wrestle with alternate realities. In "The Men Who Change the World," writer Christopher East creates an alternate Earth with peace, prosperity...and a mysterious corporate entity that's more than it seems. In our second original short, "She'd Never Had a Name Before," J.R. Dawson gives her main character the opportunity to meet the sister she never got to grow up with. Will blood prove thicker than dimensionality? We also have SF reprints by duo Jason M. Hough & Ramez Naam ("All Together Now") and N.K. Jemisin ("The Ones Who Stay and Fight"). Our original fantasy shorts explore some very unusual travel destinations. First, we have a story by Alexander Weinstein called "Destinations of Joy," which will make you wish you could hop on a plane headed straight into Alexander's imagination. Then we have a new story by long-time “Lightspeed” contributor Adam-Troy Castro: "Fortune's Final Hand," which takes us to a gambling town that makes Las Vegas look pretty boring by comparison. Plus, we have fantasy reprints by Kij Johnson ("Story Kit") and M. Rickert ("Holiday"). Our feature interview this month is with author Tochi Onyebuchi. We also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns.
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Lightspeed Magazine (April 2020)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 119 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 119th issue. We're really excited to share "The Least of These," a brand-new short by Veronica Roth! We also have a snapshot of what creativity will look like in the future in Andrew Dana Hudson's new short, "Voice of Their Generation." Our SF reprints are by Yoon Ha Lee ("Always the Harvest") and Vandana Singh ("A Subtle Web"). Our new fantasy short by Celeste Rita Baker ("Glass Bottle Dancer") might make you appreciate the insects in your world just a little bit more. Rati Mehrotra writes about love, loss, and witchcraft in a new short called "The Witch Speaks." We also have fantasy reprints by Caleb Wilson ("Bow Down Before the Snail King!") and Fred Van Lente ("Neversleeps"). Of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview will be with Katie M. Flynn. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from the aforementioned Veronica Roth's new novel, CHOSEN ONES.
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Lightspeed Magazine (May 2020)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 120 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 120th issue. This month's cover is from Galen Dara, illustrating a new science fiction short by Adam-Troy Castro. If you've ever wondered how a time traveler would see your personal problems, be sure to read Castro's new "The Time Traveler's Advice to the Lovelorn." Ada Hoffmann has created a future where AIs are gods and angels are cyborgs in "Melting Like Metal." We also have SF reprints by Alex Irvine ("One Hundred Sentences About the City of the Future") and Charlie Jane Anders ("Rager in Space"). Millie Ho spins a story of fire, rebirth, and love in her new fantasy short "The Fenghuang." Alexander Weinstein also tackles issues of the heart in his new "Destinations of Love." Our fantasy reprints are from Carmen Maria Machado ("I Bury Myself") and C. Robert Cargill ("We Are Where the Nightmares Go"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview is with Stephen Graham Jones. Our ebook readers will also enjoy a book excerpt from Molly Tanzer's CREATURES OF CHARM AND HUNGER.
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Lightspeed Magazine (July 2020)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 122 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 122nd issue! Our cover art this month is from Galen Dara, illustrating our first original fantasy short of the month: "Baba Yaga and the Seven Hills," by Kristina Ten. Is there a place for a centuries-old Russian witch in San Francisco? You'd be surprised! Mari Ness takes us to Neverland in her piratical tale of "Great Gerta and the Mermaid." Plus, we have fantasy reprints by Benjamin Rosenbaum ("A Siege of Cranes") and Kiini Ibura Salaam ("Rosamojo"). During lockdown, it was hard not to think in terms of apocalypses. Things were so strange, so upended and lonely, that it seemed like the end of, if not the world, normal life. Luckily for us, apocalypse is always on Adam-Troy Castro's mind. He's given us a new story about different kinds of apocalypses in "The End of The World Measured in Values of N." Ray Nayler returns with an SF original ("The Swallows of the Storm") about a scientist researching an inexplicable phenomenon. We also have reprints by Tochi Onyebuchi ("Zen and the Art of an Android Beatdown, or Cecile Meets a Boxer: A Love Story") and Annalee Newitz ("The Blue Fairy's Manifesto"). Our nonfiction team brings our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview is with Alaya Dawn Johnson. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from Ryan Van Loan's debut novel, THE SIN IN THE STEEL.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 123 (August 2020)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 123 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 123rd issue! Our first SF short this month is a story about love, loss, and religion from Matthew Kressel ("Still You Linger, Like Soot in the Air"). Katherine Crighton writes about the residents of a generation ship who have lost touch with their history in her new short "Sing in Me, Muse." We also have SF reprints by Caroline M. Yoachim ("The Shadow Prison Experiment") and Sam J. Miller ("My Base Pair"). Benjamin Rosenbaum brings us our first piece of original fantasy this month in a new fable of witches, djinn, and different perspectives: "All Those Guardians of Order and Clarity, None of Them Can Abide a Free Witch." KT Bryski's story "The Bone-Stag Walks" is a new kind of fairy tale, complete with troubled siblings, snow, and discomforting forest animals. Our fantasy reprints this month are by Eden Royce ("Miss Beulah's Braiding and Life Changing Salon") and Carrie Vaughn ("The Huntsman and the Beast"). Our nonfiction team brings us our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. This month's feature interview is with Andrea Hairston.
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Lightspeed Magazine
by John Joseph Adams
Part 124 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 124th issue! Around here, we love giant robots, but our first SF original this month-"The Author's Wife vs. the Giant Robot," by Adam-Troy Castro-made us think twice about living in the shadow of one. Sunny Moraine's new short ("Note to Self") also wrestles with the ramifications of size, but this story tackles a much, much smaller topic: quantum mechanics. Our SF reprints include the second installment of Caroline M. Yoachim's Shadow Prisons series ("Shadow Prisons of the Mind") and "Machine Learning" by Hugh Howey. Our original fantasy shorts include another delightful trip to Alexander Weinstein's Eighth Continent: "Destinations of Waiting." Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam gives us a heroine with a difficult heritage and a supportive girlfriend in her new story "Entanglement." Our fantasy reprints are from L.D. Lewis ("Moses") and Karen Joy Fowler ("Persephone of the Crows"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our feature interview is with Mark Oshiro. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from bestselling author Christopher Paolini's new novel, TO SLEEP IN A SEA OF STARS.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 130 (March 2021)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 130 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 130th issue! Thomas Wolfe's novel popularized the phrase "You can't go home again," and in this month's first piece of original science fiction, "Homecoming," Claire Wrenwood sets out to prove he's still right, even when humanity has moved on to newer and stranger planets. Adam-Troy Castro brings us a fresh new story of alternate lives in his dark tale "And Now A Preview of Coming Attractions." We also have SF reprints by Ken Liu ("Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit-Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts") and Yoon Ha Lee ("The Empty Gun"). We're happy to announce that P H Lee has a new fairy tale for us! In "The Bear Prince," Dusty Boots returns with a story of inhumanity and power in the kingdoms of both men...and beasts. In our other original fantasy short, "Brightly, Undiminished," Sarah Grey spins a tale of witchcraft and love that's sure to warm your heart. We also have fantasy reprints by Alyssa Wong ("Olivia's Table") and Amber Sparks ("A Place for Hiding Precious Things"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book review columns. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE, the sequel to Arkady Martine's Hugo award-winning debut novel.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 132
by John Joseph Adams
Part 132 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to LIGHTSPEED's 132nd issue! This month we kick off the SF shorts with an alien visitor who's not like the other ETs. In fact, Gene Doucette's new story "Hypnopompic Circumstance" will have you rethinking the stories you've heard about UFOs, alien abduction-and maybe your life. In our other original SF short, "There Are No Hot Topics on Whukai," Andrea Kriz brings us a story about pop culture, social media, and the pain of colonialism in the far future. We also have some great reprints from Rich Larson ("Carnivores") and Nelson Rolon ("Saudade"). Our original fantasy includes the story of Chicago's most dangerous day spa-"Bones in It," by Kristina Ten-and a tale of sand and magic in Howard Andrew Jones' "The Palace in the Moonlight." Our fantasy reprints are by Kat Howard ("An Invitation to a Burning") and Carrie Vaughn ("Dead Men in Central City"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with book reviews from our terrific review team. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF by Christopher Buehlman.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 134
by John Joseph Adams
Part 134 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 134 of LIGHTSPEED! Our first piece of flash is the graffiti-flavored fantasy piece "How to Become an Ancestor" by Nicole D. Sconiers. Our SF flash story is the very unsettling "No Lies Detected" by Russell Nichols. Our full-length science fiction shorts include two short stories that feature recreation with an SFnal flavor. Everdeen Mason gives us the next mind-body health craze in her story "Miss the Zen but Miss You More." We also have a story of time-traveling tourism called "A Smell of Jet Fuel" from repeat contributor Andrew Dana Hudson. Our SF reprint is from the multi-award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones ("To Jump Is to Fall"). Our original fantasy shorts both feature wings-but have their own very interesting perspective on them. Rachel Swirsky returns to our pages with a feathered coming of age story ("Innocent Bird"). Lulu Kadhim turns to the world of insects in her story "Amber Dark and Sickly Sweet." Our fantasy reprint is by Cadwell Turnbull ("Shock of Birth"). In our nonfiction department, we've got some great mini-interviews with our authors, and of course our book reviewers have been reading their eyes out. Our ebook readers will get an excerpt from Shelley Parker-Chan's new novel SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 135
Lightspeed Magazine, #135
by John Joseph Adams
Part 135 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 135 of LIGHTSPEED! This month's science fiction originals include a cyberpunk-flavored tale of mind control from Andrea Chapela (translated by Emma Torzs): "Now You Feel It." If you are a fan of Oliver Twist (or if you grew up in the 1980s, Oliver and Company), then our SF short story "Anything Short of Death Is Survivable" (by David Anaxagoras) will leave you saying "Please sir. I want some more . . . dangerous space salvage missions and mistreated orphans." Nelly Geraldine Garcia Rosas takes you on a trip to Titan in her flash piece "Before the Haze Devours You." Our reprint this month is from Maurice Broaddus ("City of Refuge"). Our first full-length fantasy short (and at 10,000 words, this one's a novelette) is "Now You See Me" by Justin C. Key-the story of an art exhibit with powerful consequences. In "The Tale of Jaja and Canti," Tobi Ogundirian brings us the story of a boy created by magic and the mother he's always yearned to find. Our flash story this month is the very touching "My Sister Is a Scorpion" from Isabel Canas. And our fantasy reprint is Sheree Renee Thomas's "Ancestries." All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with book reviews from our terrific review team. