Lightspeed Magazine, March 2011

by John Joseph Adams (Editor)

Lightspeed Magazine is a monthly science fiction magazine that features all types of sf, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between:

In Saying the Names, debut author Maggie Clark gives us the story of a woman hired to navigate the sticky legal system of a complicated alien race, and her own equally sticky relationship with the defendant.

Gossamer by Stephen Baxter takes us to Pluto and Charon, tidally-locked in their mutual orbit. A team briefly stranded there discovers that timing is everything, and that the relationship between the two worlds is more complicated than anyone had guessed.

In Spider the Artist, Nnedi Okorafor takes us to Nigeria of the future, where Big Oil protects the pipelines with spider-like AIs known as zombies, and tells the tale of a woman who faces down one of the murderous machines armed only with a guitar.

Woman Leaves Room by Robert Reed gives us a view of immortality, forgotten files, and perhaps a reminder to be awake for the parts of life that matter.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Fiction

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2011

About the author

John Joseph Adams is the series editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. He is also the bestselling editor of many other anthologies, such as ROBOT UPRISINGS, DEAD MAN'S HAND, BRAVE NEW WORLDS,WASTELANDS, and THE LIVING DEAD. Recent and forthcoming books include WHAT THE #@&% IS THAT?, OPERATION ARCANA, PRESS START TO PLAY, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, and THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH (consisting of THE END IS NIGH, THE END IS NOW, and THE END HAS COME). Called “the reigning king of the anthology world” by Barnes & Noble, John is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award (for which he has been nominated nine times), is a seven-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and served as a judge for the 2015 National Book Award. John is also the editor and publisher of the digital magazines LIGHTSPEED and NIGHTMARE, and is a producer for Wired's THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY podcast. You can find him online at www.johnjosephadams.com and on Twitter @JohnJosephAdams.

Reviews

[Jaffa Kintigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supernatural ghosts and tricksters exist for many cultures. The tricksters often match wits with their victims, doling out humorous to vindictive comeuppance.

In this folktale-style vignette, a narrator relates her childhood run in with the trickster ghost of the village's former sorcerer. As a 9 y.o. girl on a mission to deliver a basket of eggs to her aunt, the narrator holds her ground in a stand off with the ghost of the Long Juju Man. The stakes are the basket of eggs . . .

This tale appears in Okorafor's anthology, Kabu Kabu by Prime Books.

[Braden wafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice work on the book

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite out of the first years batch of issues.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unlikely pairing, but an excellent snapshot of a story.

[AsatorPrime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saying the Names: 2/5
Gossamer: 3/5
Spider the Artist: 2/5
Woman Leaves Room: 4/5