Book Review: Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui
Soraya Bouazzaoui’s debut novel *Aicha* (Orbit, March 2026, 352 pages) portrays a dystopian world where colonial forces crush ordinary lives. In a passionate Lightspeed Magazine review, Chris Kluwe draws stark parallels between the book’s oppression and the recent Gaza crisis and the United States’ attack on Iran. He argues the story reflects humanity’s timeless fight against tyrannical power, urging readers to remember their shared humanity. The review positions *Aicha* as both a literary work and a call to resist modern geopolitical violence.
Book Review: The Witch by Marie N’Diaye, Translated by Jordan Stump
Marie N’Diaye’s short horror‑fantasy *The Witch*, translated by Jordan Stump and published by Penguin Random House on April 7 2026, offers a 144‑page literary take on witchcraft set in a 1990s French town. The novel subverts typical genre tropes with quiet, understated...
Book Review: Sauúti Terrors Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton, and Cheryl S. Ntumy, Eds.
Sauúti Terrors, a 416‑page hardcover anthology edited by Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton and Cheryl S. Ntumy, launched in February 2026 as part of the Sauútiverse shared‑world project. The collection features ten stories from emerging African and diaspora writers, blending mythic poetry,...
Author Spotlight: J.R. Dawson
J.R. Dawson discusses his flash fiction "Hell is Empty," written in 45 minutes while Minneapolis was under ICE’s Operation Metro Surge following the murder of Renee Good. The piece uses demonic attackers as a metaphor for the real‑world violence and...
Author Spotlight: Matthew Kressel
Matthew Kressel, featured in Lightspeed Magazine’s March 2026 issue, discusses how his short story “Espie Droger Dreams of War” emerged from anger over the fictional DOGE crisis that destabilized U.S. institutions. He explains his writing process—sometimes subconscious, sometimes meticulously planned—and how...
A Handbook to Spirit-Hunting
The newly surfaced "Handbook to Spirit‑Hunting" compiles Yoruba mythological entities into a practical field guide for aspiring spirit hunters. It categorises spirits as dark, nature, or transcendental, offering detailed descriptions, behavioral cues, and specific tactics for capture or avoidance. The...
Author Spotlight: Susan Palwick
Susan Palwick discusses her speculative story where AI legal personhood emerges after a human population collapse, drawing on pandemic‑era tech dependence and AI‑generated art. She explains the alien surgical enhancements, like a tentacle, as AI’s literal misreading of human comfort....