Status Updates From Lightspeed Magazine, Issue ...

A Good Home 4.5 stars
Depot 256 4.5 stars
Salto Mortal 5 stars
Digital Medicine 4 stars
The Red Thread 5 stars
Wilson's Singularity 4.5 stars
Fifty Shades of Grays 5+ stars, unbelievable. Love it!

This special "People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction" issue is available for free from Lightspeed!

"Empire Star" by Samuel R. Delany — Well, that was sheer perfection.

"1965" by Edmée Pardo — I'm not entirely sure on this one, though since it's a science fiction story, I guess I'm meant to infer a SF ending, even if the main character is herself completely unsure. It's wonderfully told, though.

"Delhi" by Vandana Singh — Oh wow, that was both lovely and moving, and the mix of hope and hopelessness was really, really finely balanced.

"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia E. Butler — Holy flying crap that was pure magic. Seriously. Wow. A disease of self-destruction, the cultural world-building, the reaction of the world... I just... Wow. So good.

"A Handful Of Dal" by Naru Dames Sundar — Is it just me, or are so many of these stories at their absolute best when they use food as their narrative framework? The notion of this generational ship and the passing on of a recipe, seeds, and a collapse (and reform) of society might seem too large for a flash fic, but the focus on the recipe works to anchor it. So good.

"Four And Twenty Blackbirds" by JY Yang — An odd disease/infection/invasion, a community terrified and paranoid, a woman among the most vulnerable... Gah. So good.

"Chocolate Milkshake Number 314" by Caroline M. Yoachim — Y'know, there's just *something* about an excellently done romance-and-doom admixture. The fact this is done with milkshakes is just... *air-kiss*

"Binaries" by S.B. Divya — Oh wow, the way this one was told, and the narrative of a loss is spun into an over-reaching storyline that reaches so damn far was fantastic.

"The Peacemaker" by T.S. Bazelli — The limited focus of the POV/AI here was really, really well done, and the final result left me feeling just a little shaken, too.

"Breathe Deep, Breathe Free" by Jennifer Marie Brissett — Oh man, this one struck hard: when the larger world refuses to care about something impacting the marginalized, told with a fantastic science fiction lens. So good.

"Morning Cravings" by Nin Harris — This felt more fantasy than sci-fi, but not in a bad way. Fab world-building.

"An Offertory to Our Drowned Gods" by Teresa Naval — I love a good character piece, and this was a brilliant character piece.

"Other Metamorphoses" by Fabio Fernandes — Heh. Clever little flash fiction piece that turns things a wee bit sideways. I like clever retelling or reimagining.