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Lightspeed Magazine, July 2010
Lightspeed Magazine features all types of sf, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between . . . and in its July 2010 issue, Lightspeed contains two all-new, never-before-published In Carol Emshwiller’s “No Time Like the Present,” the residents of a small, economically-disadvantaged town are surprised by the sudden influx of oddly tall, oddly rich, oddly speaking people who appear out of nowhere and buy up all the prime real estate. And if you don’t think that sounds shoe-dad, well, evolve, why don’t you? Corporate slavery, retrograde amnesia, posthumanism, and kicking ass take center stage in “Manumission” by Tobias S. Buckell, the tale of a mercenary named Pepper who must rebel against those who would seek to control him. Steampunk is the order of the day in “The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball” by Genevieve Valentine—an SFnal take on a subgenre more known for its flights of fantasy—featuring heliosis, 19th century ephemera, and, of course, airships. And from bestselling author George R. R. Martin, we bring you “...For a Single Yesterday”—one of his lesser-known tales, but also one of his most powerful—which explores the value of memory, music, and drugs in the aftermath of an apocalypse.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
John Joseph Adams
367 books982 followersJohn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 29, 2024
For "The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball" by Genevieve Valentine, only.
March 18, 2020
No Time Like the Present by Carol Emshwiller: 4
Manumission by Tobias S. Buckell: dnf
The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Anuual Gentlemen's Ball: 3.5
"... for a single yesterday" by George R. R. Martin: 3.5
Manumission by Tobias S. Buckell: dnf
The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Anuual Gentlemen's Ball: 3.5
"... for a single yesterday" by George R. R. Martin: 3.5
May 4, 2016
As usual for anthology-type things, an expansion on my status updates. But, before that, let me just say that I love science fiction and fantasy short stories and listen to SFF/F podcasts to hear them. So this was a very fun read.
"No time like the present" - One of the things that I both love and hate about short stories is starting in media res. It feels like short stories aren't allowed to introduce the world. You have to figure it out as the story goes along. Sometimes this can be fun in a detective sort of way. Sometimes it can be frustrating as you learn something halfway through that completely changes your understanding of the first half. Again, sometimes that can be fun like in Fight Club. Sometimes it's just annoying. This time it was fun and I think having a kid narrator was part of the reason.
"Manumission" -An exciting version of same story type as Paycheck. An evil corporation has taken some extreme measures to ensure compliance among its hit squad. Works very well.
"Airships" - a fun steam punk world told through vignettes and news stories. I don't know if Alan Moore comics were the first place I came across using news clippings to tell a story and set some of the background, but I enjoy
"GRRM story - The story really hit me hard. He's been working in SF and Fantasy for DECADES, but most people only know him via A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm sure the money makes it less frustrating, but this story is a great example of how he can work in different genres and still tell compelling stories.
"Time travel Non-Fiction piece" - good sense of humour and 5 things that could go wrong if you time travel.
"You are you" - a look at memories and how they determine who we are.
"A history of Zeppelins "- a nice summary. All I could think of was the Archer blimp episode.
Interview with The Lisps - neat idea for their broadway show. Too bad it's no longer playing.
"No time like the present" - One of the things that I both love and hate about short stories is starting in media res. It feels like short stories aren't allowed to introduce the world. You have to figure it out as the story goes along. Sometimes this can be fun in a detective sort of way. Sometimes it can be frustrating as you learn something halfway through that completely changes your understanding of the first half. Again, sometimes that can be fun like in Fight Club. Sometimes it's just annoying. This time it was fun and I think having a kid narrator was part of the reason.
"Manumission" -An exciting version of same story type as Paycheck. An evil corporation has taken some extreme measures to ensure compliance among its hit squad. Works very well.
"Airships" - a fun steam punk world told through vignettes and news stories. I don't know if Alan Moore comics were the first place I came across using news clippings to tell a story and set some of the background, but I enjoy
"GRRM story - The story really hit me hard. He's been working in SF and Fantasy for DECADES, but most people only know him via A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm sure the money makes it less frustrating, but this story is a great example of how he can work in different genres and still tell compelling stories.
"Time travel Non-Fiction piece" - good sense of humour and 5 things that could go wrong if you time travel.
"You are you" - a look at memories and how they determine who we are.
"A history of Zeppelins "- a nice summary. All I could think of was the Archer blimp episode.
Interview with The Lisps - neat idea for their broadway show. Too bad it's no longer playing.
June 6, 2019
All were very good stories. Nothing truly outstanding though.
June 19, 2024
None of the stories blew me away, but they were all good. In my readings, that's pretty rare. A strong second issue for sure.
June 22, 2016
I really enjoyed the second issue of Lightspeed Magazine. Time travel but uniquely appears in two stories in this issue, "No Time Like the Present" by Carol Emshwiller and "...For a Single Yesterday" by George R. R. Martin, a reprint from 1972. In the first, new people arrive in town, strange people that eventually find themselves persecuted by the town. Where they came from becomes obvious, but where they're going is not. In the second, a commune has found a semblance of routine and contentment after nuclear war, but one resident who was only visiting when the war broke out has a way of escaping his sadness that leads to confrontation. A very melancholy and gorgeous story by Martin.
Martin's story is also concerned with memory, and memory is one of the central concerns of Tobias Buckell's action-packed, grim, character-driven "Manumission." The protagonist appears in other Buckell stories I'm now dying to read.
I found much to like about "The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball" by Genevieve Valentine, though I found it a little opaque, especially at the end. There is a question of motivation near the end that suggests I missed something very important about the piece. I don't happen to be a big fan of steampunk, but I really appreciated the exploration of class and oppression, and what I don't understand likely has something to do with this exploration. Valentine creates a vivid world and layers in ephemera that provides even more detail about the state of things.
Nonfiction includes humor and essays, author interviews, and an interesting interview with The Lisps about their Futurity project.
Martin's story is also concerned with memory, and memory is one of the central concerns of Tobias Buckell's action-packed, grim, character-driven "Manumission." The protagonist appears in other Buckell stories I'm now dying to read.
I found much to like about "The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball" by Genevieve Valentine, though I found it a little opaque, especially at the end. There is a question of motivation near the end that suggests I missed something very important about the piece. I don't happen to be a big fan of steampunk, but I really appreciated the exploration of class and oppression, and what I don't understand likely has something to do with this exploration. Valentine creates a vivid world and layers in ephemera that provides even more detail about the state of things.
Nonfiction includes humor and essays, author interviews, and an interesting interview with The Lisps about their Futurity project.
November 8, 2013
Standouts include the time traveling stories from Carol Emshwiller and George R.R. Martin.
May 24, 2014
No Time Like the Present 3/5
Manumission 4/5
The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball 2/5
...For a Single Yesterday 4/5
Manumission 4/5
The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball 2/5
...For a Single Yesterday 4/5
July 1, 2015
Interesting stories and insightful analyses of time travel rules and steampunk's place between science fiction and fantasy.
December 28, 2015
No Time Like the Present was really interesting - I was only sad it was a short story. I would love a longer version.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews