Lightspeed: Edited by John Joseph Adams

Slide 1: in a fun, witchy font: Magic & Mystery, Amazon Original Stories; Slide 2-5: Fantasy Authors Turn to Crime, Curated by John Joseph Adams: Lists authors Travis Baldree, Sarah Beth Durst, Heather Fawcett, Scott Lynch, Tananarive Due, J.M. Miro, and Robert Jackson Bennet. Slide 6: Small renderings of all seven book covers; Slide 7: a magical cat face with paw prints to the left and right, with the words "The Game is Afoot / July 28".

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Editorial

Editorial: February 2026

by John Joseph Adams

Published in Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 189 (February 2026) | 173 words

Welcome to Lightspeed Magazine’s 189th issue!

Our two full-sized SF stories explore the very nature of reality. We start with Megan Chee’s multi-vocal “Death Echoes Overlapping,” and then we feature the planetary exploration piece “Sensor Ghosts,” by Deborah L. Davitt. We also have two terrific flash pieces: “The Worldbuilder” from Phoenix Alexander and “Warren’s Tentacle” by Susan Palwick.

Alexander Weinstein’s fantasy series From the Lost Travelers’ Tour Guide returns with “Dream Destinations,” which continues his exploration of the mysterious Eighth Continent. Modupeoluwa Shelle brings us “A Handbook to Spirit-Hunting,” a tale packed with mysterious creatures and beings. We also have a flash story (“Six Sides of a Fairy Tale”) from Audrey Zhou, and another (“The Salt and the Cure”) from Rukman Ragas.

As ever, our nonfiction includes author spotlight interviews with our writers, and our book review team has come up with a terrific array of new books for you to check out.

It’s another great issue, and we’re delighted to share it with you!

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John Joseph Adams

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John Joseph Adams is the editor and publisher of the Hugo Award-winning Lightspeed and publisher of its sibling magazine, Nightmare. He’s also the editor of more than fifty anthologies, including the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy series, Wastelands, A People’s Future of the United States, and the New York Times bestselling Out There Screaming (with Jordan Peele). John is a winner of the Hugo, Stoker, Locus, and British Fantasy awards, and is 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 ran a novel imprint for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Lately, he’s also been working as an editor and game designer on TTRPG projects for Kobold Press, Paizo, and Monte Cook Games. Learn more at johnjosephadams.com.