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 LIGHTSPEED's 118th issue! This month's cover is by Elizabeth Leggett, and illustrates a new original short by Russell Nichols called "Giant Steps." It's a thought-provoking story of a woman wrestling with life, motherhood, and space exploration. We also have a new short from Adam-Troy Castro ("Many Happy Returns"), which follows an inter-galactic adventurer bent on escaping life's responsibilities. We also have SF reprints by A.M. Dellamonica ("Living the Quiet Life") and Charlie Jane Anders ("Reliable People"). Our original fantasy shorts include a story with a surprising botanical twist: "Tend to Me," by Kristina Ten. Tahmeed Shafiq brings us... Views: 485
From the best-selling author of Maine and Saints for All Occasions (named one of the Washington Post's Ten Best Books of the Year and a New York Times Critics' Pick) comes an insightful, hilarious, and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life.Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after twenty years in New York City. A job opportunity for her husband, and the chance to live closer to his financially struggling parents, convinced Elisabeth to move. But alone in the new house with their infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms' Facebook group, her "influencer" sister's Instagram feed, and text chains with the best friend she never sees anymore. Enter Sam, a senior at the local women's college, who... Views: 485
Heir of Lies by Mallory McCartneyHeir of Lies by Mallory McCartney Views: 485
A first kiss at a party: that kiss haunts me to this day, no kiss after that has ever made me feel anything comparable.But It happened during a party game, thelights were turned off, so I have no idea who kissed me. That summer, I fell for two amazing boys: Chase and Reid.Everything fell apart when they became my stepbrothers and things between us changed.Our friendship ended and was replaced by indifference and distance. Three years later I'm back in Star Cove and so are Chase and Reid with their two hot and friendly best friends Bryce and Parker. This is the summer before college and I'm stuck in the past, between my forbidden stepbrothers, the boy I'm dating and a kiss that's lost forever. Warning: this book is part of a trilogy and ends in a cliffhanger. This is a why choose story where the heroine won't have to choose between her different love interests and has sexual scenes, swearing and mild violence. Suitable only for readers aged 18+ Views: 485
Marriage to an elf is complicated…especially bringing him home to meet the family.Princess Elspeth of Escarland married the elf prince and achieved peace between the elves and her human people. But after a recent ambush by the trolls, it is clear the trolls are trying to start a war between the elves and humans once again. To keep their peoples at peace, Essie and Farrendel travel to meet Essie's family and negotiate peace.Yet in Escarland, not everyone is happy with peace. Traitors lurk in both Escarland and Tarenhiel, and it will be up to Essie and Farrendel to flush them out. The consequences of failure might be more personal and deadly than they fear. Views: 485
