Welcome to issue fifty-seven of Fantasy!

Some big news this month: Fantasy (and our sister magazine, Lightspeed) has a new publisher—and it’s me, your humble editor, John Joseph Adams. Our founding publisher, Sean Wallace, decided that he needed to devote more time to his book publishing company, Prime Books, and since I already edit both magazines, I was the natural choice to be his successor. I’m excited to pick up where Sean left off, and I look forward to helming the magazines far into the future.

I officially begin my tenure as publisher with the January 2012 issue, so this is our last issue under the Prime Books banner. But rest assured: Under the new regime, we’ll still be bringing you the same quality fantasy that you’ve come to expect from Fantasy Magazine.

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We do, however, have some fairly major changes in store:

First, we’ll be merging Fantasy into our sister magazine Lightspeed. But never fear: We won’t be doing away with any of Fantasy’s fiction; each issue of the combined magazine will contain Lightspeed’s four science fiction stories and four fantasy stories from Fantasy. We won’t be reducing the number of stories, or replacing any Fantasy content with Lightspeed content; this will be a true merger.

Second, in order to focus more on the fiction side of the magazine, we’re going to cut down on our nonfiction. Going forward, we will cease publication of the related nonfiction articles accompanying each story and instead publish only two feature interviews per issue. We will, however, still have our usual assortment of author spotlights.

Third, since we’re doubling the amount of fiction in each issue, we’re going to raise the price of our ebooks—but not by double: We’ll be raising the price to just $3.99. So you’ll be getting twice as much fiction, for just a dollar more per issue; plus, from here on out, each ebook edition of Lightspeed will feature exclusive content that you won’t find on our website—namely, in addition to the eight short stories you’ll also find our website, each ebook issue will now feature a novella-length story.

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And lastly, because we’re in this time of transition, I thought now would be a good time to do a reader survey, to let us get a better idea of who you all are, what you enjoy most about our content, and how you tend to access it, along with general demographic information. If you’d like to participate—and enter for a chance to win a free subscription to Lightspeed from Weightless Books—go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/lightspeed-fantasy-2011-survey and fill it out. It should only take about five to ten minutes of your time. The survey ends December 15, 2011, so don’t delay—and thanks in advance!

So! Exciting times here at Fantasy. We’ll keep the www.fantasy-magazine.com website up as an archive, but all future Fantasy content will appear as part of Lightspeed, at www.lightspeedmagazine.com, so be sure to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds!

Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

December 5

Our lead story this month is from new author Nike Sulway, who captures the soul-changing powers of grief in "Her Lover's Golden Hair."

In our feature interview this month, Andrew Penn Romine talks to Puss in Boots director Chris Miller about the new film and the films that might have been. The interview reveals the scoop on Antonio Banderas, the Golden Goose, and the giant who almost made it into the animated film.

December 12

Everyone casts a shadow, but somehow shadows are still mysterious, powerful, intriguing. Joe R. Lansdale explores one man's strange relationship with his shadow in "Torn Away."

Veronica Schanoes examines the role of the shadow in literature and folklore in her article "The Deathly Shadows in Our Lives."

December 19

Children love to play at being heroes. In Seanan McGuire's "Crystal Halloway and the Forgotten Passage," one teenage girl has found a world where she really can save the day. But can she stay there?

Alasdair Stuart examines travel via portal magic in his article "Falling With Style."

December 26

Journey back to ancient Rome in "Vici," by Naomi Novik—and learn just what Julius Caesar meant when he said: "veni, vidi, vici."

Genevieve Valentine divides to conquer the many categories of literary dragons in her article "Three Dragons.”

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-six of Fantasy Magazine!

No news to report this month, but by the time this issue comes out, I will have already won (or lost) one (or two) World Fantasy Awards; at press time, however, my fate was still unknown. So until the end of October, think of them as Schrödinger's Awards—until one of you looks up the winners, I'm in a superposition: I've both won and lost the awards until you observe the results, thereby forcing the quantum waveform to collapse and my cat to huff some poisonous gas. Or something like that.

Our sister-magazine Lightspeed, meanwhile, is about to release its first anthology: Lightspeed: Year One, collecting all of the fiction published in its first year (from June 2010-May 2011); it's out this month, so order now!

With that out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

November 7

Leo Tolstoy reminded us, "Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." But in K. M. Ferebee's tale "Seven Spells to Sever the Heart," one unhappy family has magic to blame for its misery.

In our feature interview this month, Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, basis of the hit HBO series True Blood, joins us to discuss wrapping up the series, her oddest fans, and whether or not vampires poop.

November 14

Next up, Theodora Goss summons a spirit who changes the course of four girls' lives in her tale "Christopher Raven."

Helen Pilinovsky investigates the role of ghosts in the popular literature of the 1800s in her article "Shades of the Nineteenth Century."

November 21

Revenge is a dish served cold, and with perhaps a dash of soy sauce, in Lavie Tidhar's "Red Dawn: A Chow Mein Western."

Emma Bull explores how the west was weird in her article "Home on the Strange."

November 28

A great swordsman and his lover cope with a surprisingly assertive fan in "The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death," by Ellen Kushner.

If you've ever stopped reading a fencing scene to wonder just what's going on, you'll enjoy Kat Howard's article "The Pen and the Sword"—it's a great introduction to fencing and its portrayal in books and film. En garde!

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-five of Fantasy Magazine!

Here’s what we’ve got on tap this month.

October 3

There are some places so magical they can change the very course of your life. In Tim Pratt's "The Secret Beach," one man stumbles across such a remarkable place. Now the question is: What will he do to stay there?

In our feature interview this month, Andrew Liptak talks to Richard K. Morgan about switching (and blending) genres, cynicism and economics, and what’s next for Ringil Eskiath, the protagonist of Morgan’s epic fantasy The Steel Remains.

October 10

In "Absolute Zero" by Nadia Bulkin, one man must confront the monstrous truth about his family—before it destroys his town.

It's not easy loving a deity. Genevieve Valentine explores human-god relationships in her article "The Downsides of Dating a God."

October 17

When a big-city cop takes over as a small-town sheriff, trouble is bound to happen. But in Kristine Katherine Rusch's "Unnatural Disaster," the trouble comes in a surprisingly weird package.

Jeremiah Tolbert explores the strange creatures that lurk in the barely explored depths of our oceans in "Five Ocean-Dwelling Creatures That Look Like Aliens (But Aren’t)."

October 24

In "The Invisibles," by Charles De Lint, one artist rediscovers the belief in magic he thought he'd buried years ago.

Christopher Priest, author of The Prestige, explores the arts of misdirection and magic in his article "Are You Watching Carefully?"

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-four of Fantasy Magazine!

The big news at Fantasy HQ this month is that your humble editor has been nominated for two World Fantasy Awards! My anthology The Way of the Wizard is a finalist for best anthology, and I personally am nominated in the “special award (professional)” category. So, congratulations, to … well, me, I guess! And of course to all of the contributors to The Way of the Wizard, and everyone who I’ve worked with over the past year that made both nominations possible.

With that out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

September 5

Even when things are working just like clockwork, sometimes there is still room for error—and even love. Megan Arkenberg creates a magical realm that's ready to teach "Lessons from a Clockwork Queen."

Beneath the smog and grit, David Brothers looks at the steampunk genre and sees a cleaner, kinder sort of world. Find out why in his article "Steampunk and the Architecture of Idealism."

September 12

Ever get tired of all the annoying chit-chat going on around you? In Jonathan Lethem's story, "Using It and Losing It," one man discovers a permanent escape from the rigors of conversation.

Most Americans only take foreign languages because their school makes them. But in the wide world of science fiction and fantasy, it pays to know more than just English! David Salo researches the role of created languages in genre fiction in his article "The Language of Fantasy."

September 19

In Carrie Vaughn's "The Nymph's Child," a mother wonders if she can discourage her daughter's dreams of piracy and adventure—because she knows firsthand what heartbreak life on the high seas can lead to.

Every wonder just why being a pirate is so great? In their article "Ten Reasons To Be a Pirate," John Baur and Mark Summers, the creators of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, explain just why a pirate's life is for just about everybody.

September 26

Sometimes we're condemned to repeat the same mistake over and over again. James Alan Gardner paints a genre-blurring image of temptation and regret in "Three Damnations: A Fugue."

In our feature interview, Leigh Butler talks with bestselling author Brandon Sanderson about finishing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, what makes an epic epic, and Sanderson's laws of magic.

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-three of Fantasy Magazine! Here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

August 1

Cory Skerry paints a heart-wrenching story of a mother's love in his tale, "The World Is Cruel, My Daughter." After all, a mother's job is to protect her child...

In our feature interview, Paul Goat Allen asks Seanan McGuire some fascinating questions about noir, mythology, the zombie apocalypse—and candy corn.

August 8

Nisi Shawl's "The Pragmatical Princess" is the kind of girl who doesn't sit around waiting for princes or mice to rescue her. Here's a story of a dragon, a princess, and the power of thinking for oneself.

Most of our readers are familiar with the Brothers Grimm and their famous fairy tales. But in "The Messengers, Monsters, and Moral Instructors of Islamic Literature," Saladin Ahmed introduces us to some fascinating Islamic folktales.

August 15

Most battles in the Wild West were fought with gunpowder and hot lead. But in Laura Anne Gilman's "Crossroads," the outlaws aren't just gunslingers: They also sling magic.

Preparing to go head-to-head with the uncanny? Not to worry—just read Abby Goldsmith's "How To Stock Your Magic-Fighting Toolkit," and you'll be ready to face any kind of magical trouble.

August 22

When three teens set out to explore the edge of the world, they find garbage, infinity, chaos ... and unexpected magic. Michael Swanwick explores the wishes we make at "The Edge of the World."

Then, Genevieve Valentine looks at the wacky side of wishes in her article, "The Weirdest Fairy-Tale Wishes Ever Made."

