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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 233, February 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 February 2026 issue (#233) contains:
Fiction:
* "Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling
* "Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires
* "Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi
* "A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen
* "The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore
* "Painstaking" by Rich Larson
* "Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall
Non-Fiction
* "Will Tiny Black Holes Solve Dark Matter" by Terry Franklin
* "The Literary Buffet: A Conversation with James Sallis" by Arley Sorg
* "The Wondrous Nature of Existence: A Conversation with Michael Swanwick" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor''s Desk: 2025 Readers'' Poll Finalists" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
* "In This Moment" by Matt Dixon
Fiction:
* "Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling
* "Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires
* "Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi
* "A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen
* "The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore
* "Painstaking" by Rich Larson
* "Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall
Non-Fiction
* "Will Tiny Black Holes Solve Dark Matter" by Terry Franklin
* "The Literary Buffet: A Conversation with James Sallis" by Arley Sorg
* "The Wondrous Nature of Existence: A Conversation with Michael Swanwick" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor''s Desk: 2025 Readers'' Poll Finalists" by Neil Clarke
Cover Art
* "In This Moment" by Matt Dixon
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2026
15 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
405 books404 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 14, 2026
"Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling -- (4*) This one goes hard with the emotions and the meat-space. Shouldn't be all that surprising with that title. :)
"Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires -- (3*) A pretty universal question being asked here - Just what do you want to do with your life? Just a light cosmetic change.
"Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi -- (4*) Longing, love, and another robot story. At least love ... ok, it's another SF with a light cosmetic change. Reading so many like this recently is beginning to take a toll on me. Not a reflection of this story, but of general saturation. This one is pretty decent.
"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (5*) I don't honestly know what it is I like most about this one, but I suspect it's the details. The lived-in, delicious spilling out of life in a situation where life is... on hold. It hits in all the best ways. Making me think and feel.
"The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore -- (4*) Ongoing short story series. This one's about the price of slavery and freedom. Maybe not my favorite, in this case case, but solid.
"Painstaking" by Rich Larson -- (5*) Easily the most interesting, creative, and exciting of this month's stories. "Twins", survival, and gore, SF-style.
"Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (4*) Fairly interesting story about the lies we tell ourselves and just living.
"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" and "Painstaking" were by favorites this month. Very different flavors, but worth the reads.
"Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires -- (3*) A pretty universal question being asked here - Just what do you want to do with your life? Just a light cosmetic change.
"Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi -- (4*) Longing, love, and another robot story. At least love ... ok, it's another SF with a light cosmetic change. Reading so many like this recently is beginning to take a toll on me. Not a reflection of this story, but of general saturation. This one is pretty decent.
"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (5*) I don't honestly know what it is I like most about this one, but I suspect it's the details. The lived-in, delicious spilling out of life in a situation where life is... on hold. It hits in all the best ways. Making me think and feel.
"The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore -- (4*) Ongoing short story series. This one's about the price of slavery and freedom. Maybe not my favorite, in this case case, but solid.
"Painstaking" by Rich Larson -- (5*) Easily the most interesting, creative, and exciting of this month's stories. "Twins", survival, and gore, SF-style.
"Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (4*) Fairly interesting story about the lies we tell ourselves and just living.
"A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" and "Painstaking" were by favorites this month. Very different flavors, but worth the reads.
March 4, 2026
A pretty mid issue.
Think of Me Before I Disappear lulled a bit towards the middle, but had a strong ending that had me questioning if Maria had achieved sentience or if it was just was a product of her self preservation. A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go also had its slow moments, but managed to loop around on itself nicely in the end. I also enjoyed Painstaking, a more straightforward action story.
Think of Me Before I Disappear lulled a bit towards the middle, but had a strong ending that had me questioning if Maria had achieved sentience or if it was just was a product of her self preservation. A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go also had its slow moments, but managed to loop around on itself nicely in the end. I also enjoyed Painstaking, a more straightforward action story.
February 25, 2026
An average issue with interesting stories by Sarah Pauling, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Fiona Moore and Louis Inglis Hall.
- "Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling: in a future where people depend on machine implants to remember for them, one person goes on an undercover mission by being 'wiped' from memory banks of the machines. But she has her own reasons for going on the mission to assassinate a person who may change the climate of the world.
- "Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires: a backpacker visiting a city takes a ride in an AI cab that, due to advertising reasons, tries to convince her to try a fast food outlet. In the ensuing conversation, the backpacker finds the AI has ambitions to be more than just a cab driver.
- "Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi: a woman develops a loving relationship with an android. The question is whether the feeling is mutual or 'just' a matter of programming, something that the girl and android have to struggle with.
- "A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen: a story told in the past, present and future about the journey of a spaceship to colonise a world. Navigating and preparing the ship to face uncertain situations may tax the abilities of one person who has to control the ship during the journey.
- "The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore: set in a post-collapse world where people mostly co-operate to live, a new group appears, offering technology and space for people to work on it. But things may not be what they seem, especially when the group wants to impose order from the pre-collapsed world.
- "Painstaking" by Rich Larson: a man and his brother are on the run from the authorities. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that the two of them have an unusual ability that the authorities will kill to get.
- "Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall: the duke of several worlds calls on a famous fortune-teller to read his fortune. Only, the fortune-teller is a fake, which the duke ignores, for he only wants a fortune to match his violent tendencies. In the aftermath, two other fortunes are told by the teller, but unlike the first, these may have a chance of coming true.
- "Remember Me in the Meat" by Sarah Pauling: in a future where people depend on machine implants to remember for them, one person goes on an undercover mission by being 'wiped' from memory banks of the machines. But she has her own reasons for going on the mission to assassinate a person who may change the climate of the world.
- "Chip" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires: a backpacker visiting a city takes a ride in an AI cab that, due to advertising reasons, tries to convince her to try a fast food outlet. In the ensuing conversation, the backpacker finds the AI has ambitions to be more than just a cab driver.
- "Think of Me Before I Disappear" by Raahem Alvi: a woman develops a loving relationship with an android. The question is whether the feeling is mutual or 'just' a matter of programming, something that the girl and android have to struggle with.
- "A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go" by Claire Jia-Wen: a story told in the past, present and future about the journey of a spaceship to colonise a world. Navigating and preparing the ship to face uncertain situations may tax the abilities of one person who has to control the ship during the journey.
- "The Iron Piper" by Fiona Moore: set in a post-collapse world where people mostly co-operate to live, a new group appears, offering technology and space for people to work on it. But things may not be what they seem, especially when the group wants to impose order from the pre-collapsed world.
- "Painstaking" by Rich Larson: a man and his brother are on the run from the authorities. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that the two of them have an unusual ability that the authorities will kill to get.
- "Three Fortunes on Alcestis as Told by the Fraud Baeliss Shudal" by Louis Inglis Hall: the duke of several worlds calls on a famous fortune-teller to read his fortune. Only, the fortune-teller is a fake, which the duke ignores, for he only wants a fortune to match his violent tendencies. In the aftermath, two other fortunes are told by the teller, but unlike the first, these may have a chance of coming true.
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March 5, 2026I really liked Chip, Think of Me Before I Disappear and The Iron Piper. The rest of the stories were fine.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews