Layla knew those beautiful, glimmering opals would be trouble. She just didn't know how much trouble. She wants to lead a quiet life in lssrandar, leaving Gods, politics, and gem-thievery behind, but life won't let her.Arakante, her sometime lover, unexpectedly appears. He tells her that her friend and teacher, Firousi, has been kidnaped by the priests of Sarinsat. Then, Layla is framed for a theft she didn't commit!To save Firousi, Layla must travel to The Ngarra where lit...

Elegant music and dance, astronomical research, courtly intrigue--and murder, in a world inspired by 18th century Versailles.In Avrenante, the Hall of Mirrors still sparkles. The music and dance are beyond compare. They are almost enough to distract Marguerite from her fear of the King's Inquirer, and the death that awaits a murderess.Marguerite, Duchesse de Lille, was only trying to defend herself. She didn't mean to kill the Marechal-Duc de Nolhac. Now, the Duc's powerful...

Oh ye imps of sour water, not Tzakende, the city with more gods than rats or the Ngarra where even the little children carry knives. Priests or knives, priests or knives...which would it be?Layla led a free life as a gem thief, her choice of the two careers open to a woman who'd left her husband, but she had broken the cardinal rule of her trade: she'd stolen from a temple. While the huge emerald had netted her a tidy sum, it had also attracted the attention of the Goddess of Mirth...

You blow up one crappy little space drone, and everything goes to hell.Siphany was just trying to be nice when she returned the drone she'd sort-of-accidentally blasted a hole in. But when its owner tries to kidnap the reclusive space mapper and steal her beloved ship, Siphany teams up with pint-sized robotic psychopath, Lurbira Call, to make a daring escape.Soon Siphany and Lurbira, along with unwanted passengers Isan, the undead teenage cyborg; Siphany's enigmatic former ...

Bullet Points captures the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human and nonhuman society, with reprints and original stories every three months. The April 2025 issue (Volume 9) presents stories on an artificial intelligence theme:Stories:Marc A. Criley, "Bullets for Peace": Smart munitions go rogue.Mandi Jourdan, "Brief Candle": Samantha sees the AI performance of a lifetime.Kimberly G. Hargan, "Cher Ami": G9-7 receives critical mission o...

You blow up one crappy little space drone, and everything goes to hell.Siphany was just trying to be nice when she returned the drone she'd sort-of-accidentally blasted a hole in. But when its owner tries to kidnap the reclusive space mapper and steal her beloved ship, Siphany teams up with pint-sized robotic psychopath, Lurbira Call, to make a daring escape.Soon Siphany and Lurbira, along with unwanted passengers Isan, the undead teenage cyborg; Siphany's enigmatic former ...

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 Bruce McAllister ("This Is for You") and Susan Jane Bigelow ("The Heart's Cartography"), along with SF reprints by Tobias...

Read stories that capture the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human (and nonhuman) society. The Bullet Points anthology offers classic stories alongside stories from up-and-coming authors, including:Joe Haldeman, "Time Piece"David Drake, "But Loyal to His Own"Jenna Hanchey, "Far From Home"Eric Fomley, "Input: Memories"Tabitha Lord, "Quest Nine"Ian R. MacLeod, "Selkie"Rich Larson, "Ghost Girl"...

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 is by Alan Bao, illustrating a new science fiction short by Adam-Troy Castro ("The Streets of Babel"). Susan Jane Bigelow gives us our other pie...