June 2025 (Issue 181)

We have original science fiction by Peter Watts (“The Twenty-One Second God”) and Marissa Lingen (“All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt”). We also have two terrific flash pieces: (“Dimensional Living Complex Malfunction Causes Body Horror and Inspires Potential Reform”) from Reyes Ramirez and (“See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax” by Lowry Poletti.) Plus, we have original fantasy by Vanessa Fogg (“When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm”) and Carrie Vaughn (“A Week at the Raven Feather Salon”). We also have a flash story (“Eyes Grown Thick on the World”) from Will McMahon, and another (“My Mother, the Supervillain”) from Benjamin Blattberg. All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with book reviews from our terrific review team.

Cover art by Tithi Luadthong (aka Grandfailure) / Shutterstock

June 2025 (Issue 181)

Editorial

Editorial, June 2025

by John Joseph Adams

It’s our fifteenth anniversary issue! Come check out the editorial for a discussion of this month’s great content.

Science Fiction

The Twenty-One Second God

by Peter Watts

Author spotlight

We lost so many souls today. Reports stream in across five continents; icons bloom on the map like blood spatters. Broken filters, zero latency, bandwidth that somehow blew through the roof when no one was looking. The hardware plays catch-up as best it can.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Peter Watts

by Alex Puncekar

This story is very much rooted in the aspirational goals behind actual tech. (In fact, the company behind the Hogan Bridges was explicitly named Neuralink in early drafts, until I decided that I didn’t want to get sued by Neuralink.

Fantasy

Eyes Grown Thick on the World

by Will McMahon

The city of Nan Rhok stands on the ridge of a great mountain, where a gullet of steaming water flows from volcanic hot springs. The ridge is narrow and the mountain chill, so the city hews close to the spring, building high its granite towers. The name of Nan Rhok is known for many leagues.

Science Fiction

Multi-Spatial Apartment Complex Malfunction Results in Body Horror

by Reyes Ramirez

At 5:43 a.m. this morning, residents of Grackle Pointe Apartments awoke to a malfunction in their complex’s multi-spatial engine due to an unprecedented derecho that swept through the Montrose area of Houston. This resulted in tenants being mentally and physically fused together.

Fantasy

When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm

by Vanessa Fogg

Author spotlight

When the Faerie King takes his tour of the human realm, he becomes—of course—a viral hit. The first posts and videos stream out from Shanghai, just after the New Year. He’s seen waiting patiently in line at a popular dumpling stall.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Vanessa Fogg

by Delia Cullity

I wanted to write about what the Faerie King means to her, why she’s so drawn to him. And by extension, I was writing about the fandom itself, why all these people are so wrapped up in him. This is really a story about the very human need to feel part of a story that’s bigger than oneself.

Nonfiction

Book Review: Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil

by Melissa A Watkins

Love reading about court intrigue? Find out why Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil might be for you!

Science Fiction

See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax

by Lowry Poletti

See now the misfortune of the thinking tenax. It is alone. The other tenaces have been chased away. Their gore stains the thinking tenax’s mandibles, and its roar drives them further back. Their flickering eyes peer out from behind feldspathic spires.

Fantasy

A Week at the Raven Feather Salon

by Carrie Vaughn

Author spotlight

Sparrow retired from the battlefield at the height of her powers and couldn’t be persuaded to change her mind. She was done with fighting, armies, blood, death, and taking orders. Now, she ran a salon at the edge of Florelia, Tira City’s entertainment district.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Carrie Vaughn

by Phoebe Barton

The setting is such a big part of the story, and I really wanted to lead readers into it, to convey the idea that this is a refuge, its own world. Envelop the reader in that sense of calm and magic, to make them feel a part of this community.

Nonfiction

Book Review: The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum

by Arley Sorg

If you’re looking for a book with a haunted town and an unlikely friendship, then perhaps The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum is for you. Find out why Arley Sorg recommends it!

Science Fiction

All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

by Marissa Lingen

Author spotlight

It had been a long day of convention. All I wanted was a quiet drink in the hotel bar and quality time in my room with a romance novel. The utter cad from Planetary Industries was an unanticipated bubble in the fuel line.

Fantasy

My Mother, the Supervillain

by Benjamin Blattberg

Mom still has good days, some days. Those days, when I visit her at Alpine Rest, she knows who I am and asks how her grandson Jack is. On her not-so-good days, she tries to summon the Fire Cosmic and screams that I’m in league with Professor Incalculable.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Marissa Lingen

by Wendy N. Wagner

I feel like one of the mistakes we see a lot of historically is “oh, there’s plenty of that, you don’t need to worry about that.” On a space station there isn’t plenty of anything. You have to worry about all of it. But on a planet . . . we make the mistake of thinking that we’re basically different from a space station.

Nonfiction

Book Review: The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn

by Chris Kluwe

If you’re looking for a novel blending the ’90s rock scene with faerie magic with male friendship, then Chris Kluwe has a book to recommend for you: The Only Song Worth Singing by Randee Dawn.