Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 190 (March 2026)

LIGHTSPEED is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF-and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.

Welcome to issue 190 of LIGHTSPEED! We've got some really thought-provoking SF this month. We're starting off with Matthew Kressel's "Espie Droger Dreams of War"-a powerful story that feels more timely every day. In his short story "Terms of Enlightenment," Patrick Hurley brings us a warmhearted tale about becoming a better person. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Eat, Prey, Love: A Modest Proposal for Ensuring Gender Equality Through Selective Dietary Practices; or, a Geriatric Millennial's Guide to #GirlDinner" from Jilly Dreadful and "An Encounter at the Dawn of the Time War" by JT Petty. Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe serves up the latest installment in his series about the Cookbook of the Gods. This time we find Erishu fighting his own creations in "The Devourers of War; or, An Excerpt From The Cookbook Of The Gods." There's more deliciousness in Vanessa Fogg's mythically inspired "Lotus Dew for the Emperor's Tea," which will make you very excited about visiting your local teahouse. Our original flash includes a "When We Loved Giants" by Sara S. Messenger and "The Tide Folk" by Jennifer Hudak.