Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 133, June 2021

Average: 3.43, rounded down to 3.

Individual ratings:

The Nation of the sick - 3

Pretty interesting letter-turned-eulogy to some kind of future genius.

Different People - 3.5

Parallel universes are real, invented by a group of people who accidentally ended their own universe. A woman from the other universe appears and proclaims to be his wife from the other world, and they soon fall in come. Quickly, he starts to compare himself to his other self, and things continue from there...

Inselberg - 3

Reminded me of the tour guy friend from Downward to Earth. Nothing special.

Do Nothing - 3.5

Interesting piece on freedom. As apocalyopse nears, there's a simple choice: either die with the rest on Earth, or become a bodiless being in space. Is survival of our human race worth leaving behind everything material?

A Tableau of Things That Are - 4.5

Great stuff. Criminals don't get sentenced to jail but instead become a statue. Our protagonist ‘awakens' from a 10-year statue sentence, remaining a man of stone. His stint has permanently changed him.

Wolf Tones - 3

Sad to say this one lost me a little bit. Pretty good prose, but I have no idea what it was actually about, besides some superficial story beats. But it definitely had a very wintery vibe!

When You Die on the Radio - 3.5

A strong story about grief, being (un)able to come to terms with a loved one passing, and sacrificing for the sake of others. A radio that allows you to help people in need, at a terrible cost...

How to Become a Witch-Queen - 3.5

Retelling/sequel of Snow White with a feminist twist. Classic Theodora Goss.