LIGHTSPEED is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF--and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales. This month, we have original science fiction by Ashok K. Banker ("The Goddess Has Many Faces") and Bogi Takács ("Four-Point Affective Calibration"), along with SF reprints by Tobias S. Buckell ("Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance") and Nalo Hopkinson writing with Nisi Shawl ("Jamaica Ginger"). Plus, we have original fantasy by Cassandra Khaw ("The Quiet Like a Homecoming," with a cover illustration by Sam Schechter) and Rahul Kanakia ("A Coward's Death"), and fantasy reprints by Jeffrey Ford ("The Seventh Expression of the Robot General") and Malinda Lo ("One True Love"). All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author spotlights, along with our book and media review columns. We also have a feature interview with Carmen Maria Machado. For our ebook readers, we also have our usual ebook-exclusive novella reprint ("The Charge and the Storm," by An Owomoyela) and an excerpt from R.A. Salvatore's new novel, CHILD OF A MAD GOD.