Science Fiction & Fantasy

It’s the first day of December which means out goes all those pesky oranges—no more pumpkin pies, gobbling turkeys, and angular pilgrim hats. Instead, the world around Chunfei shifts to snow, piles of it on the ground and reindeer that soar across the azure skies, free of clouds. Rows of candy canes line her view. [...]

This episode features “Marshmallows” written by D.A. Xiaolin Spires. Published in the December 2018 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker.

The text version of this story can be found at:
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/spires_12_18

Support us on Patreon at http://patreon.com/clarkesworld

 

 Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 147 - Marshmallows by D.A. Xiaolin Spires [28:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25425)

Boy
The wind howls over Big Sky Ridge.
Flecks of sour rain fall from the sky, and we waste no time putting on our breathers to ward off the stinging droplets. We look for smog sign—up, down—valley and sky. The sky-smog is always the trickiest to manage—especially on wet days, when the moisture brings it lower towards [...]

They load us on a boat on the night when the moon’s egg cracks. I put one foot behind the other on unsteady cedar wood planks, my ankle ornaments shaking. We are veiled in purple damask, our hair and feathers oiled with aromatic resin. By the time we reach the shore, the smells of tar [...]

{ You love me now. }
        We love you now.
{ Let us remember why. }
   Knowing is loving.
        All-knowing is all-loving.
{ We begin. }
We begin early in the memories.
The bleeding in my gums didn’t seem wrong until a lady at church scolded my grandma to make my mom keep me right. She got strangers from the church to [...]

1
Master Zhao was punctual today, heading my way across the withered, yellow lawn. I checked the time on my phone: 2:30 PM on the dot. He swerved to avoid an ad-covered utility pole, raised a hand in greeting, and placed my boxed lunch on the bench beside me.
“Master Zhang,” he said, “eat it while it’s [...]

Getting the baby through security was easy. Mikkel had been smuggling food out of the lab for years. He’d long since learned how to trick the guards.
Mikkel had never been smart, but the guards were four-year men and that meant they were lazy. If he put something good at the top of his lunch pail [...]

This episode features “A Catalogue of Sunlight at the End of the World” written by A.C. Wise. Originally published in Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation, edited by Phoebe Wagner and Brontë Christopher Wieland. Reprinted in the November 2018 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker.

The text version of this story can be found at:
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/wise_11_18_reprint

Support us on Patreon at http://patreon.com/clarkesworld

 

 Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 146 - A Catalogue of Sunlight at the End of the World by A.C. Wise [48:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (27536)

This episode features “Death on Mars” written by Madeline Ashby. Originally published in Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures, edited by Ed Finn, Joey Eschrich, and Juliet Ulman and reprinted in the November 2018 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker.

The text version of this story can be found at:
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/ashby_11_18_reprint

Support us on Patreon at http://patreon.com/clarkesworld

 

 Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 146 - Death on Mars by Madeline Ashby [64:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (36425)

This episode features “The Love Letters” written by Peng Simeng and translated by S. Qiouyi Lu. Published in the November 2018 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker.

The text version of this story can be found at:
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/peng_11_18

Support us on Patreon at http://patreon.com/clarkesworld

 

 Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 146 - The Love Letters by Peng Simeng [17:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (21004)