Review: Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 114, November 2019
By EricMesa
- 3 minutes read - 451 wordsLightspeed Magazine, Issue 114, November 2019 by John Joseph Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Science Fiction
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The Concubine’s Heart (Matthew Bright) - I could not even Begin to predict the turn the story would take. It was quite a fascinating story. I wonder at the culture (a sort of sci-fi Chinese culture) that would lead to the events in the story. Very well done.
Her Appetite, His Heart (Dominica Phetteplace) - a continuation of the world we first saw in “One Thousand Beetles in a Jumpsuit” back in Lightspeed #111. Interestingly, most of the story is a character study and it’s not until the end of the story where we see the consequences of the events of the previous story.
Overburden (Genevieve Valentine) - Told from the point of view of an occupation force general, the story both made me think and had a few unexpected twists.
Eros Pratfalled, Or, Adrift in the Cosmos With Lasagna and Mary Steenburgen (Adam-Troy Castro) - a hilariously told story with a very, very unexpected ending. I loved it!
Fantasy
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The Second-Last Client (Yoon Ha Lee) - This is one of those premises that works best as a short story that doesn’t outstay its welcome. It leaves you wondering so much more about the universe it’s set in. Yet it perfectly makes its point and makes you feel for the characters we’ve barely known for more than a few minutes. Also, it’s pretty darned meta.
A Country Called Winter (Theodora Goss) - At first I want sure what the fantasy angle would be other than the fact that the protagonist seemed to gone from a fictional country. Once we got into the story, I figured out what the twist would be, but I really loved the narrative style.
Knee Deep in the Sea (Melissa Marr) - this story could just as easily feature in Nightmare Magazine. I enjoyed the unfolding narrative and the various complications in the protagonist’s past that kept me guessing at what the reveal would be.
The Hidden Girl (Ken Liu) - Liu creates an incredible semi- historical fiction world that is part wuxia fantasy and part sci-fi. I want to read many more stories in this world.
Excerpts
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An excerpt from Forget the Sleepless Shores. The excerpt seems to be a Lovecraftian reference.
Non-Fiction
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Book reviews (LA Shawn M Wanak) - three books exploring humanity: one through aliens, one through AI, and one through ghosts.
Media reviews (Carrie Vaughn) - a review of Ad Astra that really does try to make sense of the film and find it lacking.
Interview with Rivers Solomon. As usual, the interview covers Rivers’ current oeuvre.