Joiner and Rust by Lavie Tidhar – 4.3
Reactor, January 2026 In this poignant science fiction novelette, an aging robot named Rust journeys through rural China to visit an old friend, Joiner, carrying a watermelon as a symbolic…
Reactor, January 2026 In this poignant science fiction novelette, an aging robot named Rust journeys through rural China to visit an old friend, Joiner, carrying a watermelon as a symbolic…
Tasavvur, January 2026 This enchanting fairy tale explores the meeting of two dreamers from vastly different worlds during an unprecedented cosmic event. The story begins with the narrator explaining that…
Nightmare Magazine, January 2026 “The Tailors” is a dark horror story set in a war-torn village controlled by the warlord Jurgen Blanco. The narrative begins when Blanco’s enforcers raid the…
Introduction Marlene Jo Baquiran’s “The Very Important Case of Rami and the Rainbow Bird,” published through Grist’s Imagine 2200 climate fiction initiative, represents a significant contribution to the emerging genre…
Grist, January 2026 Six-year-old Rami Saleh’s precious multicolored porcelain bird shatters in the school playground, triggering a crisis that mobilizes his entire elementary school. The bird, a cherished gift from…
Introduction Julia Vee’s “Donuts from the Daydream Network” (2026) represents a significant contribution to contemporary speculative fiction’s engagement with themes of familial obligation, entrepreneurial innovation, and cultural identity in near-future…
The Sunday Morning Transport, January 2026 Araminta “Min” Lee runs her family’s doughnut shop while her father recovers from a stroke in the hospital. The shop has been in the…
Tasavvur, January 2026 “Bird and Bread” is a clever speculative fiction story told through three interconnected narratives that ultimately reveal how the end of the world was prevented by an…
Nightmare Magazine January 2026 Nightmare 26-01 Barbara Barnett’s essay explores the uncanny darkness that lurks beneath the cheerful surface of Renaissance Faires, revealing how these festivals embody a unique form…
Kaleidotrope, January 2026 In this evocative second-person narrative, you visit a mysterious curiosity shop run by a witch named Sophia and her vampire brother Sage. Initially suspicious of the witch’s…