Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 117 (February 2020)

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 117th issue! Our first SF short of the issue ("How We Burn," by Brenda Peynado) takes us into a future where helicopter parents have gone way too far. How are kids supposed to rebel when they have the expectations of four generations weighing on their shoulders? Then we swoop a little bit closer to our own future in JT Petty's "The Gamecocks," which explores what will happen to America's working class once self-driving vehicles become commonplace. We also have SF reprints by Victor LaValle ("Ark of Light") and Maria Romasco-Moore ("Dying Light"). The multi-award-winning Kij Johnson brings us a brand new fantasy short from the perspective of a bird: "Noah's Raven." You might remember Alexander Weinstein's travel guides from last month's "Destinations of Joy." Well, for every great travel adventure, there's an equally terrible one, and this month he's bringing us a new short called "Toxic Destinations." You might want to cancel your magical plane tickets! We also have fantasy reprints by Daniel José Older ("A Stranger at the Bochinche") and Theodora Goss ("A Statement in the Case"). Our interview this month is with author Nino Cipri, discussing all things labor union and IKEA (yes, IKEA). Of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from A.K. Larkwood's new novel, THE UNSPOKEN NAME.