Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 160 (September 2023)

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 160 of LIGHTSPEED! If you're ready for a little fun, don't miss "Money in the Bank," an adventure-packed story of aliens and cryptobros from SF giants John Kessel and Bruce Sterling. In "The Hole in the Garden," Gene Doucette has written a heart-tugging piece that anyone parenting in the era of climate change will appreciate. We're rounding out the SF side of the literary equation with two flash pieces: "Eve's Prayer" by Victor Forna and "Death by Water" by Maria Haskins. Jo Miles brings us a tale of dragons and knights in new fantasy story "Simmered in Their Wealth Like the Richest of Sauces." Yvette Lisa Ndlovu writes about magic and a very difficult marriage in "His Thing." If you want to cook up a cure for your broken heart, Jordan Kurella has penned just the recipe-or maybe it's a flash story!-in his piece "Instructions for the Broken Hearted." We wrap up our fantasy flash with "Remains" by N.R. Lambert. 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 a book excerpt from Tlotlo Tsamaase's WOMB CITY.