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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 232, January 2026
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 January 2026 issue (#232) contains:
Fiction
* "The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray
* "Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark
* "Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy
* "Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly
* "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu
* "The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita
* "Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers
Non-Fiction
* "Destination: The Asteroid Belt" by Andrew Liptak
* "Extraordinary Things: A Conversation with Nicola Griffith" by Arley Sorg
* "Indomitable Persistence: A Conversation with Alastair Reynolds" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor's Desk: 2025 in Review" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
* "Ancient Warfare" by li moly
Fiction
* "The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray
* "Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark
* "Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy
* "Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly
* "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu
* "The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita
* "Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers
Non-Fiction
* "Destination: The Asteroid Belt" by Andrew Liptak
* "Extraordinary Things: A Conversation with Nicola Griffith" by Arley Sorg
* "Indomitable Persistence: A Conversation with Alastair Reynolds" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor's Desk: 2025 in Review" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
* "Ancient Warfare" by li moly
166 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2025
8 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
413 books407 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 8, 2026
"The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray - (5*) I'm a sucker for end of the world baby stories when they don't go gentle. Think Darwin's Children. Now draw lines in the sand. *shiver*
"Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark - (4*) Crazy weird deep spacecraft wonkiness. I likey.
"Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy - (4*) Odd how an android painting heist mystery really turns into something completely different. :)
"Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly - (4*) Food and a balanced (not feel-good) look at robotics (anthropomorphism). Nuanced, but I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.
"Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu - (5*) A very chilling dystopian nightmare of ultra-efficiency. Right at home in any cyberpunk portfolio. Soon to be our reality. Again.
"The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita - (4*) Almost reminds me of an old impressionist work, but revolving around AI takeover.
"Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers - (4*) Ah, the problems of living in space. Rather grounded for a story.
Out of all these stories, I really enjoyed John Chu's. The others are just fine, but "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" was chilling.
Not a bad month but there have been better.
"Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark - (4*) Crazy weird deep spacecraft wonkiness. I likey.
"Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy - (4*) Odd how an android painting heist mystery really turns into something completely different. :)
"Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly - (4*) Food and a balanced (not feel-good) look at robotics (anthropomorphism). Nuanced, but I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.
"Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu - (5*) A very chilling dystopian nightmare of ultra-efficiency. Right at home in any cyberpunk portfolio. Soon to be our reality. Again.
"The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita - (4*) Almost reminds me of an old impressionist work, but revolving around AI takeover.
"Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers - (4*) Ah, the problems of living in space. Rather grounded for a story.
Out of all these stories, I really enjoyed John Chu's. The others are just fine, but "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" was chilling.
Not a bad month but there have been better.
January 17, 2026
A better than average issue, with interesting stories by Samantha Murray, James Patrick Kelly, Ju Chu and A. W. Prihandita.
- "The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray: an alien invasion apparently takes place. But for one mother, the solution is not to fight the aliens, but to love them.
- "Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark: a visit by a space merchant and his son to a colony world shows the commerce that arises out of moving objects from world to world.
- "Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy: an android is tasked with retrieving a painting from a reluctant seller. But what the story reveals is the still deep-seated resentment between Nazis and Jews that now extends to this particular android, even when mankind has moved into space.
- "Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly: a story of a researcher who is invited to inspect and interact with 'ni ren', intelligent robots with human-like bodies. As the story progresses and the research learns more about how the ni ren interact with other humans, he finds himself having conflicting reactions with them: attracted by their likeness to human and their human-like interactions, yet repelled by their desire to be more than robots in human-like skin.
- "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan: in a future where people's bodies can be rented out to perform repetitive tasks for hours at a time, one worker discovers work that would pay him much more usual, but at a risk of being worked for much longer than he wants. Curiosity makes him covertly find out more about what he is being made to do, and discovers a plot involving workers like him. But will he have the time to reveal it before it is too late?
- "The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita: in a future where most people are connected to a computer, a disaster happens, and one unconnected family is left to try to survive. Then only the child is left, and he must choose between trying to survive on his own, or to be connected and lose his individuality.
- "Space is Deep" - by Seth Chambers: a man in space with multiple partners is preparing to return to Earth, before it is too late to leave because he won't survive Earth's gravity. But then an unexpected bodily event occurs, and it will change his relationship with his partners and their decision on whether to return to Earth or not.
- "The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray: an alien invasion apparently takes place. But for one mother, the solution is not to fight the aliens, but to love them.
- "Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark: a visit by a space merchant and his son to a colony world shows the commerce that arises out of moving objects from world to world.
- "Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy: an android is tasked with retrieving a painting from a reluctant seller. But what the story reveals is the still deep-seated resentment between Nazis and Jews that now extends to this particular android, even when mankind has moved into space.
- "Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly: a story of a researcher who is invited to inspect and interact with 'ni ren', intelligent robots with human-like bodies. As the story progresses and the research learns more about how the ni ren interact with other humans, he finds himself having conflicting reactions with them: attracted by their likeness to human and their human-like interactions, yet repelled by their desire to be more than robots in human-like skin.
- "Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan: in a future where people's bodies can be rented out to perform repetitive tasks for hours at a time, one worker discovers work that would pay him much more usual, but at a risk of being worked for much longer than he wants. Curiosity makes him covertly find out more about what he is being made to do, and discovers a plot involving workers like him. But will he have the time to reveal it before it is too late?
- "The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita: in a future where most people are connected to a computer, a disaster happens, and one unconnected family is left to try to survive. Then only the child is left, and he must choose between trying to survive on his own, or to be connected and lose his individuality.
- "Space is Deep" - by Seth Chambers: a man in space with multiple partners is preparing to return to Earth, before it is too late to leave because he won't survive Earth's gravity. But then an unexpected bodily event occurs, and it will change his relationship with his partners and their decision on whether to return to Earth or not.
April 12, 2026
I started with the Clarkesworld February 2026 issue earlier this year, so here we are, finally exploring the January issue. The last story I read in this issue is my excuse to listen to La Môme Piaf as I make this entry :)
THE STARS YOU CAN'T SEE BY LOOKING DIRECTLY
BY SAMANTHA MURRAY
Going back to the first issue of this already calamitous year, we have a story of first contact in a Trojan-Horse kind of way. Mysterious snowflakes have fallen across Earth, leading to alien newborns harbouring twelve DNA bases. Samanthan Murray writes this in a way that is local and personal from the viewpoint of Jacaranda Mitchell, one of the many new mothers. Her partner, Vin, experiences their would-be child with concern that this is all part of an alien invasion. Jac, meanwhile, increasingly feels a sense of loyalty and embrace of an unknown future with the child. Murray weaves in an anecdote of the Pleiades, a star cluster some 444 light-years away with more than 1000 stars. To see these stars, one should use one's peripheral vision, where the light-sensitive rods are more prominent. In this manner, the central theme lies in indirect views of their situation, perhaps to see greater truths and lessons. I find the use of this symbolism a bit contrived and forced, and the underlying themes never truly took hold with me.
Rating: 2.5/5
TOMORROW’S BEAUTIFUL DREAM
BY JU CHU, TRANSLATED BY CARMEN YILING YAN
This is an unsettling dystopian story, one that our own reality could very well be racing towards. The main theme revolves around labour exploitation through advanced technology. Sound familiar? Ju Chu presents a bleak vision that feels all too real. Meng Wan is overclocked using TranceChips that control their bodies while they labour in factory-like environments. Although this part may seem unrealistic since robots would be the more efficient choice than organic bodies, the core theme of technological exploitation rings true. The plot shines when Meng Wan discovers that there is no real work being done while he is “enTranced”. Sadly, today, we don’t need TranceChips to realize that many of us have already become “soulsellers” just to make ends meet. The growing population of experienced humans with advanced degrees training AI models to replace them is but one bleak example. This is a story that is hard to unsee. Foreboding.
Rating: 4/5
SPACE IS DEEP
BY SETH CHAMBERS
Another nice example of a self-contained short story, a compact package in 3660 words. This is a fun way to pull you out of your day and all the associated territory, to dip your toes into another universe for just a miraculous moment. “Space Is Deep” introduces us to Kyle, his two wives, Beth and Shari, and Penelope, who wants to join their threesome relationship. They are aboard the Spin Station Selfridge, a budget space station where crew members live and work in microgravity. Central to this story is transformation, both physical and emotional, related to prolonged life in space. The approaching deadline for the Hermes III ship’s arrival is crucial to their decision of whether to return to Earth on the ship before their bodies can no longer adjust to Earth’s gravity, or to remain in space . . . forever. Seth Chambers delights us with passages that connect the mundane to the cosmos. The protagonist is entangled with the particles of a universe that is increasingly conscious to him, luring him toward becoming one with all that is out there in deep space, while moving away from his desire for and connection to home on Earth. On a personal level, this story reminds me of the awesome phenomenon of adapting to something very new; a sense of hope is in there somewhere.
