The first of three powerful novellas in the May/June 2024 issue is Rich Larson’s thrilling tale about a group of “Barbarians.” Complex and brutal interactions and betrayals make this story a true page turner/swiper! Michèle Laframboise takes us aboard an airship, where a young girl wrestles with securing sails, de-icing portholes, feathered stowaways, theft, and abuse, and ultimately reveals “Maragi’s Secret”; and, finally, the Old Man resurfaces for one more adventure in William Preston’s exciting tale about a desperate attempt “To Make an End”!

Kristine Kathryn Rusch treats us to a memorable story about  “Last Thursday”; Elena Pavlova’s first tale for Asimov’s is a stunning take on the unreliable narrator and a violent warning about “Renting to Killers”—this story was translated from Bulgarian by the author and Kalin M. Nenov; other new-to-the-magazine authors include Amal Singh, who deftly explains why “Azarem-2 Is Waiting for a Letter”; Chris Campbell, who turns back the clock in order to examine the mysteries that occur “In the Palace of Science”…

To Make an End
by William Preston

If a story begins with finding, it must end with searching.
—Penelope Fitzgerald, The Blue Flower

Last night had brought Shoshana’s first moments of belief. Isaac, her brother, had believed since the fringe idea had caught his imagination four years ago. Their parents had inexplicably vanished like thousands of others, lost like millions to more explicable causes in this ravaged time, leaving Shoshana to protect an obsessed adolescent. She had followed Isaac’s strange pilgrimage, thinking one day he would wake from it. But now they were climbing the final hill, and it seemed that her brother’s tale of a buried hero might be true. READ MORE

Arazem-2 Is Waiting for a Letter
by Amal Singh

Arazem unclasps his wobbly knee-joint, where the varnish has faded through the years. The bronze fibula and tibia peek out of the hollow cylinder of his thigh like three fingers, their wiring frayed, like vellus hair outcroppings. He applies oil to the joint, whirrs the rotator wheel to make sure it’s smooth. Mehdi Hassan’s ghazal wafts in his hibernation chamber from the other room, where Arazem has put the vinyl. If he has to make yet another journey to the Bureau tomorrow, he can’t afford a bad knee. Outside, the heat is relentless, the asphalt on the road melting into black puddles. He might have to reapply paint on his chassis to make sure he doesn’t overheat. Factory-grade coolants from Atul & Sons don’t work, and so Arazem has to go for something higher. Maybe Solezam from Apartment Four will lend him his coolant. His chassis is the same model as Arazem, and he is also waiting for directions from the Bureau. Much like Arazem, he is also lonely. READ MORE