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from THE ALL-CONSUMING WORLD by Cassandra Khaw from Erewhon Books.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 137 (October 2021)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 137 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 137 of LIGHTSPEED! We're starting off the month with a memo-a science fictional memo, and lucky for all of you, it's by the hilarious Gene Doucette. Not everyone can make an apocalypse funny, but we think "Memoranda from the End of the World" will have you chuckling to the bitter end. Our other original SF short comes from Yang-Yang Wang, whose story "Every Single Brian" digs into the painful and personal realm of human cloning. E. Catherine Tobler brings us a riveting SF flash piece in "Those Who Went." Our reprint is "Tidings" by Rich Larson, from Grist Magazine's recent Imagine 2200 climate fiction publication. On the fantasy side of the magazine, we're taking you all back to P H Lee's the Great Sweet Sea for their new novelette "The Ash-Girl and the Salmon Prince." This fairy tale of family, love, and loss is so much fun we're serializing it over the course of two weeks. Our fantasy flash piece is the tremendously affecting story "The Right Dragon," from Coral Alejandra Moore. Our reprint is Endria Isa Richardson's "The Black Menagerie. Our nonfiction team has put together a great selection of author spotlights and book reviews. We also have an excerpt from Ryka Aoki's new novel, LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS. It's another terrific issue-thanks for reading!
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 139 (December 2021)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 139 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 139 of LIGHTSPEED! Our first fantasy story this month is a tale of gods, bravery, and new beginnings from Donyae Coles: "When Sri Left the Ruined City"-perfect for all of us thinking about the new goals and challenges in our future. If you're a crafter, then this time of year can be exhausting. You'll really appreciate how one gift goes awry in Carrie Vaughn's newest story, "Entanglement, or How I Failed to Knit a Sweater for My Boyfriend." We also have a beautiful and romantic piece of flash fiction ("Writing You") from Sharang Biswas. Our fantasy reprint this month is by E. Lily Yu ("Three Variations on a Theme of Imperial Attire"). Our first full-length SF story, Filip Hajdar Drnovsek Zorko's "Red Is Our Country" follows the footsteps of intrepid Martian explorers-from a unique point of view. Aimee Ogden gives us an elegiac tale of far-future tourism in "Ten Things to See Before the World Burns." And just for fun, we have two SF stories about fairy tales! That's right-fairy tales aren't just for fantasy these days. We think you'll enjoy "Fairy Tale," a new flash piecefrom Adam-Troy Castro, as well as "Fairy Tales for Robots" by Sofia Samatar (our SF reprint). We also have book reviews, spotlight interviews with our authors, and of course, for our e-readers, an excerpt from a new novel: THE UNDERTAKERS by Nicole Glover.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 143 (April 2022)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 143 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 143 of LIGHTSPEED! This month, we return to Ashok K. Banker's Legends of the Burnt Empire series with their novella, "The History of Snakes"-a story so epic we'll be serializing over two weeks. Our other fantasy fiction includes a charming flash piece from Leah Cypess ("The Fairy Godmother Advice Column") and a reprint from Maurice Broaddus ("Dance of Bones"). Our first SF short is a story of climate change, violent apocalypse, and somehow the hope for healing. If you want your heart touched, don't miss "Everything the Sea Takes, it Returns" by Izzy Wasserstein. Phoebe Barton returns to our pages with the swashbuckling SF adventure "A Sword Has One Purpose," and Sandra McDonald dabbles in time travel in her flash story "Advice From The Civil Temporal Defense League." Our reprint this month is from Charlie Jane Anders ("The Day it All Ended"). Our interview team brings us spotlight interviews with our authors, and of course our crew of expert reviewers have provided their latest book recommendations. Our ebook readers will enjoy a book excerpt from KALYNA THE SOOTHSAYER, the debut novel by Elijah Kinch Spector.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 149 (October 2022)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 149 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 149 of LIGHTSPEED! It's not easy getting a good meal, especially in space. And in our first SF short-Gene Doucette's "Primordial Soup and Salad"-the dinner situation on one spaceship gets, well, a little out of hand. If you like your science fiction with a side (dish) of humor, this one will definitely be to your taste. The SF continues more seriously with a new short from Adam-Troy Castro ("The Conflagration at the Museum of You"), a piece about aliens and yet also about the very human nature of mass shootings. P H Lee spins the story of a fallen civilization in their new flash piece, "The Tragic Fate of the City of O-Rashad." We also have a reprint from Dexter Palmer ("The Daydreamer by Proxy"). Our first fantasy short takes us on a heart-breaking and transformative tour beneath the waves in "Apolepisi: A De-Scaling." Debbie Urbanski returns to our pages with a new novelette ("The Dirty Golden Yellow House") about a desperate, magical escape from a miserable marriage. Our flash piece is "The Three Books and What They Tell" from Alexandra Manglis, and our reprint is "Three Tales from the Blue Library," by Sofia Samatar. Of course our book team has been reading up a storm to find you some great book recommendations, and our author spotlight interviewer has sat down with all our short fiction writers to get more insight on their work. Our ebook readers will also get to enjoy a new excerpt from Kalyna the Soothsayer, a new novel from Elijah Kinch Spector.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 150 (November 2022)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 150 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
IGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Welcome to issue 150 of LIGHTSPEED! For the last few years, every science fiction writer has wondered: When will it be okay to write a story about a pandemic? But I think we can all agree that disease has been with us for all of human history, and that ignoring it does nothing to make anyone feel better. So we're kicking off this issue with Tania Fordwalker's new short story "Beyond the Shore." It's certainly about a pandemic . . . but not one like any disease humanity has ever lived through. We're happy to welcome back Ben H. Winters, whose new SF short "Double Occupancy" is about both the dangers of time travel and not knowing yourself. Dominica Phetteplace also returns with a flash story, "Therefore What the Multiverse has Joined Together, Let No One Separate," and we have an SF reprint by Tobias S. Buckell ("The Blindfold"). In our fantasy offerings, Alex Irvine brings us "The Dragon's Hand," a tale of magic and a reluctant bond between a traveler and a dragon. Kristina Ten takes us back to the contemporary world with a story of magic and a massive music festival: "The Noon Witch Goes to Sound Planet." We also have a flash piece ("What If the Whole Camp of Kids Learned How To Liquefy?") from Maria Kelson. Our fantasy reprint is by Yoon Ha Lee ("The Graphology of Hemorrhage"). Our review team has been exploring new releases for recommendations, and of course we have spotlight interviews with our authors. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from Ocean's Echo, the newest novel by Everina Maxwell.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 152 (January 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 152 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
“Lightspeed” is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 152 of Lightspeed! Our SFnal offerings include two flash stories: "The Last Serving" by Lincoln Michel and "A Guide to Alien Terms Useful in the Human Diaspora" by Deborah L. Davitt. Our first full-length short story is "The Narrative Implications of Your Untimely Death" by Isabel Kim. If you ever wondered what would happen if the networks took the reality TV show SURVIVOR to outer space-and gave the producers the power to bring their most popular stars back to life-then this story is for you. In the new short "From the Largest Crater," Jendayi Brooks-Flemister returns us to the slow apocalypse we visited in last year's "Up Falling." While you don't need to read both stories to understand them, the two form a poignant story of love and family. Scott Edelman brings us the first of our fantasy shorts: "A Man Walks Into a Bar: In Which More Than Four Decades After My Father's Reluctant Night of Darts on West 54th Street I Finally Understand What Needs to Be Done." It's the story of one brief interaction in New York City, and the magical consequences it could have on the entire world. Maria Dong brings us our second short story, a beautiful and harrowing tale of servitude, love, and longing called "Braid Me a Howling Tongue." The fantastical continues with a reprint of Seanan McGuire's story "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There." And our flash story this month is "Between the Stones and the Stars" (by A.L. Goldfuss). Our book review team brings you our usual array of terrific recommendations, and of course we have author spotlight interviews with our authors.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 156 (May 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 156 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 156 of LIGHTSPEED! In 2016, we ran the story "Wednesday's Story" by Wole Talabi; we're delighted to return to the magical realm of the Days siblings with a new story from Wole: "Saturday's Song." We also have a lovely new original short from Kat Howard ("One Heart, Lost and Found") set on an extremely fascinating train. Our fantasy flash stories include "The Sword, the Butterfly, and the Pearl" by Deborah L. Davitt and "The Belfry Keeper" by S.L. Harris. For our science fiction shorts, in "She Blooms and the World is Changed" Izzy Wasserstein takes us to a new planet filled with risks-and occupied by a family dealing with these dangers. Timothy Mudie's new novelette ("Blood for a Stranger") wrestles with morality and cybernetic intelligence. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Moons We Can Circumnavigate in One Day, or the Space Probe Love Story" from Natalia Theodoridou and "When Shiva Shattered the Time-Stream" by Sharang Biswas. On the nonfiction front, our book review team offers up some exciting new reads, and our author spotlight editor has dug deeper into our writers' processes and inspirations. Plus we have an excerpt from Cory Doctorow's new novel RED TEAM BLUES for our ebook readers.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 157 (June 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 157 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 157 of LIGHTSPEED! While we at LIGHTSPEED are totally committed to careful driving and pedestrian safety, you might not know it from two of our science fiction titles! "Spaceship Joyride," a new short story by Dominique Dickey about two teens "borrowing" a spaceship, is just as much fun as the title warns you it will be. But Elad Haber's flash piece, "Jaywalk the Stars," is packed with desperate consequences. Our other science fiction short, "Queen of the Andes" by Ruth Joffre, also explores the painful consequences of space travel-in contrast to the terrible consequences of staying on our own climate-ravaged planet. We also have a new flash piece from Rich Larson: "Always Personal." Sarah Grey brings us a charming fantasy short, "And All the Fields Below," that will give your heartstrings an enormous yank. Deborah L. Davitt takes a more classical approach in her poignant story "Philoctetes in Kabul"-where by "classical," we're talking about ancient Greece. We also have two flash stories: "The Bone-Gatherer's Lament" from Wendy Nikel and "Bestiary viventem" from Kyle E Miller. In nonfiction, our spotlight editor, Laurel Amberdine, sits down with our short fiction authors to bring you more insight on their work. The book review team offers an assortment of delightful reads, and of course, our ebook readers also enjoy two book excerpts.