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Lightspeed Magazine, January 2013
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.
In this month's issue, we have original fantasy by A.C. Wise ("With Tales in Their Teeth, From the Mountain They Came") and Kristine Kathryn Rusch ("Purity Test"), along with fantasy reprints by Daniel Abraham ("The Cambist and Lord Iron") and Jeffrey Ford ("Daltharee").
Plus, we have original science fiction by Matthew Kressel ("The Sounds of Old Earth") and Jonathan Olfert ("Lifeline"), and SF reprints by Cherie Priest ("Addison Howell and the Clockroach") and Theodora Goss ("Child Empress of Mars").
For our ebook readers, our ebook-exclusive novella is "The Fear Gun" by Judith Berman, and of course we have our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, along with feature interviews with bestselling authors Cory Doctorow and Daniel Handler (a/k/a Lemony Snicket). And our excerpt this month is from Impulse by Steven Gould.
In this month's issue, we have original fantasy by A.C. Wise ("With Tales in Their Teeth, From the Mountain They Came") and Kristine Kathryn Rusch ("Purity Test"), along with fantasy reprints by Daniel Abraham ("The Cambist and Lord Iron") and Jeffrey Ford ("Daltharee").
Plus, we have original science fiction by Matthew Kressel ("The Sounds of Old Earth") and Jonathan Olfert ("Lifeline"), and SF reprints by Cherie Priest ("Addison Howell and the Clockroach") and Theodora Goss ("Child Empress of Mars").
For our ebook readers, our ebook-exclusive novella is "The Fear Gun" by Judith Berman, and of course we have our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, along with feature interviews with bestselling authors Cory Doctorow and Daniel Handler (a/k/a Lemony Snicket). And our excerpt this month is from Impulse by Steven Gould.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2012
3 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
John Joseph Adams
369 books980 followersJohn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2013
This may have been the best issue yet. Most of the work was really outstanding, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story, not just science fiction. Individual reviews below with some minor spoilers:
With Tales in Their Teeth, From the Mountain They Came by A.C. Wise ***** Simply amazing. A poetic look at librarians and those who would destroy books, along with love found in an unexpected place. The language in this story was lovely.
Purity Test by Kristine Kathryn Rusch gave me chills (in a good way). ***** This was a dark fairy tale populated by unpleasant characters. The narration had a feral quality, and was one of the stories that kept me up until I finished it.
The Cambist and Lord Iron by Daniel Abraham **** While the beginning made me laugh at the cambist's cleverness, the ending was very somber. The world and characters were really well described, and the story itself was great.
Lifeline by Jonathan Olfert *** This story was rather odd. While competently written, I couldn't really care about the characters, although the ending was deftly handled.
Child Empress of Mars by Theodora Goss *** Another exceedingly weird story. I felt like I was plunged into the middle of a longer tale. I was able to follow the plot, but the description of the colorful aliens overwhelmed it.
Impulse by Steven Gould ***** If I didn't have the full novel ready to read, I would be buying it now. Can't wait to read the entire thing.
Addison Howell and the Clockroach by Cherie Priest *** I was a little surprised at how little I liked this, as I have enjoyed what I've read of this author before. The language got very trite towards the middle, and otherwise fell a little flat.
The Fear Gun by Judith Berman *** Pretty fair. The concept of aliens with fear guns set amidst a dismantled United States was pretty cool, but this was definitely more story-driven than character. I would read this if rewritten into a longer format.
Daltharee by Jeffrey Ford *** Interesting concept, okay execution. The descriptions of the cities caught inside bottles was the best part.
The Sounds of Old Earth by Matthew Kressel ***** Broke my heart. Poignant story involving the last survivors of earth resisting evacuation right before it's destroyed for raw materials to make new colonies. But the story is told through the very human element involved, with subtle touches that gave it a fully rounded feel, a real emotional connection to the characters.
