Quick Sips - Lightspeed #96

The May issue of Lightpseed Magazine speaks to me of desires thwarted. Of childhood dreams dashed. Of adult desires frustrated. The stories focus on people who are not satisfied. Who are both hurt and a bit arrogant. Who want to push back against what they see as the injustices in their lives, though in rather different ways. Because some people take their hurt and use it to hurt others, which some people take that hurt and try to heal, try to inspire, try to protect others from those same hurts. It’s an issue that gets a little cloudy wrt consent at times, and is perhaps a bit bleak in a few places. But that, by and large, features characters wanting to change their lives and finding that maybe the change they thought they wanted isn’t really what’s for the best. To the reviews!

Art by Galen Dara

Quick Sips - Urban Fantasy #8

Two stories anchor another fine issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine this month. These stories do a great job of capturing the feel of Urban Fantasy, the magical intruding into the mundane world. Of course, they handle those intrusions very differently. In the first, the intrusion is forced, the protagonist not prepared for what she is confronted by. In the second, the protagonist seeks out the magic, is more or less prepared for what she finds, though she still has much to learn. Both make good use of the magical elements, and are worth checking out. To the reviews!