Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 181

by John Joseph Adams

LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.

Welcome to issue 181 of LIGHTSPEED! One of science fiction's greatest functions is asking "what if," and we've packed this issue with terrific what-if stories. We're starting the month with "The Twenty-One Second God," a new story from Peter Watts asking pointed questions about virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Marissa Lingen delves into the unintentional effects of new technology in her hilarious story "All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt." And our flash writers continue interrogating reality and technology-Reyes Ramirez explores the horizons of the housing crisis in "Multi-Spatial Apartment Complex Malfunction Results in Body Horror," and in "See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax," Lowry Poletti delves into questions of other minds. Our fantasy stories focus a bit more tightly on relationships and magic. Vanessa Fogg's new story "When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm" mixes social media crazes with the faerie world-shining a light on the complex relationships we project upon our favorite content creators. Carrie Vaughn melds international politics with magic and tea in a wonderfully cozy new short, "A Week at the Raven Feather Salon." We also have a flash story ("Eyes Grown Thick on the World") from Will McMahon, and another ("My Mother, the Supervillain") from Benjamin Blattberg.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2025

About the author

John Joseph Adams is the series editor of BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY. He is also the bestselling editor of many other anthologies, such as ROBOT UPRISINGS, DEAD MAN'S HAND, BRAVE NEW WORLDS,WASTELANDS, and THE LIVING DEAD. Recent and forthcoming books include WHAT THE #@&% IS THAT?, OPERATION ARCANA, PRESS START TO PLAY, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, and THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH (consisting of THE END IS NIGH, THE END IS NOW, and THE END HAS COME). Called “the reigning king of the anthology world” by Barnes & Noble, John is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award (for which he has been nominated nine times), is a seven-time World Fantasy Award finalist, and served as a judge for the 2015 National Book Award. John is also the editor and publisher of the digital magazines LIGHTSPEED and NIGHTMARE, and is a producer for Wired's THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY podcast. You can find him online at www.johnjosephadams.com and on Twitter @JohnJosephAdams.

Reviews

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

only read The Good Son by Naomi Kritzer, recommended (YES, you've guessed it! ) by the great hirondelle. It's more sad that her usual stories, but beautiful and filled with love.

[Arturo Sierra]

Peter Watts is Peter Watts.

[Pontus Doverstav · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent offering.

My favourite was The Twenty-One Second God, but was A Week at the Raven Feather Salon was pretty good as well.

Multi-Spatial Apartment Complex Malfunction Results in Body Horror had a pretty strong concept, but I felt that it couldn't quite commit to being a news article or a "normal" story, which I felt lessened the reading experience. Likewise, it felt like A Week at the Raven Feather Salon didn't really show what a week at the Raven Feather salon was like, so in a sense it didn't live up to the expectation it set, but what was there was still very good, so it's wasn't really an issue.

[Heni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Watts (“The Twenty-One Second God”)
Magnificent story. There's some unknown force that merge millions of people into one hive-like mind. And it only happens for 21 second. Brief but traumatizing nonetheless. I love everything about this one. 5 ⭐

Marissa Lingen (“All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt”)
Gift Shop owner goes to Gift Shop Owner Convention is satirical enough. Think about when you go on a vacation and you expect an experience but all you get is lousy souvenir. Funny and thought provoking. 5 ⭐

(“Dimensional Living Complex Malfunction Causes Body Horror and Inspires Potential Reform”) from Reyes Ramirez
The title spoils the story since it is all there lol. But still I wasn't prepared for the grotesque. The world building is incredible, one of the technology to answer overpopulation. But like all technology, when it malfunction, it malfunction so bad. 5 ⭐

(See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax” by Lowry Poletti.)
Another grotesque one. The parallel between the doctor and Tenax regarding "dissecting" people is well written. 4 ⭐

Vanessa Fogg (“When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm”)
I like how this story combine the magical Faerie King into your usual, mundane, daily social media thing. So what happens when he tours human realm? Instant celebrity. 4 ⭐

Carrie Vaughn (“A Week at the Raven Feather Salon”)
Classic retired soldier who comes back once more in the name of old loyalty. 3 ⭐

(Eyes Grown Thick on the World”) from Will McMahon
One consciousness inhabiting multiple bodies, not just human body but also animals, even inanimate objects. There's no sense of individuality. Unique concept. 5 ⭐

(“My Mother, the Supervillain”) from Benjamin Blattberg.
Maybe the grandmother did bad parenting, but the narrator seems very traumatized and trying not to be her mom to her son. Stopping generational trauma, kind of. 3 ⭐

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most consistently good Lightspeed issues this year. There's a real range of stories on offer like...
- Body horror and grotesquery in "See Now the Misfortune of the Thinking Tenax" by Lowry Poletti.
- Satire and razor sharp wit in "All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" by Marissa Lingen.
- Lyrical and tragically lost fae romance inserted into the modern world in "When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm" by Vanessa Fogg (my favourite of this issue!).
- The poignant slice-of-life story "My Mother, The Supervillain" by Benjamin Blattberg.

[Simon Duchastel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Twenty-One Second God" was my favorite story