Rating: 3/5
THE DESOLATE ORDER OF THE HEAD IN THE WATER
BY A. W. PRIHANDITA
This story revolves around an AI called Omniscience that has taken control of the world. While a timely topic, this story is another entry that makes little original contribution to the discussion. Many of the themes Prihandita attempts to explore remain unwieldy in her writing, when perhaps a tighter, more local focus would have better highlighted what she was truly trying to convey.
Rating: 1.5/5
DOWN WE GO GENTLY
BY M. L. CLARK
I didn’t connect as much as I wanted to with this story about a young boy, Harrel, and his father on a spaceship called the Goliath. They descend to a planet called Peludo, where Harrel learns more about life aboard the ship compared to the broader life that could await him. The story is rather dry, but I do appreciate the theme of questioning life aboard the ship and the narratives Harrel was raised on, versus the messiness of the broader world that challenges his assumptions. This reminds me that people from every part of the world, particularly those from countries where the domestic narrative is that they, too, are a “Goliath”, should choose some time abroad to experience all the things that broaden one’s mind and tender one's heart. The human species would greatly benefit from this.
Rating: 2.5/5
DONOR UNKNOWN
BY NIKA MURPHY
Nika Murphy’s “Donor Unknown” explores android personhood, human agency, Jewish history, and questions of restitution. I found myself reading it more from a distance than actually engaged by it. Perhaps the topics are a bit staid. I appreciated the attempt to connect generational Jewish trauma, Holocaust-era art looting, liberation movements, and questions of autonomy across both humans and androids. However, I simply didn’t enjoy the actual experience of reading it. In the end, I respected what the story was trying to do, but I didn’t personally find much lasting value in it beyond an intellectual nod of appreciation.
Rating: 1/5
JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
BY JAMES PATRICK KELLY
I write the next few sentences while listening to Piaf triumphantly sing “Non, je ne regrette rien”. Weighing in at 16380 words is a novelette carefully crafted with details, set in a timeline beyond 2100 in Chongqing. Our protagonist is a researcher harbouring Western perspectives, and currently 103 years young after a stem cell reset, but beset by recent grief. Suffused with clues, the story leaves the reader guessing what may ultimately have happened. I love the final sentences, with the little girl pointing at the painting and asking, “Where are all the people?” While this may be yet another story exploring AI personhood and evolution beyond their programming, in the careful hands of James Kelly, the details of this world, fashioned after elements of Chinese food and culture, spare the reader from a trite experience. The story teases at asking whether making machines more human‑like actually benefits society or simply introduces further ethical and emotional complications.
Rating: 5/5
THE STARS YOU CAN'T SEE BY LOOKING DIRECTLY
BY SAMANTHA MURRAY
Going back to the first issue of this already calamitous year, we have a story of first contact in a Trojan-Horse kind of way. Mysterious snowflakes have fallen across Earth, leading to alien newborns harbouring twelve DNA bases. Samanthan Murray writes this in a way that is local and personal from the viewpoint of Jacaranda Mitchell, one of the many new mothers. Her partner, Vin, experiences their would-be child with concern that this is all part of an alien invasion. Jac, meanwhile, increasingly feels a sense of loyalty and embrace of an unknown future with the child. Murray weaves in an anecdote of the Pleiades, a star cluster some 444 light-years away with more than 1000 stars. To see these stars, one should use one's peripheral vision, where the light-sensitive rods are more prominent. In this manner, the central theme lies in indirect views of their situation, perhaps to see greater truths and lessons. I find the use of this symbolism a bit contrived and forced, and the underlying themes never truly took hold with me.