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 158 (July 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 158 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 158 of LIGHTSPEED! We're kicking off this month with a short story by JB Park, "Six Months After All Life on Titan Died," that takes the idea of ChatGPT and imagines what we'll do with it in the distant future. If you loved the Ents and the Entwives in The Lord of the Rings, you'll definitely enjoy Ashok Banker's new SF short "The Bodhi Tree Asks Only For The Safe Return Of Her Beloved," told from the perspective of, well, a tree! We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Death Is Better" from Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe and "The United Systems Goodwill Concert Series and the Greatest Performance of All Time" by James Van Pelt. Our fantasy shorts include "Starpoop," by Sandra McDonald, a meditation on dementia and social media fame. We also have a new story by Isha Karki: "Muna in Barish," the story of a young writer struggling against discrimination. We also have a flash story ("The Real Worlds") from Lauren Bajek, and another ("Monsters of the Drunken Shore") from Nic Anstett. We also have an excerpt of THE DEEP SKY by Yume Kitasei.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 161 (October 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 161 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 161 of LIGHTSPEED! This month we're serializing A.L. Goldfuss's SF novelette "Where the God-Knives Tread." This two-parter is a delightful mix of mystery, space exploration, and archaeology. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "The Void Wyrm's Guide to Devouring Stars" from AJ Wentz and "Excerpts from a Scientist's Notebook: Ancestral Memory in Europan Pseudocephalopods" by David DeGraff. If you're looking for the recipe to a magical reading experience, don't miss "Immortality Soup, Or, An Excerpt From the Cookbook of the Gods," our first fantasy short story of the month, which is written by Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe. Jae Steinbacher remixes Little Red Riding Hood in their new story "What You Are and the Wolf." Our flash includes "A Small God" by Jeff Reynolds and the very magical "Four Self-Care Secrets for a Long and Happy Life" by Tina S. Zhu. Our book reviewers have been devouring and evaluating new books so they can bring you their monthly array of recommendations. As always, spotlight interviewer Laurel Amberdine has sat down and interviewed our short fiction authors so you can get better insights into their work and their processes. And our ebook readers will also enjoy a book excerpt from Tlotlo Tsamaase's novel WOMB CITY.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 162 (November 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 162 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 162 of LIGHTSPEED! We're starting the month with a new story from MKRNYILGLD: "The CRISPR Cookbook (Chapter Two): A Guide to Biohacking Your Own Eggs into Weapons of Destruction, to Be Forcibly Implanted into One Patriarchist at a Time"). The engineering continues! We're also delighted to welcome Regina Kanyu Wang to our pages! Her story "A Record of Lost Time"-translated by bestselling author Rebecca F. Kuang-was listed in the annual recommendation list of the Chinese Science Fiction database, and selected into two annual best anthologies by mainstream literary scholars in China. This is its first appearance in English, and we think you'll appreciate its insight into our modern crisis of constant productivity. We also have two terrific flash SF pieces: "A Review: The Reunion of the Survivors of Sigrun 7" from Lars Ahn and "Confession #443 (Comments open)" by Dominica Phetteplace. Our fantasy offerings this month include "Last Ritual of the Smoke Eaters," a new short by Osahon Ize-Iyamu about the complexity of relationships. Martin Cahill brings us a story about clairvoyance in his new short "The Moment Before the Moment." We also have a flash story ("Of Death Deserved We Will Not Die") from Bennett North, and another ("Dr. Seattle Opens His Heart") from Winston Turnage. We also have spotlight interviews with our authors and a variety of book reviews to inform your next reads. And if you're an ebook reader, you can look forward to a book excerpt from THIS DARK DESCENT by Kalyn Josephson.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 163 (December 2023)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 163 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 163 of LIGHTSPEED! 2023 has been a tough year for short fiction magazines, especially with the demise of the Kindle Periodicals program, where many readers sourced their subscriptions. We're so grateful to every reader who has changed their subscription over to Weightless or our storefront! Wonderful readers like you all are the reason we keep doing this work. We're starting this month off with "Carbon Zero" by D. Thomas Minton, a new story of a terrifying near-future where greenhouse gas emissions are as rigorously regulated-or more rigorously regulated-as Schedule I drugs. Adam-Troy Castro returns to our pages with his latest story, "Seed." It's a SF piece that asks: how far would you go to save your own life, and what would you be willing to sacrifice? We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Dandelions" from Martin Cahill and "Do the Right Thing and Ride the Bomb the Roundabout Way to Hell" by Andrea Kriz. Our fantasy shorts include "We'll Never Die in the Woods," a fairy tale-inspired story of sisterhood, witches, and princesses by Carlie St. George. A.T. Greenblatt delves into the sometimes opposing forces of mindfulness and adventurousness in her story "Mindfulness and the Machine." We also have a flash story ("Whispers from the Sea") from Oyedotun Damilola Muees, and another ("To the Waters and the Wild") from Izzy Wasserstein. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from ESCAPE VELOCITY, a new novel by Victor Manibo.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 164 (January 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 164 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
