Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 191 (April 2026)

We have original science fiction by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (“The Test of Time”) and Justin C. Key (“Margins”). We also have two terrific flash pieces: “Dad Died on Discord” from Andrew Dana Hudson and “Update on Rules for the Spatiotemporal Use of Campus Spaces” by Andrea Kriz. We’ll be serializing a novelette by Ashok K. Banker (“Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley”—the latest story in the Six-Gun Vixen series). We also have a flash story (“Hell Is Empty”) from J.R. Dawson, and another (“Time Management”) from P.A. Cornell. All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with book reviews from our terrific review team. It’s another great issue, so be sure to check it out.

Cover art by Joe Therasakdhi

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 191 (April 2026)

Editorial

Editorial: April 2026

by John Joseph Adams

Be sure to check out the editorial for a rundown of this month’s content and for all of John Joseph Adams’s media and book recommendations!

Publishes Online on 4/9

Science Fiction

Saint Zero of the Hollows and the Eagle Knight

by V.M. Ayala

The only sound Zero heard in their helmet was their own hyperventilating and the gentle pings from their pegasus.

> waiting . . .

> communication received

> confirmation of countdown initiation: 30 seconds

Publishes Online on 4/9

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: V.M. Ayala

by Leighanna DeRouen

I’m honored Lightspeed enjoyed “Saint Zero” and published it, it’s such a dream home for this story. The idea behind it was a twofold, very random thought sequence: “What if A Knight’s Tale were sapphic?” and then “No, wait, what if it were set in space?” This was followed by a lot of complicated emotions existing in this current political climate (“Saint Zero” was written in 2025, so these emotions have only intensified since), and then realizing this story wasn’t going to end well for either Zero or Silvi.

Publishes Online on 4/9

Fantasy

Hell Is Empty

by J.R. Dawson

And all the devils are here.

“What’s that from?” Millie asks as she gets her coat.

I stand at the back window, looking out. Usually, you can see the downtown skyline from this position. Today, it’s just the hellmouth. A long tube that looks like an esophagus that’s been yanked out of a kaiju and dangles from the ground. Bloody, meaty, smoking.

Publishes Online on 4/9

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: J.R. Dawson

by Phoebe Barton

This story is an example of how sometimes we need to make art in order to make sense of what’s happening around us. For context, I’m currently living in Minneapolis during ICE’s Operation Metro Surge. A week after Renee Good’s murder, I was still stuck and paralyzed and I needed to put my energy into something. I needed to put what was going on into words. Because that’s my job.

Publishes Online on 4/9

Science Fiction

Dad Died on Discord

by Andrew Dana Hudson

When we moved Dad to the care facility, his only complaint was the Wi-Fi. “Laggy,” he called it when he was having a good day. “Fucking piece of shit,” he called it the rest of the time.

At first I was relieved. I’d been worried that he’d bristle at the cramped room, like a zoo animal pacing its enclosure in a sad documentary. But he never said a word about the bedsit quarters or the unfamiliar, ever-churning staff.

Publishes Online on 4/16

Fantasy

Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 1]

by Ashok K. Banker

New Providence sparkled like fool’s gold in the distance, all gleaming spires and whirring clockwork, nothing like the two-bit townships I usually rode through. My Halfie tensed beneath me, his wolf-hackles rising at the stink of machine oil and steam that drifted our way. I dug my spurs in gentle-like, just enough to remind him who was boss without drawing blood. Been doing that less lately—seemed like we were finally reaching an understanding, him and me.

Publishes Online on 4/16

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Ashok K. Banker

by Erik Grove

I’ve always wanted to return to the world of Six-Gun and it was only a matter of time before a new one found me. Before, I was always locked into back-to-back trad publishing contracts (80 books, not counting other commissioned projects!). Now that I’m full indie and have found a loyal, growing readership online, I can’t write new stories fast enough to satisfy the demand.

Publishes Online on 4/16

Nonfiction

Book Review: Sauúti Terrors Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton, and Cheryl S. Ntumy, eds.

by Arley Sorg

Arley Sorg recommends the new Flame Tree Collections anthology Sauúti Terrors.

Publishes Online on 4/16

Science Fiction

Update on Rules for the Spatiotemporal Use of Campus Spaces

by Andrea Kriz

Dear Members of the Community,

As we begin yet another fall semester in the throes of the rogue timestream unleashed on our campus, I cannot help but take a moment to marvel at just how vibrant our community has become. In addition to our current residents, our University’s campus grounds and buildings have come to support thousands of students, staff, affiliates, and visitors from past, future, as well as alternate Universities.

Publishes Online on 4/23

Fantasy

Six-Gun Vixen and the Machinist of Doom Valley [Part 2]

by Ashok K. Banker

The sun was sinking toward the horizon like a brass penny dropped in muddy water by the time I rode back into New Providence. My Halfie’s mechanical shoes struck sparks off the metal road plates, each impact sending little jolts of pain through my spine. Those hours of riding and tracking had taken their toll, but it wasn’t the kind of tired that sleep could fix. The kind of weary that comes from knowing too much, seeing too clear.

Publishes Online on 4/23

Nonfiction

Book Review: The Witch by Marie N’Diaye, translated by Jordan Stump

by Melissa A Watkins

Melissa A Watkins recommends Marie N’Daiye’s novel in translation The Witch for fans of Weapons and Wild Spaces.

Publishes Online on 4/23

Science Fiction

Empathetic Psychosis

by Justin C. Key

Personality Disorder (Not Otherwise Specified)

My patients called me Dr. Holloway. My friends called me Jason. I won’t tell you what my three ex-wives called me but I’m sure you can guess. I was a psychiatrist (and a damn good one seventy percent of the time).

My adult life had been full of restarts, reinventions, and rehabilitations. This new beginning, though . . . this was supposed to be different. I’d taken a job at Margins Treatment Center in sunny Los Angeles as the Clinical Director.

Publishes Online on 4/30

Fantasy

Time Management

by P.A. Cornell

On the morning Gwen woke with the ability to manipulate time, it was already too late. She didn’t immediately realize she could stretch or compress time—that would come later. At first, all she knew was Dianne was gone, and she wasn’t coming back.

Publishes Online on 4/30

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Justin C. Key

by Delia Cullity

There’s still a lot of stigma around mental illness. Even the profession that treats it isn’t immune. There would most definitely be the pressure for a psychiatrist with a psychotic disorder to hide their diagnosis from colleagues and patients. So, already, the ‘what if?’ was ripe in my head. I’ve always found the brain, consciousness, and human perception fascinating. It’s what’s drawn me both to being a speculative fiction author and a psychiatrist.

Publishes Online on 4/30

Nonfiction

Book Review: Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

by Chris Kluwe

Chris Kluwe recommends Aicha, a book that reminds us why we fight for a better world.

Publishes Online on 4/30