Sun Lords of the Principality Series by A. Merc Rustad, John Joseph Adams, N.K. Jemisin, Charles Payseur, Kate Alice Marshall, Kathleen Kayembe, Lettie Prell, Cadwell Turnbull, Samuel R. Delany, Jaymee Goh, Carmen Maria Machado, Rachael K. Jones, Gwendolyn Clare, Charlie Jane Anders, Micah Dean Hicks, Peter Watts, Caroline M. Yoachim, E. Lily Yu, Maria Dahvana Headley, Maureen F. McHugh, Tobias S. Buckell, Becky Chambers, Vylar Kaftan, Joseph Allen Hill, Adam-Troy Castro with Judi B. Castro, Alan Dean Foster, Karl Schroeder, Seanan McGuire, Aliette de Bodard, Linda Nagata, Yoon Ha Lee, Kat Howard, Jack Campbell, Kameron Hurley, Dan Abnett, Vivian Caethe, Jody Lynn Nye, Alex Acks, Marie DesJardin, Eneasz Brodski, J.A. Campbell, Sidney Seay, Richard A. Becker, Gwendolynn Thomas, Mariah Southworth, Alex Pearl, Amelia Kibbie, Ken Liu, Cassandra Khaw, Jeremiah Tolbert, Carrie Vaughn, Na'amen Golbert Tilahun, Bryan Camp, Hugh Howey, Sofia Samatar, Rachel Swirsky, Adam-Troy Castro, John Crowley

Step one: forget the convention and disregard the binary. Gender? Sexuality? Old words unsuited for new consciousness. The twenty-one stories in this book challenge the imagination as only acclaimed author A. Merc Rustad can. Pages of robots and AIs constructing lives and exploring "humanity"; wasted worlds with monstrous cityhearts; assassins and the perils of enchanted labyrinths; and always the raw truths of love, loss, and devotion... moreStep one: forget the convention and disregard the binary. Gender? Sexuality? Old words unsuited for new consciousness. The twenty-one stories in this book challenge the imagination as only acclaimed author A. Merc Rustad can. Pages of robots and AIs constructing lives and exploring "humanity"; wasted worlds with monstrous cityhearts; assassins and the perils of enchanted labyrinths; and always the raw truths of love, loss, and devotion. Step two: read these science-fiction and fantasy tales as if they are the only stories you will discover on your bookshelf this day. Step three: dare to feel. less

A collection of the best American science fiction and fantasy stories from 2017.Today’s readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about space ships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect... moreA collection of the best American science fiction and fantasy stories from 2017.Today’s readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about space ships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. Contemporary science fiction and fantasy looks to accomplish the same goal as ever—to illuminate what it means to be human. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor N. K. Jemisin, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today, with Jemisin bringing her lyrical, endlessly curious point of view to the series’ latest edition.Rivers Run Free / Charles Payseur --Destroy the City With Me Tonight / Kate Alice Marshall --You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych / Kathleen Kayembe --Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities / Lettie Prell --Loneliness is in Your Blood / Cadwell Turnbull --The Hermit of Houston / Samuel R. Delany --The Last Cheng Beng Gift / Jaymee Goh --Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn / A. Merc Rustad --The Resident / Carmen Maria Machado --The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant / Rachael K. Jones --Tasting Notes on the Varietals of the Southern Coast / Gwendolyn Clare --Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue / Charlie Jane Anders --Church of Birds / Micah Dean Hicks --ZeroS / Peter Watts --Carnival Nine / Caroline M. Yoachim --The Wretched and the Beautiful / E. Lily Yu --The Orange Tree / Maria Dahvana Headley --Cannibal Acts / Maureen McHugh --Black Powder / Maria Dahvana Headley --Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance / Tobias S. Buckell less

A collection of original, epic science fiction stories by some of today’s best writers—for fans who want a little less science and a lot more action—and edited by two-time Hugo Award winner John Joseph Adams.Inspired by movies like The Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars, this anthology features brand-new stories from some of science fiction’s best authors including Dan Abnett, Jack Campbell, Linda Nagata, Seanan McGuire, Alan Dean Foster, Charlie Jane Anders, Kameron Hurley, and many others... moreA collection of original, epic science fiction stories by some of today’s best writers—for fans who want a little less science and a lot more action—and edited by two-time Hugo Award winner John Joseph Adams.Inspired by movies like The Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars, this anthology features brand-new stories from some of science fiction’s best authors including Dan Abnett, Jack Campbell, Linda Nagata, Seanan McGuire, Alan Dean Foster, Charlie Jane Anders, Kameron Hurley, and many others.Compilation and introduction © 2017 by John Joseph Adams“A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime” © 2017 by Charlie Jane Anders.“Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” © 2017 by Tobias S. Buckell“The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts” © 2017 by Becky Chambers“The Sighted Watchmaker” © 2011 by Vylar Kaftan. Originally published in Lightspeed“Infinite Love Engine” © 2017 by Joseph Allen Hill. Originally published in Lightspeed“Unfamiliar Gods” © 2017 by Adam-Troy Castro & Judi B. Castro“Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” © 2015 by Caroline M. Yoachim. Originally published in Lightspeed“Our Specialty Is Xenogeology” © 2017 by Alan Dean Foster“Golden Ring” © 2017 by Karl Schroeder“Tomorrow When We See the Sun” © 2015 by A. Merc Rustad. Originally published in Lightspeed“Bring the Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair!” © 2017 by Seanan McGuire“The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun” © 2017 by Aliette de Bodard.“Diamond and the World Breaker” © 2017 by Linda Nagata“The Chameleon’s Gloves” © 2017 by Yoon Ha Lee“The Universe, Sung in Stars” © 2015 by Kat Howard. Originally published in Lightspeed“Wakening Ouroboros” © 2017 by Jack Campbell“Warped Passages” © 2017 by Kameron Hurley“The Frost Giant’s Data” © 2017 by Dan Abnett. less

Humans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans will walk for days on broken bones to get to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster. You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for. If you're hurt, if you're trapped, if you need someone to fetch help? You really want a human... moreHumans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans will walk for days on broken bones to get to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster. You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for. If you're hurt, if you're trapped, if you need someone to fetch help? You really want a human. Twelve authors provide their perspectives on human ingenuity and usefulness as we try to find our place among the stars. From battletested to brokenhearted, humans are capable of amazing things. Humans Wanted shows not only what we are, but also how awesome we can be. less

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.Our cover art this month comes from Reiko Murakami, illustrating an original science fiction short by Bryan Camp ("The Independence Patch")... moreLIGHTSPEED 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.Our cover art this month comes from Reiko Murakami, illustrating an original science fiction short by Bryan Camp ("The Independence Patch"). We also have fresh new work from Ken Liu ("Cosmic Spring"), along with SF reprints by A. Merc Rustad ("Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn") and N.K. Jemisin ("The Effluent Engine"). Plus, we have original fantasy by Beesan Odeh ("Al-Kahf") and Cassandra Khaw and A. Maus ("You Do Nothing But Freefall"), and fantasy reprints by Jeremiah Tolbert ("The Dreamers of Alamoi") and Seanan McGuire ("And Men Will Mine the Mountain for Our Souls"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. We'll also be interviewing Na'amen Golbert Tilahun. For our ebook readers, we also have our usual ebook-exclusive novella reprint ("The Proving Ground," by Alec Nevala-Lee) and an excerpt from Tessa Gratton's debut fantasy novel, THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR. less

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. This month, we have original science fiction by A... moreLIGHTSPEED 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. This month, we have original science fiction by A. Merc Rustad ("Longing for Stars Once Lost," with an original cover illustration by Reiko Murakami) and Adam-Troy Castro ("What I Told My Little Girl About The Aliens Preparing to Grind Us Into Hamburgers"), along with SF reprints by Hugh Howey ("The Walk Up Nameless Ridge") and Aliette de Bodard ("Crossing the Midday Gate"). We're enjoying a change of pace in our fantasy department as we serialize an original novella (in two parts) from Jeremiah Tolbert ("The Dragon of Dread Peak"). We'll also have fantasy reprints by Sofia Samatar ("The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle") and Rachel Swirsky ("Becoming"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns, and a feature interview with Tade Thompson. less