“Lightspeed” is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 164 of Lightspeed! Our science fiction shorts kick off with a story ("Shadow Films") from Benjamin Peek about the film industry and a conspiracy theory sprouting from an unsettling truth. In the very poignant tale "We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World," David Anaxagoras captures an unusual group trying to cope with an incipient apocalypse. We also have a flash story ("Five Views of the Planet Tartarus") from Rachael K. Jones, and another ("Night Desk Duty at the Infinite Paradox Hotel") from Aimee Ogden. Our fantasy shorts include a fascinating meditation on sacrifice and inter-species understanding in Sloane Leong's "A Saint Between the Teeth." Adam-Troy Castro returns to our pages with a new story about an irresistible offer in "Farewell to Faust." We also have two terrific flash pieces: "In the Tree's Hollow, a Doe" by Lowry Poletti and "To Be a Happy Man" from Thomas Ha. Of course we've got our usual array of nonfiction: book reviews from our review team (what should you be reading when you're not reading Lightspeed?), and spotlight interviews with our authors.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 165 (February 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 165 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 165 of LIGHTSPEED! Our first SF short this month is "Scarlett" by Everdeen Mason-the story of love, art, and artificial intelligence. Phoebe Barton explores the limits of duty in the face of gravity in her story "But From Thine Eyes My Knowledge I Derive." Our flash work includes Stewart C Baker's metafictional anime series analysis: "Companion Animals in Maho Shojo Kira Kira Sunlight" and Christopher Rowe's "The Pearl Captain." PH Lee writes about the study of death in their story "A Sojourn in the Fifth City." In her new story, "What Becomes of Curious Minds," Wen-yi Lee creates a new short with one foot in the magically weird world of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland and one foot in a honeyed realm that is equally as unique and dangerous. Our flash includes Mari Ness's fictional dossier "Further Examination and Capture of Candle Skulls Associated with the Baba Yaga" and KT Bryski's story "An Elegy for the Former Things." Of course, our spotlight interviewer has sat down with our writers to get more details on their work and process, and our book review team has come through with their latest book recommendations. Our ebook readers will also enjoy a book excerpt from REDSIGHT by Meredith Mooring.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 166 (March 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 166 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 166 of LIGHTSPEED! We start off the month with an original science fiction short by Shingai Njeri Kagunda: "Let the Star Explode." It's a story that re-envisions what space travel might be like-and how it can connect us to others in utterly unexpected ways. Adam-Troy Castro returns to our pages with a meditation on the nature of cruelty against non-humans in his story "The Three Thousand, Four Hundred Twenty-Third Law of Robotics." We also have two terrific flash pieces: "An Incomplete Body Has No Answers" from Angela Liu and "Islands of Stability" by Marissa Lingen. Alex Irvine brings us an original fairy tale in his new fantasy short, "Kopki and the Fish." Sharang Biswas explores the social life of gods in his story "Season of Weddings." We also have a flash story ("Fragments of a Symbiotic Life") from Will McMahon, and another ("Only Some of True Love's Miracles") from P H Lee. For nonfiction, we have spotlight interviews with our short fiction authors and another round of book reviews from our staff. Our ebook readers will also enjoy a book excerpt from THE SIEGE OF BURNING GRASS by Premee Mohamed.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 167 (April 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 167 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 167 of LIGHTSPEED! Our science fiction section kicks off with a bang with Endria Isa Richardson's new SF short story "A Pedra," which explores the difficult topic of human experimentation. Susan Palwick turns her attention to the effects of climate change in her story "Mother's Day, After Everything." David Anaxagoras and Rich Larson bring a little levity with their flash pieces, "Under a Star, Bright as Morning" and "Limping Toward Sunrise" (respectively). Our original fantasy work includes "How to Know Your Father Is a God" by Modupeoluwa Shelle. We also have a novelette by Vandana Singh-"Travelers' Tales from the Ends of the World"-that powerfully explores the impact of climate change through a magical lens. We also have a flash story ("Salemo") from David Marino, and another ("a testament to indirection, an enigma, the sun above") from Mitchell Shanklin.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 169 (June 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 169 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 169 of LIGHTSPEED! Both of our SF short stories explore the realm of the robotic. Andrea Kriz starts us off with "Udo Gehler and the Virgin Bitch of the Resistance," a novelette about a young mecha pilot in a soul-crushing society. Oyedotun Damilola Muees brings us a killing machine with a conscience in his new epistolary story "Warning Notes from an Annihilator Machine." We also have two terrific flash pieces: "The Waking Sleep of a Seething Wound" from dave ring and "The Help Hotline" by Dominica Phetteplace. Our fantasy shorts both wrestle with the gods and fate. Varsha Dinesh spins a tale of gods, magic, and body modification in "Sparrow and the Parasol." In Deborah L. Davitt's new "In the Hands of the Mountain God," an icy pilgrimage turns into something more complicated. Megan Chee has a flash story, "An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe," as does Shanna Germain ("The Weight of Salt").
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 171 (August 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 171 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. Welcome to issue 171 of LIGHTSPEED! It's hard to think of two topics more SFnal than time travel and robots, and so we're delighted to present this month's two extremely science fictional short stories. Richard Thomas gives time travel a spooky spin his new tale "The Darkness Between the Stars." Archita Mittra spins a tale of android friendship in her story "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strain'd." We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Resistance" from Cat Rambo and "Under the Skin" by Deborah L. Davitt. Astronomy can't shake its connections to the gods, not when so many constellations are named for mythological entities, and Dominique Dickey delves into both topics in their hard-hitting fantasy tale "Look at the Moon." Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe turns our gaze away from the sky in his magical story "Child of the River." We also have a flash story ("Mud Maidens Rise") from K.A. Wiggins and a very special fairy tale retelling ("What's in a Name") from Matthew Hughes.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 174 (November 2024)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 174 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 174 of Lightspeed Magazine! This month we've got a serialized SF noir novella wrestling with AI, evil corporations, and weird clones. No, it's not Blade Runner! It's "Antyesti for a Dead Ganesa," the newest work from Lightspeed alum Ashok K. Banker. We think you'll love accompanying Ashok on this gritty trip to a noir, cyberpunk future India. Ebook readers can read it in one gulp; those reading online will have to check it out in two parts spread across two Thursdays. Our SF flash includes "The Oracular Manifestation of Human Consciousness Offers Three Provocative Verbs, Separated by Commas" from Aimee Ogden and "Ancestor Code Error" by Ai Jiang. Our first original fantasy short is "We Will Bring Siege to the Bastion of Sin that Cries Out in Your Prayer" by Hammond Diehl, a story of saints and bones. P H Lee wrestles with the moral complexities of Omelas in their story "The Ones Who Come at Last." We have two great fantasy flash stories, too. Isabel Canas returns to our pages with "Babywings" and Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe brings us "The Last Word."
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 178 (March 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 178 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 178 of LIGHTSPEED! We're kicking off the issue with an original SF short by Cadwell Turnbull: "Dekar Druid and the Infinite Library." Who is Dekar Druid? Why is he trapped inside an infinite library? And how does he move inside the pages of all those books? You'll have to read it to find out. Adam-Troy Castro brings us an epistolary story of linguistic breakdown in his short, "Message in a Babel." Our flash pieces are both about space exploration and its terrible price: "Those Who Seek to Embrace The Sun" from Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe and "Instructions for Good Boys on the Interplanetary Expedition" by Rachael K. Jones. Our first original fantasy short-"Memories of Temperance" by Anya Ow-takes us into the underworld, as two unhappy spirits wander the afterlife on their own mysterious mission. "The Lexicon of Lethe" by Sunwoo Jeong is about a neighborhood struggling as words begin to vanish off of signs, menus . . . and out of people's minds. We also have a flash story in the form of a dark fairy tale from Jake Kerr ("Pure of Heart"). Nina Kiriki Hoffman brings us our final piece of fantasy flash: "The Shift."
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 180 (May 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 180 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 180 of LIGHTSPEED! This issue is full of stories turning things on their heads. For example, one of our flash shorts, "Where Are They Now?" by Meg Elison, tells the story of touring the Wonka factory from the perspective of Augustus Gloop, and it's a wildly different experience than the original! In one of our longer fantasy works, Martin Cahill tells a story ("The Price of Manners") about a cursed tome with a legacy of death and destruction. But what if all that chaos is a big misunderstanding? Our fantasy fiction continues with a powerful secondary world fantasy: "Ninnagan Says Remember" by Jonathan Olfert, a story of both resistance and redemption. And we have a great flash story ("Shadows on the Pavement") from R. P. Sand.Our science fiction shorts include "Rthing It Up: An Oral History," Gene Doucette's all-too-human take on an alien invasion. In her story "Through the Machine," P.A. Cornell dives into the potential impact of AI on film. Given the state of our world today, both of these SF short stories are a little too plausible for comfort-and that's a great reason to read them both. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "The Temporal Displacement of the Graves" from Russell Nichols and "The Meaning We Seek" by Nancy Kress.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 182 (July 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 182 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 182 of LIGHTSPEED! We have original science fiction by Meghan McCarron ("Lord of Mars") and Naomi Kanakia ("Domestic Disputes"). We also have two terrific flash pieces: "How to Win Against the Robots" from Katherine Crighton and "Finding Love in a Time Loop: A How-To Guide" by Leah Cypess._Plus, we have original fantasy by Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe ("A Dish Best Served Cold, Or, An Excerpt From the Cookbook of the Gods") and Paul Crenshaw ("You Knit Me Together in My Mother's Womb"). We also have a flash story ("What Else, What Else, in the Joyous City?") from sadoeuphemist, and another ("Un-Pragmagic: A Tyler Moore Retrospective") from Spencer Nitkey._All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with book reviews from our terrific review team.