Rating: 2.5/5
TOMORROW’S BEAUTIFUL DREAM
BY JU CHU, TRANSLATED BY CARMEN YILING YAN
This is an unsettling dystopian story, one that our own reality could very well be racing towards. The main theme revolves around labour exploitation through advanced technology. Sound familiar? Ju Chu presents a bleak vision that feels all too real. Meng Wan is overclocked using TranceChips that control their bodies while they labour in factory-like environments. Although this part may seem unrealistic since robots would be the more efficient choice than organic bodies, the core theme of technological exploitation rings true. The plot shines when Meng Wan discovers that there is no real work being done while he is “enTranced”. Sadly, today, we don’t need TranceChips to realize that many of us have already become “soulsellers” just to make ends meet. The growing population of experienced humans with advanced degrees training AI models to replace them is but one bleak example. This is a story that is hard to unsee. Foreboding.
Rating: 4/5
SPACE IS DEEP
BY SETH CHAMBERS
Another nice example of a self-contained short story, a compact package in 3660 words. This is a fun way to pull you out of your day and all the associated territory, to dip your toes into another universe for just a miraculous moment. “Space Is Deep” introduces us to Kyle, his two wives, Beth and Shari, and Penelope, who wants to join their threesome relationship. They are aboard the Spin Station Selfridge, a budget space station where crew members live and work in microgravity. Central to this story is transformation, both physical and emotional, related to prolonged life in space. The approaching deadline for the Hermes III ship’s arrival is crucial to their decision of whether to return to Earth on the ship before their bodies can no longer adjust to Earth’s gravity, or to remain in space . . . forever. Seth Chambers delights us with passages that connect the mundane to the cosmos. The protagonist is entangled with the particles of a universe that is increasingly conscious to him, luring him toward becoming one with all that is out there in deep space, while moving away from his desire for and connection to home on Earth. On a personal level, this story reminds me of the awesome phenomenon of adapting to something very new; a sense of hope is in there somewhere.
Rating: 3/5
THE DESOLATE ORDER OF THE HEAD IN THE WATER
BY A. W. PRIHANDITA
This story revolves around an AI called Omniscience that has taken control of the world. While a timely topic, this story is another entry that makes little original contribution to the discussion. Many of the themes Prihandita attempts to explore remain unwieldy in her writing, when perhaps a tighter, more local focus would have better highlighted what she was truly trying to convey.
Rating: 1.5/5
DOWN WE GO GENTLY
BY M. L. CLARK
I didn’t connect as much as I wanted to with this story about a young boy, Harrel, and his father on a spaceship called the Goliath. They descend to a planet called Peludo, where Harrel learns more about life aboard the ship compared to the broader life that could await him. The story is rather dry, but I do appreciate the theme of questioning life aboard the ship and the narratives Harrel was raised on, versus the messiness of the broader world that challenges his assumptions. This reminds me that people from every part of the world, particularly those from countries where the domestic narrative is that they, too, are a “Goliath”, should choose some time abroad to experience all the things that broaden one’s mind and tender one's heart. The human species would greatly benefit from this.
Rating: 2.5/5
DONOR UNKNOWN
BY NIKA MURPHY
Nika Murphy’s “Donor Unknown” explores android personhood, human agency, Jewish history, and questions of restitution. I found myself reading it more from a distance than actually engaged by it. Perhaps the topics are a bit staid. I appreciated the attempt to connect generational Jewish trauma, Holocaust-era art looting, liberation movements, and questions of autonomy across both humans and androids. However, I simply didn’t enjoy the actual experience of reading it. In the end, I respected what the story was trying to do, but I didn’t personally find much lasting value in it beyond an intellectual nod of appreciation.
Rating: 1/5
JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
BY JAMES PATRICK KELLY
I write the next few sentences while listening to Piaf triumphantly sing “Non, je ne regrette rien”. Weighing in at 16380 words is a novelette carefully crafted with details, set in a timeline beyond 2100 in Chongqing. Our protagonist is a researcher harbouring Western perspectives, and currently 103 years young after a stem cell reset, but beset by recent grief. Suffused with clues, the story leaves the reader guessing what may ultimately have happened. I love the final sentences, with the little girl pointing at the painting and asking, “Where are all the people?” While this may be yet another story exploring AI personhood and evolution beyond their programming, in the careful hands of James Kelly, the details of this world, fashioned after elements of Chinese food and culture, spare the reader from a trite experience. The story teases at asking whether making machines more human‑like actually benefits society or simply introduces further ethical and emotional complications.
