All articles
by Mur Lafferty
Mothership Zeta: Issue Six is out!
It’s time for the sixth quarterly issue of Mothership Zeta, featuring another beautiful cover from Elizabeth Leggett. As always, in the coming months we’ll be bringing you some of the content from the zine, for free. If you want all the awesome content we offer, you can buy individual issues for a mere $2.99 at the following locations: Direct from
At the Village Vanguard (Ruminations on Blacktopia) by Maurice Broaddus
We are putting the shine on Issue 6, so while you wait, please enjoy this story! To use a phrase in the text below, this story is “straight up blackity-black,” indicative of Maurice Broaddus’s singular voice. If you’re not already a fan of Afrofuturism, this will hook you. At the Village Vanguard (Ruminations on Blacktopia)
The Indigo Ace and the High-Low Split by Annalee Flower Horne
We are putting the shine on Issue 6, so while you wait, please enjoy this story that’s… Part detective story, part family drama, part superhero action, all fun: Annalee Flower Horne delivers the goods and a well-placed Hamilton reference. The Indigo Ace and the High-Low Split by Annalee Flower Horne Izzie Benitez was halfway
Mothership Zeta: Issue 5 released
It’s time for the next quarterly issue of Mothership Zeta, featuring a beautiful cover from Elizabeth Leggett. As always, in the coming months we’ll be bringing you some of the content from the zine, for free. If you want all the awesome content we offer, you can subscribe to the magazine at Weightless Books, or buy individual issues
Mothership Zeta Hiatus After Issue 6
Hello everyone, We have good news and bad news. Let’s do bad news first; Mothership Zeta is being placed on hiatus after issue 6. No work has been purchased for issue 7 yet, so we won’t be letting any authors down. Anyone with subscriptions that continue past issue 6 will be offered a refunded, or
Staff Announcement
Sunil Patel has resigned as Fiction Assistant Editor at Mothership Zeta, effective immediately. We thank him for all his hard work on the magazine’s first six issues.
The Story Doctor Is (In) by James Patrick Kelly
James Patrick Kelly is back with another Story Doctor article, this time about Jamie Wahls’s “For the Children.” This is a special treat because JPK has edited an anthology on the Singularity and readily shares some of his expert knowledge on the subject. The Story Doctor Is (In) by James Patrick Kelly In a 1993
For the Children by Jamie Wahls
What will the human race be like hundreds, even thousands of years in the future? What does identity mean if your consciousness is digital? Exactly how snarky can an artificial intelligence be? Jamie Wahls explores these questions and more in a story about one big diamond and the fate of a species. For the Children
The Boy Who Made Flowers by S.B. Divya
The Doubleclicks have a song called “Worst Superpower Ever.” Well, Charlie Kim may just have the worst superpower ever. Or does he? S.B. Divya’s floral storytelling will present you with a bouquet of feels. The Boy Who Made Flowers by S.B. Divya When a few stray jasmine blossoms fell from Charlie Kim’s ears, neither he
Ratcatcher by Amy Griswold
WWI steampunk airship Ghostbusters. Seriously, there’s nothing more we need to say to introduce this story. Ratcatcher by Amy Griswold 1918, over Portsmouth The souls in the trap writhed and keened their displeasure as Xavier picked up the shattergun. “Don’t fuss,” he scolded them as he turned on the weapon and adjusted his goggles, shifting
Looking for Morticia Addams in All the Wrong Places by Barry Charman
If we told you you were about to read a sweet, charming vampire romance that will touch your heart and stay with you for days, would you believe us? Trust us. Trust Barry Charman. Looking for Morticia Addams in All the Wrong Places by Barry Charman Scarecrow throws my coffin out the window and
A Non-Hero’s Guide to The Road of Monsters by A.T. Greenblatt
We’re suckers for non-hero stories. Not even anti-heroes, just people who aren’t Chosen Ones. People who have to do the damn work. Prince Lir from The Last Unicorn goes out daily to kill monsters to impress his love. Our narrator is someone who will happily laugh when she turns away from the lovelorn prince. A
Issue 4 is out now!
