Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 113 (October 2019)

LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF—and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.

Welcome to LLIGHTSPEED's 113th issue! This month's first original short story comes from E. Lily Yu—and it's a classic tale of a naïve prince, a scheming queen, and a good-hearted cook. So where do the deer come in? You'll have to read "The Valley of Wounded Deer" to find out. Our other original fantasy short ("Windrose in Scarlet") is by Isabel Yap, who plaits two well-known fairy tales into a brand-new story. We also have fantasy reprints by Kai Ashante Wilson ("«Légendaire.»") and Ken Liu ("The Hidden Girl"). Our science fiction shorts include an original story by Eli Brown, "Nesting Habits of Enceladan Jade Beetles," which takes us on a scientific expedition to icy Enceladus. Once you defrost from that chilly read, warm up with Ray Nayler's new short, "The Death of Fire Station 10," a thoughtful muse on intelligence in all its forms. We also have SF reprints by Sam J. Miller ("The Beasts We Want to Be") and WC Dunlap ("Revival"). Of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, book and media review columns, and a feature interview with Valerie Valdes. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from Cixin Liu's new novel, SUPERNOVA ERA.