Lightspeed: Edited by John Joseph Adams

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Editorial

Editorial: February 2020

Welcome to Lightspeed’s 117th issue!

Our first SF short of the issue (“How We Burn,” by Brenda Peynado) takes us into a future where helicopter parents have gone way too far. How are kids supposed to rebel when they have the expectations of four generations weighing on their shoulders? Then we swoop a little bit closer to our own future in JT Petty’s “The Gamecocks,” which explores what will happen to America’s working class once self-driving vehicles become commonplace. We also have SF reprints by Victor LaValle (“Ark of Light”) and Mar Romasco-Moore (“Dying Light”).

The multi-award-winning Kij Johnson brings us a brand new fantasy short from the perspective of a bird: “Noah’s Raven.” You might remember Alexander Weinstein’s travel guides from last month’s “Destinations of Joy.” Well, for every great travel adventure, there’s an equally terrible one, and this month he’s bringing us a new short called “Toxic Destinations.” You might want to cancel your magical plane tickets! We also have fantasy reprints by Daniel José Older (“A Stranger at the Bochinche”) and Theodora Goss (“A Statement in the Case”).

Our interview this month is with author Nino Cipri, discussing all things labor union and IKEA (yes, IKEA). Of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from A.K. Larkwood’s new novel, The Unspoken Name.

John Joseph Adams

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John Joseph Adams is the series editor of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and the New York Times bestselling editor of more than forty anthologies, such as Wastelands, A People’s Future of the United States, and Out There Screaming (with Jordan Peele). He is also editor (and publisher) of the Hugo Award-winning magazine Lightspeed and is publisher of its sister-magazines Nightmare and Fantasy. Called “the reigning king of the anthology world” by Barnes & Noble, John is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award, a winner of the Stoker,  Locus, and ENNIE awards, and a ten-time World Fantasy Award finalist. In addition to his short fiction work, he’s the co-creator of The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, and for five years he was the editor of the John Joseph Adams Books novel imprint for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Lately, he’s been working as an editor on various TTRPG projects for Kobold Press and Monte Cook Games and as a contributing game designer on books such as Kobold Press’s Tome of Heroes. Learn more at johnjosephadams.com.

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