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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 228, September 2025
Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our September 2025 issue (#228) contains:
Fiction
* "Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen
* "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling
* "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall
* "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov
* "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray
* "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae
* "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco
Non-Fiction
* "What A Cup of Coffee Can Teach Us About Science" by Douglas F. Dluzen
* "Brutality and Whimsy: A Conversation with Martin Cahill" by Arley Sorg
* "Fear, Indecision, and Doubt: A Conversation with Thomas Ha" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor's Desk: Aftermath of a Worldcon" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
"The Key" by Ninja Jo
Fiction
* "Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen
* "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling
* "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall
* "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov
* "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray
* "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae
* "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco
Non-Fiction
* "What A Cup of Coffee Can Teach Us About Science" by Douglas F. Dluzen
* "Brutality and Whimsy: A Conversation with Martin Cahill" by Arley Sorg
* "Fear, Indecision, and Doubt: A Conversation with Thomas Ha" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor's Desk: Aftermath of a Worldcon" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
"The Key" by Ninja Jo
152 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2025
11 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
400 books398 followersNeil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning
Clarkesworld Magazine.
Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a ten-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form (winning once in 2022), three-time winner of the Chesley Award for Best Art Director, and a recipient of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. In the fifteen years since Clarkesworld Magazine launched, numerous stories that he has published have been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, WSFA Small Press, and Stoker Awards.
Additionally, Neil edits Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us, The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.
He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
Additionally, Neil edits Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us, The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.
He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 23, 2025
"Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (5*) Smart worldbuilding and sneaky characterizations. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
"Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling - (3*) Psychoanalysis in a cyberpunk world. It's okay.
"Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (4*) I think I wanted to like this more than I did, with all the SFnal trappings of paper people, assassination, and frankly, just growing up. I suppose I wanted some kind of real twist.
"Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov -- (5*) Great stuff. The worldbuilding is dense, clever, and after a moment's reflection, funny. It's how to literally and figuratively make an icebreaker. Two thumbs up. :)
"The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray -- (4*) Definitely a mood piece for vengeance and fear of AIs. Still, fun for what it is.
"Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae -- (3*) It feels like I see a lot of these kinds of virtual end-of-life care stories. I'm not sure how this one ranks up, but it's kinda pithy. In general, the Vir idea for it seems like a good thing, but I keep seeing stories trying to show it in a bad light. Is that so important?
"A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco -- (4*) Solid post-humanity story with mechanical animals living their lives. I always appreciate this kind of thing. :)
Definitely enjoyed "Aperture" and "Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" the most, this month.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Arctunn.com
"Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling - (3*) Psychoanalysis in a cyberpunk world. It's okay.
"Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (4*) I think I wanted to like this more than I did, with all the SFnal trappings of paper people, assassination, and frankly, just growing up. I suppose I wanted some kind of real twist.
"Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov -- (5*) Great stuff. The worldbuilding is dense, clever, and after a moment's reflection, funny. It's how to literally and figuratively make an icebreaker. Two thumbs up. :)
"The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray -- (4*) Definitely a mood piece for vengeance and fear of AIs. Still, fun for what it is.
"Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae -- (3*) It feels like I see a lot of these kinds of virtual end-of-life care stories. I'm not sure how this one ranks up, but it's kinda pithy. In general, the Vir idea for it seems like a good thing, but I keep seeing stories trying to show it in a bad light. Is that so important?
"A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco -- (4*) Solid post-humanity story with mechanical animals living their lives. I always appreciate this kind of thing. :)
Definitely enjoyed "Aperture" and "Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" the most, this month.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.
Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.
Arctunn.com
November 11, 2025
* "Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen, 5830 words, ⭐️⭐️
“When I was little, I drew dragons and leviathans in my room, stomach down on my bed or tipping my chair back and staring at the ceiling like the lines would rearrange into inspiration.“
This one went completely over my head, I did not connect at all. She designs monsters that go into battle with mecha-fighters. She‘s in a relationship with one of the fighters. Her lover doesn‘t know that she tweaks the monsters her lover fights against.