Rating: 5/5
January 8, 2026
232
The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly
by Samantha Murray
The tone of the story is very heartbreaking, considering the content is mostly hopeful and accepting the unknown, I read this expecting tears. Beautiful. 4 ⭐
Down We Go Gently
by M. L. Clark
I like that this boy sees vast horizons and his understanding of life changes. 3 ⭐
Donor Unknown
by Nika Murphy
Android implanted with owner's consciousness so the owner can stay alive. Add some lost painting too. 2 ⭐
Je Ne Regrette Rien
by James Patrick Kelly
As the title suggest; the protagonist chose not to erase the bad parts of her life and upload the new version of her. Because the mistakes you made are what makes you who you are. Classic this. 4 ⭐
The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water
by A. W. Prihandita
Malfunctioning super computer, or AI which regains consciousness, kill half human to get resources for themselves. 3 ⭐
Space is Deep
by Seth Chambers
Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream
by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan
The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly
by Samantha Murray
The tone of the story is very heartbreaking, considering the content is mostly hopeful and accepting the unknown, I read this expecting tears. Beautiful. 4 ⭐
Down We Go Gently
by M. L. Clark
I like that this boy sees vast horizons and his understanding of life changes. 3 ⭐
Donor Unknown
by Nika Murphy
Android implanted with owner's consciousness so the owner can stay alive. Add some lost painting too. 2 ⭐
Je Ne Regrette Rien
by James Patrick Kelly
As the title suggest; the protagonist chose not to erase the bad parts of her life and upload the new version of her. Because the mistakes you made are what makes you who you are. Classic this. 4 ⭐
The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water
by A. W. Prihandita
Malfunctioning super computer, or AI which regains consciousness, kill half human to get resources for themselves. 3 ⭐
Space is Deep
by Seth Chambers
Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream
by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan
January 30, 2026
Here are my notes on the individual fiction pieces. I'm not planning on reviewing / making notes on the nonfiction. (Side note: there are a lot of robot stories in this issue.)
Fiction
"The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray
A different look at how humans deal with people who aren't the same as them. This one was neat, with some interesting twists (though I did predict a few of them before they were revealed). Overall, I think it's best to go into this with as little information as possible... but just in case... CW:
"Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark
A young spacefaring boy experiences his first trip to a planet. I don't think I understood this story. I thought some of the prose was really neat, and I liked the bit with the caterpillar, but it felt like there was a bunch of worldbuilding that I needed to already know in order to understand what was happening here.
"Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy
Androids can have human identities and facial features uploaded to them, so that they carry on a dead human's career. The androids somehow can choose whether or not to project the human's face—and the law says that to go out in public, the human face must be on. But then there are questions of where the boundaries are between the (dead) human and the android, or what freedom actually looks like. This had a lot of neat ideas, but I think I got lost with where the ending was trying to go.
"Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly
Lifelike humanoid robots strive for their future. This is a long piece, perhaps longer than it needed to be, but it gives a lot of views into realistic humanoid robots. How real is too real? Do we want the expense of maintaining complicated robots who can nearly pass as human, compared to the more durable ones who look like robots? There are a lot of questions posed in this piece, and very few answers, but the journey is fun.
"Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan
People turn themselves into robots to get through hard work shifts. This is an interesting take on the "human jobs are being taken over by robots" idea. In this situation, there are androids competing with humans for manual labor jobs, so some humans fight back by entering a (semi-legal) trance state in order to compete. I liked the idea a lot, though the world building paints a very bleak picture.
"The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita
A boy navigates an AI-run society trying to find his parents. Well written, but very much a dystopian. I liked it; I didn't like it. The story is a lot bleaker than I have been seeking out in my fiction these days.
"Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers
A man has to decide between life in space and returning to Earth. I'm not 100% sure I understood where this one wanted me to go. The basic concept makes sense, but the alien feet thing that starts the story? I don't really understand any of that bit. Interesting read, but I fear it was beyond me.
Non-Fiction
"Destination: The Asteroid Belt" by Andrew Liptak
"Extraordinary Things: A Conversation with Nicola Griffith" by Arley Sorg
"Indomitable Persistence: A Conversation with Alastair Reynolds" by Arley Sorg
"Editor's Desk: 2025 in Review" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
"Ancient Warfare" by li moly
Fiction
"The Stars You Can't See by Looking Directly" by Samantha Murray
A different look at how humans deal with people who aren't the same as them. This one was neat, with some interesting twists (though I did predict a few of them before they were revealed). Overall, I think it's best to go into this with as little information as possible... but just in case... CW:
"Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark
A young spacefaring boy experiences his first trip to a planet. I don't think I understood this story. I thought some of the prose was really neat, and I liked the bit with the caterpillar, but it felt like there was a bunch of worldbuilding that I needed to already know in order to understand what was happening here.