It’s time for the next quarterly issue of Mothership Zeta! We’ve got a beautiful cover from Wendy Xu. As always, in the coming months we’ll be bringing you some of the content from the zine, for free. If you want all the awesome content we offer, you can subscribe to the magazine at Weightless Books, or buy
Straight Lines by Naru Sundar
An A.I. with OCD sounds like the start of a joke—or someone reciting the alphabet drunk—but Naru Sundar’s story treats this computer program with more empathy than some people treat actual humans with mental illness. Straight Lines by Naru Sundar This time they sent someone in a suit, neutral gray silk with utterly glorious creases, monofilament thin.
A Man Most Imperiled by Dan Malakin
Zircon is unlike any man you’ve ever met. And when his home is threatened, he reacts like no man you’ve ever met. Dan Malakin presents a zany tale of mad science, bureaucracy, and more mad science. A Man Most Imperiled by Dan Malakin I am Zircon. My father, the illustrious Professor Zircon, created me by
Nobody Puts Baby in a Chamber by Alexis A. Hunter
It’s a damn shame that appliances don’t talk to us in such soothing tones as SF has led us to believe they will someday. I guess the closest we have is Siri, but she’s programmed with snark. Which can be fun at times, and at other times you just want to be comforted. If Siri
Issue 3 is live!
It’s time for the next quarterly issue of Mothership Zeta! We’ve got another cover by Hugo-award-winner Elizabeth Leggett. Coming this month we’ll be bringing you some of the content from the zine, for free. If you want all the awesome content we offer, you can subscribe to the magazine at Weightless Books, or buy individual issues for
You, an Accidental Astronaut, by Sonja Natasha
You may not have left your girlfriend, and you may not have traveled to space, but in a thousand words Sonja Natasha paints a gorgeous picture of you doing just that. You, an Accidental Astronaut by Sonja Natasha You leave Earth like you leave your girlfriend: tripping over your shoelaces because you hurried too much
The Elixir of the Not-So-Disgusting Death Smell, by Carlie St. George
The great thing about reading for Mothership Zeta is the stories are fun. So fun! Often very funny! Sometimes you’re having an absolutely wretched day, and you dive into slush and discover a ridiculous screwball zom-rom-com that lifts your entire mood, with snappy banter, pop culture references a-plenty, and an affecting relationship at the center
A New Hope by Rachael Acks
FYI: SPOILER ALERT! Rachael returns to review Star Wars: The Force Awakens for us–and also make me cry, but that could be my residual feels from watching the film. I hope you enjoy Rachael’s nuanced review–it gave me a lot more to think about than my impulse “WOO HOO YAY SO HAPPY” reaction and the
Fire in the Belly, by Rachael Acks
Meet Henrietta, your new favorite preteen space Western thief. She’s all alone on a brand new planet, and she’s about to have a life-changing adventure. Rachael Acks weaves together a few genres in this rip-roaring tale, hopefully not the last we’ll see of this spunky young firebrand! Fire in the Belly by Rachael Acks Henrietta
Hatoful Boyfriend Is the Greatest Pigeon Dating Sim in the History of Human and/or Bird Existence by Sunil Patel
Sunil, Mur, and I share an ongoing “editorial e-chat” and I’ve been hearing about my fellow Associate Editor’s deep enjoyment of this video game for quite a while. As you might imagine, working with Mur and Sunil is a blast (our non-editorial squeeing over the fun and uplifting things in our lives is as enjoyable
The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie, by A. Merc Rustad
We are fans of robots and we are fans of dinosaurs. Who isn’t, really. So how could we resist a charming post-apocalyptic tale featuring a robot and dinosaurs? We should warn you that we asked A. Merc Rustad to add extra FEELS to this story. And they did. Boy, did they ever. The Android’s Prehistoric
Issue 2 is live!
It’s time for the next quarterly issue of Mothership Zeta! Our cover is by Hugo-award-winner Elizabeth Leggett, and our stories are awesome! Coming this week we’ll be bringing you some of the content from the zine, for free. If you want all the awesome content we offer, you can subscribe to the magazine at Weightless
Issue 2 Cover Art Reveal!
Yeah, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. We got the 2015 Hugo Award Winning Elizabeth Leggett to do our Issue 2 cover, and I wanted to show it off. If I tell you what this cover means to me, I will spoil the story it accompanies, so I won’t. But…damn. Happy New Year, all, and
Bargain, by Sarah Gailey
People have been making bargains with demons for centuries (in fiction, and possibly also in real life). But this time Malachai, Devourer of Miscreants and Usurper of Souls, is going to get more than he, uh, bargained for. “Bargain” is Sarah Gailey’s first pro sale, and we’re confident it won’t be the last. Bargain by
Panic Twice, Spin, by Malon Edwards
Earlier this year in Shimmer’s “The Half-Dark Promise,” Malon Edwards wrote about a snake girl fighting tentacled shadow creatures. Here he writes about another strange girl fighting fantastical creatures. You may never look at Dance Dance Revolution the same way again. Panic Twice, Spin by Malon Edwards You first noticed the miniature black hole in
Imma Gonna Finish You Off, by Marina J. Lostetter
In a future where everyone’s immortal, murders are easy to solve after the victim wakes up. But when dead bodies stay dead, unending life gets complicated for Detective Harry Sordido. We here at Mothership Zeta very much enjoyed Marina J. Lostetter’s future reminiscent of Hitchhiker’s Guide and hope you do too. “Imma Gonna Finish You
Subscriptions are now available!
Thanks to the fabulous folks at Weightless Books, you can now effortlessly subscribe to all upcoming Mothership Zeta issues! Check it out so you don’t miss any of our quarterly issues! If you’re still dedicated to buying Issue 1 by itself, that’s OK too: Amazon Smashwords Escape Artists (using Paypal) Weightless Books
The Story Doctor is (In): Sleeping With Spirits
James Patrick Kelly holds a special place in our hearts here at Mothership Zeta. He’s not only a multiple-award winning author, but also a dedicated teacher who does not put on kid gloves in the workshop—he tells students exactly how and why a piece is (or isn’t) working. It’s that kind of professional laser-vision and
Sleeping with Spirits, by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
This story is not safe for work, children, or jealous lovers. You could say Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam’s story has sex but is not erotic. You could say it’s not safe for work but it’s not naughty. You could say a lot of things about this tale of love, intimacy, and then hangups lovers have over
Mothership Zeta Coverage!
Thanks to BoingBoing and iO9 for giving us a boost, and welcome to anyone checking us out from there!
The Customer Is Always Right, by Anna Salonen
Customer service, amirite? One of the worst jobs in the world, because no one enjoys doing it, and no one enjoys making use of it. But when you find someone like our little-seen protagonist in Anna Salonen’s story, who knows what they are doing and can get the job done efficiently and pleasantly, they’re worth
Mothership Zeta, Issue 1
We made it! Our October launch is secure! It’s been a crazy few months here at MZHQ. Launching an ezine is very, very different from launching a podcast, and our team has been sweating bullets trying to make sure the i’s are dotted, etc. We are still getting the issue approved on our various methods
Issue 0 of Mothership Zeta is here!
The magazine officially launches next month, but we are bringing you a sample Issue 0. A few of our favorite fun stories from 2014 are included, as well as an original flash piece and two nonfiction pieces about novels and other short fiction. We have amazing work from: Ursula Vernon Rhonda Eikamp John Chu Andrea
One week down, one to go. (More or less)
The response to Mothership Zeta’s launch has been overwhelming! We’re getting lots of stories so far, as of July 20 we have over 440 stories submitted, and we still have five days of open submissions left! A couple of things: If we find more awesome stories that will fill Issue 1, we will still buy
Coming October 2015
The new project from Escape Artists is coming: Mothership Zeta! Edited by Mur Lafferty with assistance from Sunil Patel and Karen Bovenmyer, Mothership Zeta is a quarterly website/ezine that will feature fiction and nonfiction of interest to the speculative fiction-loving world. We’ll be featuring reprints from our sister podcasts, new fiction, and some really interesting