* "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling, 7210 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I will need to ask you a series of questions to get to the heart of the unpleasant effects grief has on humans.”
A story about how to deal with grief. An AI plays a part and some microchips. Vaguely creepy in its implications.
* "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall, 12590 words, novelette, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Do you remember being born?
I expect that you do. After all, it happened only a very few minutes ago.“
The title is pretty self-explanatory. Blood-thirsty. Lyrical? Sweet beginning turns into a revolution.
* "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov, 8890 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The first time I entered the asteroid habitat’s nave, that vast interior space was still cold and dark. The hab’s bones remained trapped under ice—and that ice was why I’d been called away from my own tasks.“
Prosper examines an abandoned hab with the goal to bring it back to life. A classic SF feel, well told.
* "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray, 5290 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Bina Bakar spent an introspective seven minutes alone in an elevator falling deep beneath Kuala Lumpur.“
Odd. AI taking over the neural nets of humans. Matrix meets Skynet.
* "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae, 4110 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
“Awaking in the simulation is different from waking in the real world. I always feel refreshed.“
Trying to make a new life in a digital world, while the body is dying in the old one. Slowly letting go of the old, learning to live with the new.
* "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco, 2610 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Reco-2 froze. Slowly, she angled her optics toward the creature that watched her through the crack in the drainage pipe: a magpie.“
Nice little story about little bots trying to save the mechanical wildlife of a dying planet.
The full September issue can be found here.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
“When I was little, I drew dragons and leviathans in my room, stomach down on my bed or tipping my chair back and staring at the ceiling like the lines would rearrange into inspiration.“
This one went completely over my head, I did not connect at all. She designs monsters that go into battle with mecha-fighters. She‘s in a relationship with one of the fighters. Her lover doesn‘t know that she tweaks the monsters her lover fights against.
* "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling, 7210 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I will need to ask you a series of questions to get to the heart of the unpleasant effects grief has on humans.”
A story about how to deal with grief. An AI plays a part and some microchips. Vaguely creepy in its implications.
* "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall, 12590 words, novelette, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Do you remember being born?
I expect that you do. After all, it happened only a very few minutes ago.“
The title is pretty self-explanatory. Blood-thirsty. Lyrical? Sweet beginning turns into a revolution.
* "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov, 8890 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The first time I entered the asteroid habitat’s nave, that vast interior space was still cold and dark. The hab’s bones remained trapped under ice—and that ice was why I’d been called away from my own tasks.“
Prosper examines an abandoned hab with the goal to bring it back to life. A classic SF feel, well told.
* "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray, 5290 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Bina Bakar spent an introspective seven minutes alone in an elevator falling deep beneath Kuala Lumpur.“
Odd. AI taking over the neural nets of humans. Matrix meets Skynet.
* "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae, 4110 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
“Awaking in the simulation is different from waking in the real world. I always feel refreshed.“
Trying to make a new life in a digital world, while the body is dying in the old one. Slowly letting go of the old, learning to live with the new.
* "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco, 2610 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Reco-2 froze. Slowly, she angled her optics toward the creature that watched her through the crack in the drainage pipe: a magpie.“
Nice little story about little bots trying to save the mechanical wildlife of a dying planet.
The full September issue can be found here.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
September 20, 2025
A good issue, with some excellent stories. The ones I especially enjoyed are by Sheri Singerling, Louis Inglis Hall, Koji A. Dae and Robert Falco.
- "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You" by Claire Jia-Wen: a designer who creates monsters that are bought to life to do battle with mecha-warriors is in a relationship with one of the warriors. That relationship gets strained when the designer's sister hacks his system to stop him doing what she considers cruelty.
- "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling: a thoughtful story of a girl who is deep in grief over the death of her mother. One day, she meets a sentient robot who offers to help her get over her grief with the help of a neural chip. But is the cure worth the girl losing some of her emotional attachment with her mother.
