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!