Editor John Joseph Adams writes to tell us the September issue of Lightspeed Magazine is now underway. The webzine is “serialized throughout the month, for free online, but it is also available directly from Prime Books in DRM-free ePub format, and is also available in Kindle, iBooks, and Mobipocket formats from external vendors, or from Fictionwise, which offers a variety of formats. So if you don’t want to wait for the content to be released on the site throughout the month, or you’d just like a handy, downloadable version of the magazine on your favorite handheld electronic reading device, you can buy the ebook edition for just $2.99.”
He also offers the schedule for September (by post date), with some editorial teasers of the content. The first pieces of fiction and nonfiction are available now.
7 September: In our lead story this month, “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain”, author Yoon Ha Lee explores the notions of evitability and inevitability in a story about ancestry, multiple universes, an extraordinary gun… and the extraordinary woman who wields it. To accompany Miss Lee’s story, we present author Jeff Hecht’s “Future Weapons”; it doesn’t cover anything as extraordinary as the weapons depicted in “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain”, but instead focuses (like a LASER, you might say) in on the most iconic weapon in all of science fiction the laser (and some laser alternatives that might work a whole lot better as weapons). Plus, an author spotlight on Yoon Ha Lee.
14 September: In “The Long Chase”, author (and NASA scientist) Geoffrey A. Landis tells the story of a survivor of a brutal, ideological war who escapes to the stars the only way she can. But she quickly finds that her enemies do not give up easily and are extremely patient when pursuing their prey. (Reprint) Speaking of patience, since warp drive and instantaneous jaunting seem to be impossible, we’re going to have to learn patience in a major way if we’re ever going to travel amongst the stars. Author and physicist Gerald D. Nordley’s “Engines for the High Frontier” explores the science of spaceship travel, explaining the different methods we might (realistically) use to travel the stars, and what sort of energy sources we can use to do so. Plus, an author spotlight on Geoffrey A. Landis.
21 September: “Amid the Words of War” by Cat Rambo also tells the story of the survivor of an interstellar war. This tale takes place on the space station TwiceFar, where you can find a house of leisure called The Little Teacup of the Soul, whose patrons promise to fulfill any need… or die trying. Seeking some insight into the motivations of some of the characters in “Amid the Words of War”, our columnist Carol Pinchefsky did an extensive amount of research and came up with “Five Reasons Why Aliens Make Better Lovers”. (And you probably thought joining the Zero G club would be exciting.) Plus, an author spotlight on Cat Rambo.
28 September: Legendary author Robert Silverberg’s far-future “Travelers” take us on a journey throughout the galaxy, hopping from solar system to solar system as they explore everything from the living seas of Megalo Kastro to the monsters of Sidri Akrak. But what is it they’re really looking for? (Reprint) Our final nonfiction piece of the month is a feature interview with popular author John Scalzi, in which he discusses Little Fuzzy, Stargate Universe, and how to make a Schadenfreude Pie. Be sure to also look for the author spotlights on all four of our fiction authors, and keep an ear out for the podcasts of “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain” by Yoon Ha Lee and “Amid the Words of War” by Cat Rambo. Plus, an author spotlight on Robert Silverberg.