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-two of Fantasy Magazine! Here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

July 4

Many towns are full of folks who've lost treasures, things like a home or an eye or a family. But in J. S. Breukelaar's "Union Falls," one town full of losers is visited by a remarkable keyboard player—who uses her gifts to heal the hurts left by loss.

In our article, "When Wizards Rock," Wendy N. Wagner explores the influences of fantasy literature on pop music, and discovers that when it comes to rock and roll, magic is here to stay.

July 11

M. Rickert spins an ancient myth into a poignant reflection on tragedy throughout the ages in "The Machine.”

Our feature interview this month is with best-selling author Jacqueline Carey, author of Kushiel’s Dart and Naamah's Blessing. Hannah Strom-Martin talks with the author about urban fantasy, strong heroines, and revising Tolkien.

July 18

Bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente returns to our pages, after far too long an absence, and takes us to a Brooklyn of snow and silence in her new story "The Wolves of Brooklyn." In it, a group of friends realize just how much has changed since wolves began prowling the streets of their neighborhood.

In the related nonfiction, Lauren Davis looks at what dogs and wolves have to say to us in "Conversations With Wolves.”

July 25

Kelly Link gives us a modern vision of the Swan Princess in her story "Swans"—but this princess is far too crafty to let magic get in her way.

Between Disney movies and fantasy novels, there's a schism in the role of princesses in contemporary culture. Helen Pilinovsky explores the history of the princess in literature in her article "The Princess is Dead, Long Live the Princess!"

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty-one of Fantasy Magazine! Here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

June 6

In this story from the new Welcome to Bordertown anthology, a teenage girl learns about the power of art and the depth of love in a city of tricky magic. Alaya Dawn Johnson takes us back to Bordertown—a world originally created by fantasy master Terry Windling—in her story "A Prince For Thirteen Days."

In the related nonfiction, Mia Nutick goes behind the scenes of Bordertown and talks to the creators of the influential urban fantasy, shared world anthology series.

June 13

When you’re a teenage net-mage, there's a lot more to surviving high school than just getting a date to prom—especially when your school's been overrun by zombies. Find out how the hero of Jeremiah Tolbert's story, "You Have Been Turned Into a Zombie By a Friend," survives the attack with only her wits, friends, and cameraphones.

There are new gadgets coming our way that promise to make our computing and technological experiences more naturalistic and exciting than ever. Industry insider Abby Fichtner shows us what's in store in her article "Indistinguishable From Magic."

June 20

Holly Phillips captures the desperation of World War II desert warfare in her story "Virgin of the Sands." There might not be any rules in love or war, but necromancy has laws that can never be broken.

In our article "Talking to the Dead," Randy Henderson explores the world of necromancy and finally answers the darkest question of all: Do you have to dress like Dracula's flamboyant goth cousin to be a necromancer?

June 27

If you could get a second chance at your life, what changes would you make? In Cat Rambo's "The Immortality Game," a group of friends tries life again ... and again ... and again....

And last but not least, Hanna Strom-Martin discusses yoga, dragons, and urban fantasy in our feature interview with Kushiel's Dart author Jacqueline Carey.

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to issue fifty of Fantasy Magazine!

The results of our annual reader’s poll are in! And here are the top three finishers:

1^st: After the Dragon, Sarah Monette

2^nd: Tenientes, Nathaniel Williams

3^rd: Stereogram of the Gray Fort, in the Days of Her Glory, Paul Berger

So, a hearty congratulations to Sarah Monette for the victory. As the winner of the reader’s poll, Sarah will receive a box of Sjaak's Organic Chocolate Truffle Assortment, courtesy of Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe. Perhaps not as prestigious as a World Fantasy Award, but much more tasty I’m sure!

With that out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

May 2

In "Study, For Solo Piano," Genevieve Valentine shines the spotlight on what it means to yearn for beauty and love in a cruel post-apocalyptic world.

In the related nonfiction, Stephen A. Watkins explains how the fantasy archetypes we all know and love transform when they’re steampunked in “Now Hiring in the Airship Lounge.”

May 9

A stick-man comes to life and a boy struggles to reconcile his Sunday School education with experience in Jeffrey Ford's "Creation."

From legends of golems to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, people have long sought the secret of giving the inanimate life. Alex Irvine explores the history of these creations in his article "Man-Made Men."

May 16

In "The Devil in Gaylord's Creek," Sarah Monette gives us a feisty teen action heroine who's tattooed, undead, and read to kick some serious paranormal monster butt. Buffy would totally approve.

What would you do if you had to face down the devil? Heather Shaw lays out advice for those of us who aren't teen action heroes in her article "Five Ways to Trick the Devil."

May 23

Violence breeds vengeance in "Sandmagic," Orson Scott Card's tale of a young man orphaned by political turmoil. His search for retribution takes him into the heart of the desert—and into the realm of dangerous magic.

Matt London lifts the veils on the creation of hit video game Dragon Age II in our feature interview with Senior Writer David Gaider and Associate Producer Heather Rabitach.

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So that’s our issue this month. Thanks for reading!