With Tales in Their Teeth, From the Mountain They Came by A.C. Wise ***** Simply amazing. A poetic look at librarians and those who would destroy books, along with love found in an unexpected place. The language in this story was lovely.
Purity Test by Kristine Kathryn Rusch gave me chills (in a good way). ***** This was a dark fairy tale populated by unpleasant characters. The narration had a feral quality, and was one of the stories that kept me up until I finished it.
The Cambist and Lord Iron by Daniel Abraham **** While the beginning made me laugh at the cambist's cleverness, the ending was very somber. The world and characters were really well described, and the story itself was great.
Lifeline by Jonathan Olfert *** This story was rather odd. While competently written, I couldn't really care about the characters, although the ending was deftly handled.
Child Empress of Mars by Theodora Goss *** Another exceedingly weird story. I felt like I was plunged into the middle of a longer tale. I was able to follow the plot, but the description of the colorful aliens overwhelmed it.
Impulse by Steven Gould ***** If I didn't have the full novel ready to read, I would be buying it now. Can't wait to read the entire thing.
Addison Howell and the Clockroach by Cherie Priest *** I was a little surprised at how little I liked this, as I have enjoyed what I've read of this author before. The language got very trite towards the middle, and otherwise fell a little flat.
The Fear Gun by Judith Berman *** Pretty fair. The concept of aliens with fear guns set amidst a dismantled United States was pretty cool, but this was definitely more story-driven than character. I would read this if rewritten into a longer format.
Daltharee by Jeffrey Ford *** Interesting concept, okay execution. The descriptions of the cities caught inside bottles was the best part.
The Sounds of Old Earth by Matthew Kressel ***** Broke my heart. Poignant story involving the last survivors of earth resisting evacuation right before it's destroyed for raw materials to make new colonies. But the story is told through the very human element involved, with subtle touches that gave it a fully rounded feel, a real emotional connection to the characters.
January 4, 2013
Another fine issue of Lightspeed. Full disclosure, I did in fact read this issue at the very end of 2012, because I'm the proofreader for the e-book editions. Because the issue came out in 2013, though, I'm counting it as the first read of 2013.
I enjoyed every story in this particular issue, but have to mention particularly:
"The Sounds of Old Earth" by Matthew Kressel. I'm a sucker for genre stories that occur in the places I've lived, and I spent a crazy home-sick semester at SUNY New Paltz. Kressel managed to hit me with a wave of nostalgia just with the few details of the area that he brings into the story.
"Child Empress of Mars" by Theodora Goss. The story disturbed me on an interesting level, giving an extremely original take on the classic "sword and planets" genre.
"The Cambist and Lord Iron" by Daniel Abraham. The world Abraham creates for the story really intrigued me.
I enjoyed every story in this particular issue, but have to mention particularly:
"The Sounds of Old Earth" by Matthew Kressel. I'm a sucker for genre stories that occur in the places I've lived, and I spent a crazy home-sick semester at SUNY New Paltz. Kressel managed to hit me with a wave of nostalgia just with the few details of the area that he brings into the story.
"Child Empress of Mars" by Theodora Goss. The story disturbed me on an interesting level, giving an extremely original take on the classic "sword and planets" genre.
"The Cambist and Lord Iron" by Daniel Abraham. The world Abraham creates for the story really intrigued me.
January 6, 2013
Fear-inducing weaponry, steampunk cockroaches, bottled cities, martians, living books, wicked fathers, the dismantling of Earth, frogs and a telepathic dog…is this some SFF acid trip?
No! That, plus wicked fathers, alien invasion, economics, Lemony Snicket and so much more await you in this issue of Lightspeed Magazine.
This is a fantastic issue with a number of short story treats. I did a non-spoiler review of the entire magazine here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.co...
No! That, plus wicked fathers, alien invasion, economics, Lemony Snicket and so much more await you in this issue of Lightspeed Magazine.
This is a fantastic issue with a number of short story treats. I did a non-spoiler review of the entire magazine here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.co...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews