You can try to escape from the mundane, or with the help of Paul Di Filippo, you can take a short, meaningful break from it. In the vein of George Saunders or Michael Chabon, Di Filippo uses the tools of science fiction and the surreal to take a deep, richly felt look at humanity. His brand of funny, quirky, thoughtful, fast-moving, heart-warming, brain-bending stories exist across the entire spectrum of the fantastic from hard science fiction to...

Haunted space stations? Puzzling totems? Cursed relics? No job's too bizarre for the crew of the Nanshe. Lasadi doesn't like strangers on her ship, but she'll need a bigger crew if she's going to steal a mysterious artifact from a dead pirate's long-lost space station. She takes a chance on a charming grifter named Raj, along with a skilled hacker and her genius little brother. And it's . . . nice? If Lasadi isn't careful, she's going to start enjoying...

The third volume in an annual anthology series celebrating the strength and diversity of science fiction and fantasy writing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Table of Contents:New Zealand Gothic, by Jack Remiel CottrellSynaesthete, by Melanie Harding-ShawKōhuia, by T Te TauDeath confetti, by Zoë MeagerFor Want of Human Parts, by Casey LucasHow To Get A Girlfriend (When You're A Terrifying Monster), by Marie CardnoSalt White, Rose Red, by Emily Brill-HollandFlorentina,...

Two boys discover a series of caverns underneath their moon colony home in this futuristic story from the author of the Tripods series. Marty and Steve may live on the moon, but that doesn't mean they don't want to get away every once in a while. So when Steve makes the suggestion to skip school and take a lunar car out to explore the moon's surface like real astronauts, Marty thinks it's a great idea. But the fun quickly ends when the lunar car...

It is not too far in the future and some things have worked out as expected - in particular, Renewable Energy is now the main source of power. Whether solar panels, wind turbines, wave power, it's all commonplace and available, and to make it less obtrusive onland, most of the electricity generation has moved offshore, onto giant floating islands, that circle countries like Britain. Meanwhile, the world is not as peaceful and progressive as most people...

The city is Manhattan. On a chilly fall night, Cathy McCain's childhood nightmare returns, and this time, she is old enough to know they are real. The mysterious appearance and disappearance of her pregnancies are frightening.She keeps night vigils to foil her abduction by the alien beings from another dimension, who takes her against her will. She is powerless against them, and her efforts yield nothing.To avert a mental case title, she keeps her...

Beautifully written speculative fiction from Metaphorosis magazine. All the stories from the month, plus author biographies, interviews, and story origins. Table of Contents: That Lonesome, Restless Feeling—B. Morris Allen Arborify—Cadence Mandybura Astrid Underwater—J.J. Eskelin She Was the Universe—Damian Stockli The Antidote for Longing III—Karl Dandenell Cover art by Carol Wellart.

Death is the easy way out. Still clinging rabidly to power, the Elites spin lies of prejudice and hatred, stoking the flames of war. The sole driving force toward peace, Mira, had sacrificed everything. But her strength alone was not enough. It will take the strength of many to finish what she started. As the world lurches toward war, each party has much to lose. Human. Vampire. Otherkin. The only outcomes are peace... or death.

Her wings are smashed, her groombug gone. No dragon can live without a groombug, so Rumplewing must leave her clan and die. Instead, she reclaims life when she stumbles upon Balofur, a lone groombug, hideously scarred. No groombug can live without his dragon, so they join together. However, their relationship turns uneasy when Rumplewing learns Balofur is only borrowing her until he can rescue his very much alive dragon from outworlders who are capturing...

A summer vacation in DC. The start of the Zombie Apocalypse! Who will survive? James Richards and his fiancee Melody visit Washington DC on a typical summer vacation. They take in the typical tourist sights and even catch a Nationals' baseball game. Little did they know the rise of the dead would interrupt their vacation and the dead are hungry! Can Big Jim and Melody make it out of the crowded city and to safety, or will they find out everyone dies?...