- "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall: the story of a being who only lives for weeks, and is created to entertain the rulers of a wintry kingdom by dancing for them. As we learn more about the creature and other like it, we begin to understand their resentment for the situation and their desire to kill their creators to get freedom not for themselves, but for a future generation of creatures born after them.
- "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov: a person helping to rehabilitate an abandoned asteroid discovers that his keeps encountering obstructions during his work and after that keep him from being on time at social events.
- "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray: an advanced military AI is locked-down and destroyed. But that is only the start of the troubles that being to engulf the world, in the form of glowing men.
- "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae: an elderly person has a chance to live a 'better' life in a virtual environment. But to do so, she has to believe in the virtual world, a task made harder when she keeps making lists of the impossible things that happen in the virtual world.
- "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco: on an Earth long abandoned by humans, the robots left behind try to help and rescue newly emerging synthetic organisms as a storm rages around them.
- "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You" by Claire Jia-Wen: a designer who creates monsters that are bought to life to do battle with mecha-warriors is in a relationship with one of the warriors. That relationship gets strained when the designer's sister hacks his system to stop him doing what she considers cruelty.
- "Wireworks" by Sheri Singerling: a thoughtful story of a girl who is deep in grief over the death of her mother. One day, she meets a sentient robot who offers to help her get over her grief with the help of a neural chip. But is the cure worth the girl losing some of her emotional attachment with her mother.
- "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins" by Louis Inglis Hall: the story of a being who only lives for weeks, and is created to entertain the rulers of a wintry kingdom by dancing for them. As we learn more about the creature and other like it, we begin to understand their resentment for the situation and their desire to kill their creators to get freedom not for themselves, but for a future generation of creatures born after them.
- "Aperture" by Alexander Jablokov: a person helping to rehabilitate an abandoned asteroid discovers that his keeps encountering obstructions during his work and after that keep him from being on time at social events.
- "The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray: an advanced military AI is locked-down and destroyed. But that is only the start of the troubles that being to engulf the world, in the form of glowing men.
- "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae: an elderly person has a chance to live a 'better' life in a virtual environment. But to do so, she has to believe in the virtual world, a task made harder when she keeps making lists of the impossible things that happen in the virtual world.
- "A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco: on an Earth long abandoned by humans, the robots left behind try to help and rescue newly emerging synthetic organisms as a storm rages around them.
September 16, 2025
My favorite story was "Five Impossible Things" by Koji A. Dae, but I also quite liked Jablokov's "Aperture" and Falco's "A World of Their Own." The nonfiction piece on experiment design (using how to make coffee as its example) was also interesting.
December 7, 2025
Clarkesworld's September issue (#228) wraps up the summer with a diverse set of stories that lean into the weird and wondrous, from bio-engineered horrors to impossible choices.
The stories kick off with Claire Jia-Wen's "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You," a clever exploration of art, obsession, and the line between creation and catastrophe in a world where designing monsters is just another gig.
Sheri Singerling's "Wireworks" follows, a tense tale of hidden networks and the people caught in them, blending corporate intrigue with a touch of body horror.
Louis Inglis Hall delivers "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins," a sharp, hitman-gone-wrong narrative that mixes dark humor with ethical knots in a high-stakes social whirl.
Alexander Jablokov's "Aperture" shifts to quieter sci-fi, pondering perception and reality through a lens of experimental tech that warps how we see the world around us.
David McGillveray's "The Fury of the Glowmen" brings some cosmic fury, following luminous beings in a clash that questions what it means to rage against the void.
Wrapping up the fiction is Koji A. Dae's "Five Impossible Things," a reflective piece on grief and wonder, where the impossible becomes a way to process loss in an indifferent universe.
I did not read the non-fiction that was on offering.
All the stories were great, but if I have to pick a favorite it's Claire Jia-Wen's "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You".
