“Antarctic Radio” by Gu Shi – 3.1
Asimov’s Science Fiction, March/April 2026 Gu Shi’s “Antarctic Radio” presents a haunting vision of climate catastrophe through the format of a radio broadcast interwoven with a family’s desperate journey at…
Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal by Louis Inglis Hall – 3.8
Clarkesworld, February 2026 Baeliss Shudal is the last of a once-revered lineage of seers on the pastoral world of Alcestis, but she harbors a devastating secret: she’s a fraud. The…
The Iron Piper by Fiona Moore – 3.8
Clarkesworld, February 2026 Morag is a tech salvager living in post-collapse Wales who maintains robots, including her companion walkbot Seamus—a former military killer robot she freed years ago. During Rugby…
Painstaking by Rich Larson -2.9
Clarkesworld, February 2026 Mars is a genetically modified soldier fleeing military pursuit in Windhoek, Namibia. Born with a congenital inability to feel pain, he was selected as a child for…
Chip by D.A. Xiaolin Spires – 3.5
Clarkesworld, February 2026 "Chip" is a thoughtful science fiction story about Mengxiang (Meng), a jobless newcomer to a futuristic city, and their unexpected friendship with an AI robocab named Chip.…
Remember Me in the Meat by Sarah Pauling – 3.5
Clarkesworld, February 2026 In a near-future where the "Mindmesh" technology allows humanity to store memories in the cloud rather than biological memory ("lobemeat"), Iris recounts her mission to assassinate billionaire…
Pandora’s Formula by Hannah Yang – 3.6
Strange Horizons, April 2025 The narrator, Em, marries Minju—the girl who bullied her in middle school—on the same day that “Pandora’s Formula” is published online. This formula is a simple,…
Crisis Actors by Maddison Stoff and Corey Jae White – 4.4
Strange Horizons, 20 January 2025 In a dystopian near-future America, the Department for a Safe America employs “Watchers” who monitor surveillance feeds across the country, flagging suspicious activity to law…
The Patron by Thomas Ha – 4.0
The Sunday Morning Transport, March 2025 Thomas Ha’s “The Patron” presents a haunting exploration of commodified human connection through a gig economy service called “the program,” where people hire others…
Handsomest Gentlest by M.R. Robinson – 4.6
Haven Spec Magazine, March 2025 This tender ghost story follows Jackie, an eleven-year-old boy who has recently died and finds himself alone in the woods. Frightened and grieving his own…