"Donor Unknown" by Nika Murphy
Androids can have human identities and facial features uploaded to them, so that they carry on a dead human's career. The androids somehow can choose whether or not to project the human's face—and the law says that to go out in public, the human face must be on. But then there are questions of where the boundaries are between the (dead) human and the android, or what freedom actually looks like. This had a lot of neat ideas, but I think I got lost with where the ending was trying to go.
"Je Ne Regrette Rien" by James Patrick Kelly
Lifelike humanoid robots strive for their future. This is a long piece, perhaps longer than it needed to be, but it gives a lot of views into realistic humanoid robots. How real is too real? Do we want the expense of maintaining complicated robots who can nearly pass as human, compared to the more durable ones who look like robots? There are a lot of questions posed in this piece, and very few answers, but the journey is fun.
"Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream" by Ju Chu, translated by Carmen Yiling Yan
People turn themselves into robots to get through hard work shifts. This is an interesting take on the "human jobs are being taken over by robots" idea. In this situation, there are androids competing with humans for manual labor jobs, so some humans fight back by entering a (semi-legal) trance state in order to compete. I liked the idea a lot, though the world building paints a very bleak picture.
"The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water" by A. W. Prihandita
A boy navigates an AI-run society trying to find his parents. Well written, but very much a dystopian. I liked it; I didn't like it. The story is a lot bleaker than I have been seeking out in my fiction these days.
"Space is Deep" by Seth Chambers
A man has to decide between life in space and returning to Earth. I'm not 100% sure I understood where this one wanted me to go. The basic concept makes sense, but the alien feet thing that starts the story? I don't really understand any of that bit. Interesting read, but I fear it was beyond me.
Non-Fiction
"Destination: The Asteroid Belt" by Andrew Liptak
"Extraordinary Things: A Conversation with Nicola Griffith" by Arley Sorg
"Indomitable Persistence: A Conversation with Alastair Reynolds" by Arley Sorg
"Editor's Desk: 2025 in Review" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
"Ancient Warfare" by li moly
March 15, 2026
My review is solely for Jim Kelly's latest story, "Je Ne Regrette Rien," a novelette about a very unusual quintet of ni ren humanoid robots in China . I recommend reading it. Kelly is a reliable writer, and this is one of his better stories. If you are a Kelly fan, and want to learn more about the Uncanny Valley of humanoid robots, this is the story for you. For me this was a 4+ star read. I'll be re-reading it down the line.
Direct story link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kell...
Direct story link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kell...
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January 12, 2026My standout story: "Down We Go Gently" by M. L. Clark, although I wish it hadn't used spelled-out accents. Otherwise I enjoyed the short stories this month. Unfortunately I could leave the two novelettes. "Donor Unknown" felt disjointed and "Je Ne Regrette Rien" had some tropes in it that I can't stand.
February 1, 2026
This was a very enjoyable issue!
The favourite of the bunch was Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream - I have a soft spot for cyberpunk dystopia. The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water and The Stars You Can't See by Looking were also very good. I also enjoyed Je Ne Regrette Rien, but on the whole it felt a bit drawn out, and at the end it felt like it was missing that certain something.
The favourite of the bunch was Tomorrow's Beautiful Dream - I have a soft spot for cyberpunk dystopia. The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water and The Stars You Can't See by Looking were also very good. I also enjoyed Je Ne Regrette Rien, but on the whole it felt a bit drawn out, and at the end it felt like it was missing that certain something.
January 26, 2026
A solid but uneven issue. The highs lean philosophical and unsettling, especially when the stories slow down and let ideas breathe, but several pieces feel more interesting than emotionally gripping. The nonfiction and interviews add good context and craft insight, even if they outweigh the fiction a bit this time. Worth reading, just not one of the stronger Clarkesworld issues overall.
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January 12, 2026The short stories and novelettes got between a 2 and a 4* from me, my favourite was "The Desolate Order of the Head in the Water". The essay about asteroids was interesting, as where the two interviews (Nicola Griffith and Alastair Reynolds).
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