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 183 (August 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 183 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 183 of LIGHTSPEED! We're kicking off our science fiction with a tasty new story by Adam-Troy Castro: "Feast of Famine." If you've ever been to a buffet, you know how dangerous it can be to take just a little bit of everything-now imagine what could happen if you were at an infinite buffet in its own pocket dimension. We then pivot in a very different SFnal direction to serve up V.M. Ayala's thrilling cyberpunk story "To Access Seven Obelisks, Press Enter." David Anaxagoras brings us a heartbreaking flash piece about the ways war affects children: "Five Dispatches from Conflict Zone W-924/B Regarding Post-Battle Deployment of A. Thanatensis." And Sarah Langan brings us a flash piece about the cruelty of harvesting our dreams in "The Dream Tourists." Our first piece of original fantasy, "It Might Be He Returns" by Fatima Taqvi, is the story of a young man who learns some terrible truths about fate and equality. For those looking for some exciting swordplay and fascinating magical beings, Christopher Rowe brings us "Savannah and the Apprentice." We also have a flash story ("Dad Went Out to Get the Milk") from Osahon Ize-Iyamu, and another ("Anti-Capitalism vs. the Man of Flowers") from Naomi Kanakia.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 185 (October 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 185 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 185 of LIGHTSPEED! Our science fiction short stories this month are both set in space, but that's about all they have in common. "O Mechfighter, O Starsinger," by Osahon Ize-Iyamu, is a dramatic story about imperialism, human trafficking, and learning to be a mech pilot. Megan Chee's "Everyone Hates the Auditor" is the story of bureaucracy at its finest. They're two great flavors of science fiction that are even more fun when paired together. Our flash pieces include the surprising "The Porniest Porn in Porntown" by Stephen Graham Jones and "Thaw" by An Owomoyela. If you enjoy dark academia, then "Dirge and Gleam" by Micah Dean Hicks is just the short story for you. We also have a story of a dark avenger: "Drosera regina" by A.L. Goldfuss-and if you know anything about biology, you'll have an idea what kind of creature this story is about. Our flash pieces include "At the Bottom of the Bonfire" by Martin Cahill and "Dating Fortune" from Sean McMullen.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 186 (November 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 186 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 186 of LIGHTSPEED! Both of the SF short stories this month blend humor with sharp questions about technology. Our first short is "Elegy for Zephyr One" by Gene Doucette, in which a mega-corporation tries out a dangerous Turing test on a spaceship. Joel W.D. Buxton's newest story, "Operation: Grapevine," puts the world's fate in the hands of possibly the world's most boring man, to hilarious effect. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "How to Set Up Your Mourning Robot" from Angela Liu and "Visible Damage" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Our original fantasy kicks off with a short by Lisa M. Bradley, "In the Zone," the story of an artist with a surprising power to fight injustice-and the psychic weight of that gift. Tina S. Zhu's new short ("How to Build a Homecoming Queen: A Guide by a Bad Asian Girl") tells the tale of a teenage girl whose magical double proves to be the perfect daughter, sister, and robotics team captain. But what happens when creator and creation wind up having different goals? Our fantasy flash stories include "Beneath the Umdlebe Tree; or, A Vegetable Love Story" by Modupeoluwa Shelle and "The Cold Burning Light of Her" by Sam W. Pisciotta.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 187 (December 2025)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 187 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 187 of LIGHTSPEED! We're starting off this month's science fiction with "Reality Check," a new short story from Nancy Kress that asks whether our love affair with technology is whittling down our very humanity. For something a little more lighthearted, we're happy to bring you a new short by Oyedotun Damilola Muees: "The Hub Living Among the Stars." It's imaginative SF at its most enjoyable. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Us, in Another Universe" from A.C. Wise and "The Space Between Us" by P.A. Cornell. Jonathan Olfert returns to our pages with a new fantasy story, "Crickets in Lost Light," which follows Ander Carmora after the events of "Ninnagan Says Remember" (from our March 2025 issue). Things have only gotten more complicated for our hero, but he keeps learning and growing. Our second fantasy short is the slightly darker "Memories of the MindMine" by David Marino. We also have a flash story ("You Always Told Her You'd Give Her the World") from Aimee Ogden, and another ("HagioClass") from Jose Pablo Iriarte.
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Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 189 (February 2026)
by John Joseph Adams
Part 189 of the Lightspeed Magazine series
LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.Welcome to issue 189 of LIGHTSPEED! Our two full-sized SF stories explore the very nature of reality. We start with Megan Chee's multi-vocal "Death Echoes Overlapping," and then we feature the planetary exploration piece "Sensor Ghosts," by Deborah L. Davitt. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "The Worldbuilder" from Phoenix Alexander and "Warren's Tentacle" by Susan Palwick. Alexander Weinstein's fantasy series From the Lost Travelers' Tour Guide returns with "Dream Destinations," which continues his exploration of the mysterious Eighth Continent. Modupeoluwa Shelle brings us "A Handbook to Spirit-Hunting," a tale packed with mysterious creatures and beings. We also have a flash story ("Six Sides of a Fairy Tale") from Audrey Zhou, and another ("The Salt and the Cure") from Rukman Ragas.