“I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining.”

—Octavia E. Butler

Issue 2026.75

Flash fiction

• ‘A Multitude of Sparks Descend’, Marc A. Criley - art by Melkorka

Short stories

• ‘The Visitor’, Sylvie Althoff - art by Leyelle M.G.
• ‘Fruiting Bodies’, Lyra Meurer - art by L.E. Badillo
• ‘We Will See’, L.F. Howard - art by L.E. Badillo

Novelettes

• ‘Prata Neptunia’, S.J. Ladds - art by Ellis Bray

Poetry

• ‘The Weight of Winter’, Kaya Skovdatter - art by Leyelle M.G.
• ‘ship of living ghosts’, Davian Aw - art by Ellis Bray

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I too always loved the infinite possibility and diversity of science fiction. From the very concept of alienness allowing you to explore every flavour of the surreal and dreamlike, to technology or magic (or, again, aliens) permitting endless variety of gender and race and language and philosophy and ability, it seemed like the perfect medium for imagining everything you would like to be better or different in the world.

Of course not all speculative fiction is progressive or even particularly imaginative, but at its best it is truly transformative, a thing of beauty and terror and possibility. This is the sort of SF we have always looked for in TFF: fiction that dares to dream, that remembers to hope.

And so thank you to our authors Sylvie, S.J. Marc, Lyra, L.F., Kaya and Davian, and artists Melkorka, Leyelle, L.E. and Ellis, for keeping a lifelong dream alive with the wonderful work they share with us in this issue. Play on, my friends!

Djibril al-Ayad, January 2026

Comment on the stories in this issue on the TFF Press blog.