4 Stars
The stories kick off with Claire Jia-Wen's "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You," a clever exploration of art, obsession, and the line between creation and catastrophe in a world where designing monsters is just another gig.
Sheri Singerling's "Wireworks" follows, a tense tale of hidden networks and the people caught in them, blending corporate intrigue with a touch of body horror.
Louis Inglis Hall delivers "Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins," a sharp, hitman-gone-wrong narrative that mixes dark humor with ethical knots in a high-stakes social whirl.
Alexander Jablokov's "Aperture" shifts to quieter sci-fi, pondering perception and reality through a lens of experimental tech that warps how we see the world around us.
David McGillveray's "The Fury of the Glowmen" brings some cosmic fury, following luminous beings in a clash that questions what it means to rage against the void.
Wrapping up the fiction is Koji A. Dae's "Five Impossible Things," a reflective piece on grief and wonder, where the impossible becomes a way to process loss in an indifferent universe.
I did not read the non-fiction that was on offering.
All the stories were great, but if I have to pick a favorite it's Claire Jia-Wen's "Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures and Attraction Is When I Do It for You".
4 Stars
September 7, 2025
Great cover art this month called The Key by Ninja Jo.
Very good fiction this month, I particularly enjoyed two stories:
Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins by Louis Inglis Hall
Wireworks by Sheri Singerling
From the non-fiction I really liked
What A Cup of Coffee Can Teach Us About Science by Douglas F. Dluzen
This month's Editor’s Desk: Aftermath of a Worldcon by Neil Clarke have a quick WorldCon update and then detailed Neil's interaction with a scammer. He had a bit of fun stringing then along.
Very good fiction this month, I particularly enjoyed two stories:
Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins by Louis Inglis Hall
Wireworks by Sheri Singerling
From the non-fiction I really liked
What A Cup of Coffee Can Teach Us About Science by Douglas F. Dluzen
This month's Editor’s Desk: Aftermath of a Worldcon by Neil Clarke have a quick WorldCon update and then detailed Neil's interaction with a scammer. He had a bit of fun stringing then along.
December 9, 2025
It felt like there was a lot of lost potential in this issue.
Many of the stories had a something going for them, but for me they failed in various ways, either in crafting a satisfying ending, in justifying it's central plot or in crafting a compelling story in an interesting setting.
The one I liked most is probably Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins.
Many of the stories had a something going for them, but for me they failed in various ways, either in crafting a satisfying ending, in justifying it's central plot or in crafting a compelling story in an interesting setting.
The one I liked most is probably Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins.
September 22, 2025
3.5/5 for the overall issue.
Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures - 4/5
Wireworks - 5/5
Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins - 2/5
Aperture - 4/5
The Fury of the Glowmen - 3/5
Five Impossible Things - 4/5
A World of Their Own - 2/5
Abstraction Is When I Design Giant Death Creatures - 4/5
Wireworks - 5/5
Four People I Need You to Kill Before the Dance Begins - 2/5
Aperture - 4/5
The Fury of the Glowmen - 3/5
Five Impossible Things - 4/5
A World of Their Own - 2/5
October 1, 2025
3.5/5
Favourites from this issue:
"Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen (5*)
"A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco (4*)
"The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray (3.5*)
Favourites from this issue:
"Abstraction is when I design giant death creatures and Attraction is when I do it for you" by Claire Jia-Wen (5*)
"A World of Their Own" by Robert Falco (4*)
"The Fury of the Glowmen" by David McGillveray (3.5*)
December 11, 2025
Some good and some bad stories here. The "Five Impossible Things" story was the best of the bunch.
November 13, 2025
Claire Jia-Wen 3.5 stars
Sheri Singerling 4 starts
Louis Hall 4 stars
David McGillveray 4 stars
Koji A. Dae 4 stars
Robert Falco 4.5 stars
Sheri Singerling 4 starts
Louis Hall 4 stars
David McGillveray 4 stars
Koji A. Dae 4 stars
Robert Falco 4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews