Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 193 (June 2026) - Lightspeed Magazine, #193

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 193 of LIGHTSPEED! Our first SF short is a grim and gritty cybernoir: "Ghost in the Tank" by M.R. Robinson. If you've ever wondered what reality television will look like in the future, Robinson has you covered. David Marino returns to our pages with "The Overview Initiative," a tribute to space travel and the human spirit. We also have two terrific flash pieces: "Memeostasis" from Benjamin Rosenbaum and "The Sharing of Some Familiar Song" by Adam-Troy Castro. Our original fantasy shorts include "An Oral History of the Schooner Key Invasion," a novelette from Alex Irvine that's an absolute blast of cosmic SF adventure. Beesan Odeh's new tale "Ash-Shura; or, A Book, a Bowl, a Bag of Coins" is a darkly mythical tale of suffering and trickery. We also have a flash story ("The Best of Intentions") from Mari Ness, and another ("I Cut Off a Monster's Arm. AITA?") from Marie Brennan.