It is Friday! Beyond thanking God for the end of the work week (and thanks to President’s Day the beginning of a three day weekend!) the fact that it is Friday also means that it is time for my Short Fiction Friday feature over at SF Signal.
This week I discuss the February 2013 issue of Lightspeed. I am two issues in to my subscription with Lightspeed and I have been blown away by the variety and quality of the science fiction and fantasy published. Each issue features four science fiction and four fantasy short stories (two original and two reprints in each category) as well as author interviews, an art gallery of the cover artist’s work and more.
Throughout the month Lightspeed puts up the stories from the current issue on their site for you to read for free. And there are some really worth while stories this month. I want to particularly point out the short story “Abyssus Abyssum Invocat” by Genevieve Valentine. If you read my review at SF Signal you will find the link to this short story. It is a beautifully tragic, haunting fantasy based in part on the story of “The Little Mermaid”. For those of you who regularly participate in the Once Upon a Time Challenge and like the work of Catherynne Valente, Angela Carter, Terri Windling and other authors who travel the roads of folklore, mythology and fairy tales I believe Valentine’s lyrical tale will pull you in.
I want to further encourage you to read it because I will be discussing it in greater depth (in the same fashion as my recent post for “Last Train to Jubilee Bay”) in a post this coming Sunday and would be interested in your reaction to the story.
As always I thank you for the support you give to me over at SF Signal and here. Please know that there is no pressure to do either. I realize that not everything I post has merit for you as a reader as we all have different tastes and no shortage of things to be reading and commenting on and working on, etc.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
Happy President’s Day long weekend! I’m going to have to investigate LIGHTSPEED after your ringing endorsement. See you over at SF SIGNAL!
Same to you George! Lightspeed has been a real treat each month, I look forward to it.
I used to get that feeling when I subscribed to GALAXY, AMAZING, FANTASTIC, and WORLDS OF IF. All gone now…sadly.
I enjoy Asimov’s that way as well, most of the time. I was thrilled the other day when I was listening to archived episodes of SF Squeecast to hear author Paul Cornell rave about Asimov’s too. He captured so much more eloquently what I enjoy about that magazine.
You can essentially try Lightspeed for free just by going to the website and sampling some stories, which is one of the things I love about what they are doing.
That’s how I felt in the late 1950s and the 1960s when a new issue of ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION came in the mail.
I can imagine, Richard. One of the many things I find sad about the changes is that the thrill, though present, is not quite the same in getting a new issue delivered to the Kindle as it would be getting it in the mail once a month.
I like the sound of this Valentine story. I will take a look. Thanks.
Enjoy your holiday and long weekend.
Lynn 😀
Great Lynn! Sometime today I’ll have a post up about Valentine’s story. If you end up reading it I hope you’ll come by and leave your thoughts.