Image © Brian Malachy Quinn 2020
Letter from the Editors Dear Reader, When it comes to themes, usually every quarter's submissions tend to throw one general theme up on our shores, but this quarter didn't seem to have that so much. There were pirate and seafaring stories, robot overlord stories, glimpses into vibrant alien cultures, and all kinds of new ideas for how magic could be living just under the surface of the real world. It gave us a wonderful base of stories to choose from, and we hope you enjoy this issue's selection: Mira Bug by Stephanie Cox, a great mix of AI, VR, and some of the ways you could use it -- or maybe should not. Strings by P.G. Streeter, an imaginative take on the fabric that makes up our universe, and what happens when you grab a string -- and pull. The Prey by John Wolf. Enter a unique point of view, well-executed, as Mother Bear learns what woke her from the long sleep. The Tenders by Aaron Emmel, who builds a big, vibrant fantasy magic world in just a few thousand words. Welcome to the 27 Club by JL George. A bittersweet exploration of why some people who seem to have it all throw it all away or sometimes don't. Brian Quinn returns with his latest art piece titled Taking Flight, which was a perfect representation of this issue's combination of science, fantasy, and magic. We also have a fun nonfiction Editors' Corner article from Editor Grayson Towler which looks back on fifteen years of Electric Spec in "Stories with Staying Power." And there's a bonus story from Editor Lesley L. Smith in Editors' Corner, Send in the Virgins!, which was inspired by: Send in the Kracken! We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did! Thanks for reading, The Electric Spec Team