Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 130 (March 2021)

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.