June 2024 (Issue 169)

We have original science fiction by Andrea Kriz (“Udo Gehler and the Virgin Bitch of the Resistance”) and Oyedotun Damilola Muees (“Warning Notes From an Annihilator Machine”). We also have two terrific flash pieces: “The Waking Sleep of a Seething Wound” from dave ring and “The Help Hotline” by Dominica Phetteplace. Plus, we have original fantasy by Varsha Dinesh (“Sparrow and the Parasol”) and Deborah L. Davitt (“In the Hands of the Mountain God”). We also have a flash story (“An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe”) from Megan Chee, and another (“The Weight of Salt”) from Shanna Germain. 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 Grandeduc / Adobe Stock Images

June 2024 (Issue 169)

Editorial

Editorial: June 2024

by John Joseph Adams

Be sure to check out the editorial for a rundown of this month’s terrific content.

Fantasy

Sparrow and the Parasol

by Varsha Dinesh

Author spotlight

Deep in the abyss of the Unholy Bazaar, in a shop that reeked of death and god-blood, Sparrow lay screaming in a web of rope and unbreakable silk. Around her, the Aunties bustled: sawing and rinsing and hammering; cursing, grunting, and muttering.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Varsha Dinesh

by Laurel Amberdine

This was the story I wrote … while quarantining after traveling back to my hometown in Kerala, India. I remember that I was trying to challenge myself to write a chaotic, peopled world full of sensations that were in direct opposition to the sterile confines of my room.

Science Fiction

The Waking Sleep of a Seething Wound

by dave ring

Dawn shot a quiver of cirrus that smeared like sunscreen across the sky. Bini had been awake for hours, back aching. She was too old for this shit. Mox still slept like the dead, her snores a regular wheeze. Hard to imagine Bini had once slept beside that noise every night.

Fantasy

An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe

by Megan Chee

There are a near-infinite number of strange and marvelous worlds in this Universe, and in all of them there are Cats. I see that you are an ordinary person and not a Cat; thus, I can ascertain that you know very little about the Universe.

Nonfiction

Book Review: We Mostly Come Out at Night edited by Rob Costello

by Arley Sorg

If you’re looking for your next anthology, Arley Sorg recommends We Mostly Come Out at Night edited by Rob Costello. Find out why!

Science Fiction

Udo Gehler and the Virgin Bitch of the Resistance

by Andrea Kriz

Author spotlight

Udo Gehler saw his next opponent was the Virgin Bitch of the Resistance and didn’t even blink. He’d been curled up in his personal ARMOR lounge, holo-projecting the replay of his last match frame by frame, noting every instance he’d lost momentum or ceded terrain control.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Andrea Kriz

by Laurel Amberdine

The mechas in this story were extremely inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, an anime which has also driven a lot of my past writing. The mechas in Evangelion (spoiler) must be implanted with a core containing the soul of the pilot’s mother in order to function properly.

Fantasy

In the Hands of the Mountain God

by Deborah L. Davitt

Author spotlight

The towering granite shoulders of the mountain god braced against the blue heavens above. Eero’s eyes remained closed beneath his glacial mask, his body swathed in a cloak of green trees. Halfway up the mountain’s body, jutting out of a gray cliff, stretched his wide, verdigrised hands.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Deborah L. Davitt

by Laurel Amberdine

I play tabletop role playing games, though that leads to a lot more writing, hah! I currently run two concurrent campaigns—one Blades in the Dark, and one VtM, on alternate weekends, and guide my players through a play-by-post campaign set alongside the main campaign during the week.

Nonfiction

Book Review: Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

by Aigner Loren Wilson

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice is an apocalyptic read about . . . healing. Aigner Loren Wilson definitely recommends it!

Science Fiction

The Help Hotline

by Dominica Phetteplace

The trouble started after my husband reported a strange Zoom call at work. The company he worked for was a tech company that dabbled in defense contracting. I know all tech companies make weapons, but I didn’t want him working on that kind of stuff. He never promised he wouldn’t.

Fantasy

The Weight of Salt

by Shanna Germain

We’ve never been so busy. The cave where we work used to be calm and, if not entirely devoid of sound, then split only by the crash of waves at high tide and the occasional cry of a woman who didn’t listen when we said listen this will hurt this will hurt this will hurt.

Science Fiction

Warning Notes from an Annihilator Machine

by Oyedotun Damilola Muees

Author spotlight

05.22.2028 — Dear Teejay_009: Today makes it a decade and a day I have been keeping tabs on you. I started by watching your mother, monitoring all her movements while she housed you. There’s no better time to relay this message but now.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Oyedotun Damilola Muees

by Laurel Amberdine

Sometimes when I am not doing anything serious I allow different thoughts to run freely in my head. One of those many thoughts was wondering how cool it would be for humans to be able to see into the future.