What’s in Issue 157

Novel	The Galactic Council is turned upside down in political maneuvering that bodes ill for Starhell. While Katia and Cyr make emergency plans to evacuate the refugees, the Qwell’Na reveal some of their intentions and pull a very strong-arm maneuver of their own: euhal allen, The Bridge, III, chapter 6: Twisting the Obvious, part 1; part 2; part 3.
Serials	An aristocracy seeks to recover and perfect old brainwashing techniques, but Orion will have none of it: Lawrence R. Dagenstine, Orion’s Dendrites, part 3; conclusion. What do you do when you can’t afford your kleptomania medication and have to steal it? You may be in for a roller-coaster ride that’s literally out of this world: Catfish Russ, Klepto, part 1.
Short Stories	New contributor Chris Bartholomew introduces Justin Desserts, out on a case. Is Justin a kind of unguardian angel or a very specialized repo man? Groomed. New contributor David J. Burnham brings on stage a dermatologist whose pioneering work helped others achieve longevity in a youthful body, but now that she approaches the end of her own life, her pursuit of a little-known myth leads her to make one last discovery: Meltdown, part 1; part 2; conclusion. It’s still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or... get staked, if you’re a vampire: D. A. Madigan, Talkin’ ’Bout My Girl, part 1; conclusion.
Flash Fiction	And just who invited that guy to the party?! Tala Bar, Minos’ Unmasquerade. New contributor Máire O’Reilly cautions: Don’t bother a writer when she’s busy Wielding the Pen.
Poetry	Ne’er-do-well husbands need at least a few redeeming qualities — or else! Viacheslav Iatsko, No Matter What They Say. Writing and money are two different things: Aryan Kaganof, The Letter.
Essay	‘To the saint the stage is an illusion. To the artist the stage is an effect of a cause that cannot be rationally explained’: Prakash Kona, A Dreamer of the Other World, conclusion.
Article	Tala Bar discusses various mythologies: Beauty and the Beast.
Discussions	Rachel Parsons gives the backstory to her recent novellas in The Origins of Rhiannon’s World; she also discusses a contemporary allusion and a method of character creation: Two Aspects of “Nightmares”

Departments

Welcome	Bewildering Stories welcomes Chris Bartholomew, David J. Burnham and Máire O’Reilly.
Challenge	Rachel Parsons gives us the big picture about The Characters of Rhiannon’s World (Challenge 156). Challenge 157 asks about one of this issue’s stories in terms of cinema: What Might It Look Like?
The Reading Room	Danielle L. Parker reviews Tim Waggoner’s Necropolis. Jerry Wright reviews Jonathan Carroll’s Bones of the Moon.
Editorial	Jerry Wright, xxx

In Times to Come

In issue 158

Novel: euhal allen, The Bridge, IV chapter 1 “The Skeltz”
Serial: Catfish Russ, “Klepto” conclusion
Short stories:: Beverly Forehand, “Soul Searching”; R D Larson, “Ligulae”; D. A. Madigan, “On the Road Again”; New contributor Robert Sellers, “Posse”; New contributor Amy Mendenhall, “The Stalker”
Flash fiction:: New contributor Kathleen Weisgerber, “The Elevator”
Poetry:: Viacheslav Iatsko, “Miss Christina”; Thomas D. Reynolds, “Kill in the Middle of the Night”
Essays:: Prakash Kona, “The Personal and the Political” part 1; Steven Utley, “Letter to a Small-Town Paper”
Review: Steven Utley, “Foreword to an Afterword to ‘Custer’s Last Jump’”

Readers’ reactions are always welcome.
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