REPRISE: “The e-Menace” • by Roxana Arama

It’s Roxana Arama Week!Following the successful first season of The Odin Chronicles, we launched another group-written shared-world serial: Tales from The Brahma, a saga of life aboard, yes, a generation ship the size of a small planet. Brahma never found an audience, though, which led to our decision to cancel it after ten episodes.The single most-read story of all the Brahma...

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REPRISE: “Scared of Short Stories” • by Roxana Arama

It’s Roxana Arama Week!There’s a question every aspiring writer asks, sooner or later: How do I cross the threshhold? How do I make the transition from wanting to become a writer to being a published author?In “Scared of Short Stories,” Roxana Arama was kind enough to share with us the story of her journey from frustrated aspiring novelist with an MFA, to successful and...

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REPRISE: “For Sale: Used Time Machine. No Refunds!” • by Roxana Arama

It’s Roxana Arama Week!In 2021, Pete Wood wrote:“When I created this contest [The Pete Wood Challenge], I expected nothing but tongue-in-cheek takes on time travel tropes. While several writers didn’t disappoint with humorous entries, the variety of the stories surprised me. It never occurred to me that my writing prompt could inspire a serious story, a literary story.“Roxana ...

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SCIENCE FACT: “A Generation Ship The Size of a Small Planet” • by Bruce Bethke

[Nota bene: This was first published in 2008. I rediscovered it recently while looking for fiction to bubble back to the top for The Best of Stupefying Stories SHOWCASE, and after re-reading it now, well… It’s a long read, but I think the length is necessary to support the disturbing conclusion I reached. Enjoy?  ~brb] Part 1: The Multi-Generational Con In the course...

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REPRISE: “Sunday Dinner with la Famiglia (and Nonno’s Brain)” • by Franco Amati

 Art by Justine Backes Sunday dinner with the family was a little different this week. We all sat around a dumpy-ass table in the middle of the nursing home. From where I was sitting, I could see a big bowl of pasta. My younger sister Gina was across from me, and next to her was the big jar with Grandpa’s brain in it. We called him Nonno, and he didn’t say much...

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The Never-ending FAQ • 28 March 2025, Part 2

Continuing the FAQ I ran out of time to finish yesterday:Q: If you are going to post a picture of Mr. Ruffles, the most famous cat in speculative fiction, you gotta republish “Take Me To Your Litter Box.”A: Whether Mr. Ruffles is indeed the most famous cat in speculative fiction is highly debatable. If you want to assert that he is, Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw will likely...

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The Never-ending FAQ • 28 March 2025

Oh, good grief: it’s the last Friday in March already? Where did this week month quarter go?Mostly into the “minimally invasive, three days tops” repair and remodeling project that began in January and finally wrapped up just this past Tuesday. At last, I can finish moving back into the half of the house I had to vacate while the work was in progress and start opening up...

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NEW STORY: “Rebirth” • by Toshiya Kamei

The flame of Magdalena’s torch sent shadows dancing across the walls of the crypt. She prowled toward my open sarcophagus on her nightly patrol, dressed like the other priestesses who supposedly communed with the dead: face obscured by the hood of a heavy wool cloak, feet snug in worn boots, a dagger sheathed at her waist. She didn’t remember what I remembered, but her...

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REPRISE: “Reunion” • by Toshiya Kamei

The carriage door creaked open, and a chilly draft blew against Maya’s cheeks… SYNOPSIS: It was the greatest honor one could ever hope to have; to be chosen by the gods themselves to give up one’s life to serve their glory… wasn’t it? Toshiya Kamei begs to differ, in “Reunion.” » READ IT NOW Toshiya Kamei (she/they) is an Asian writer who takes inspiration from fairy tales,...

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The Never-ending FAQ • 19 March 2025

I’ve heard from a lot of people since last Saturday’s announcement that we’re going to be striking the tent and closing the circus. The first thing to remember is…Oh, I bet you can guess.To reiterate: if you have a story under contract with us, we will publish it, unless you choose to withdraw it.The exact nature of that publication may vary. Some of the stories we originally...

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REPRISE: “The Prediction of a Horrific Crime” • by Humphrey Price

“I figured I had about an hour before being arrested by the Pre-Crime Police…” SYNOPSIS: In a rigidly ordered and nearly crime-free society, where everyone everywhere is under the constant surveillance of the government’s Precog AI network, how can one person hope to commit an utterly horrific but absolutely necessary act of defiance against the system? Space systems engineer...

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Feeding the Muse • Living Well on a Writer’s Budget

Editor’s Note: This column was first published on 3/21/2018. With today being St. Patrick’s Day—or as we call it around here, The Day Before Corned Beef Briskets Go On Clearance Sale—this seemed a good time to resurface this one. Karen always wanted to reboot her “Feeding the Muse” series but that never got the chance. Here’s hoping you enjoy this one. Bon appetit!—Bruce...

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