Lightspeed #187, December 2025
“Reality Check” by Nancy Kress
“You Always Told Her You’d Give Her the World” by Aimee Ogden
“Us, in Another Universe” by A. C. Wise
“Crickets in Lost Light” by Jonathan Olfert
“The Hub Living Among the Stars” by Oyedotun Damilola Muees
“HagioClass” by José Pablo Iriarte
“The Space Between Us” by P. A. Cornell
“Memories of the MindMine” by David Marino
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
In “Reality Check” by Nancy Kress, a highly intelligent teenager constantly stays in his room playing video games, behavior that has become so common among adolescents that it is an officially recognized medical syndrome. An operation that reduces stimulation of the pleasure center in the brain causes him to emerge from isolation, but there is an unexpected side effect.
The speculative biotechnology is believable, and the characters are fully developed, realistically flawed people. The story deals with realism and imagination in a thoughtful, provocative way.
“You Always Told Her You’d Give Her the World” by Aimee Ogden is a brief tale in which a wealthy parent gives a little girl the moon, worn like a piece of jewelry. The loss of Earth’s satellite produces dramatic effects.
The story ends in a way that suggests that there is no limit to a child’s greed. There is not much to this tiny work other than its premise. The use of second person narration adds little.
“Us, in Another Universe” by A. C. Wise features a pair of characters who exist in various forms in multiple realities. They range from enemies to lovers, and from superheroes to animals.
Much of the text deals with the characters as actors in a television program. References to fan fiction about the roles they play make it seem as if the parallel universes described in the story are meant to suggest the way that devotees of fictional entertainment come up with their own variations. In any case, it may be difficult for readers to relate to characters who change so drastically so many times.
Set in a fantasy world, “Crickets in Lost Light” by Jonathan Olfert deals with a man who escaped from childhood service as a collector of tithes for an oppressive sect. Now he exists as a scavenger, surviving on what he can gather from the bodies of those killed in battles between the sect and bandits. A criminal who is his companion runs off with a magical object he owns. His pursuit of her leads to a violent battle with tithe collectors and a reconciliation.
The magic item mentioned above plays more of a role as a symbol than as a plot element. It allows the user to experience memories more vividly, and the main character seems to have the need to torment himself with his painful memories. An interview with the author makes it clear that there are many other stories dealing with this setting and these characters. Readers familiar with previous works will best appreciate this one.
“The Hub Living Among the Stars” by Oyedotun Damilola Muees is narrated by hosts welcoming members of many different alien species to a place where they can enjoy multiple experiences. There is no real plot, so this work is mostly an exercise in imagination, offering as many speculative concepts as possible.
In “HagioClass” by José Pablo Iriarte, a writer receives advice from a simulation of Ernest Hemingway. This story depends almost entirely on the twist in its conclusion, rendering it something of an extended joke.
Alternating sections of text in “The Space Between Us” by P. A. Cornell are narrated by two people in a doomed romance. They fall in love even though each one lives in an environment where the other cannot survive.
The story can be read as an allegory for lovers kept apart by circumstances beyond their control. As such, it offers some emotional appeal, although the plot is very simple.
“Memories of the MindMine” by David Marino takes place in a fantasy world where workers dig a valuable substance from the brain of an immense dead god. Those who perform this task can experience memories of themselves and others, either deliberately or as an occupational hazard. The protagonist is an orphan who wants to learn about his parents by finding their memories.
To a great extent, the story deals with the main character’s relationship with another worker, who labors in order to learn why his wife left him. The way in which the orphan, a cynical loaner who trusts nobody, is both drawn to and reluctant to accept an offer of friendship from the other worker has a powerful emotional effect. The author develops the premise in a vivid, detailed way that makes it seem real.
Victoria Silverwolf wrote this review on a holiday.