A new issue of Asimov’s, the full unlocking of the most recent Uncanny, and an impressive run of intriguing tales in Future Tense Fiction have given me plenty of excellent reading for this month and a strong three-zine set for my August Magazine Minis. 

Asimov’s

Perusing the table of contents of the September/October 2026 issue of Asimov’s brought a pair of novelettes to my attention, with both tackling classic sci-fi premises in ways that immediately grabbed my attention. 

Night Caller from Outer Space by Dale Bailey is an alien abduction story told from the perspective of the one left behind, who months later still struggles to process the disappearance of his bride. The editorial note indicates that the author took inspiration from the title of a terrible movie that you’ve likely never seen (and indeed I have not), though there is no indication that the inspiration goes any deeper than that. At any rate, this is a period piece taking place in the mid-century Midwest, starring a radio man trying to get back to work amidst waves of grief that earn sympathy but not necessarily understanding from his compatriots. The science-fiction elements here are nothing new, and the style is a throwback, but excellent storytelling makes it effortless to sink into the narrative, and the character work takes over from there. Turns out you don’t have to innovate to write something great. 

Forever and Again by Leah Cypess also takes a classic sci-fi premise and breathes life into it, this one with the unusual twist of telling a time loop story from the perspective of someone who can’t remember previous iterations of the loop. While time loop stories are a dime a dozen, the unexpected perspective comes clear from the very first paragraphs and makes this a tale that immediately caught my eye. And it keeps up that momentum for the duration, making for an unpredictable story on a topic that I’d thought was out of surprises. 

Future Tense 

Future Tense Fiction is a project out of Arizona State University that publishes one story each month with a response article that digs into the real-world considerations behind the speculative element. While they don’t bundle their stories together into discrete issues, I thought three consecutive months of intriguing tales deserved a rollup into one of my Magazine Minis. 

In May, Monica Byrne’s Golden Rule took on a speculative alternative to the carceral system in which violent criminals are punished by having their own crimes visited upon them at a future time not known to them. The story follows a state enforcer—herself the victim of a violent crime—as she punishes a kidnapper, with the perspective flitting between the present case, interviews with the victim, and reflections on the theory behind the alternative form of punishment. It’s a sobering and unsettling tale that very much does not hold itself up as a shining example of doing justice the right way, instead diving into impossible questions surrounding rehabilitation, closure, and returning to the life one once had. 

Just as unsettling, though in a very different way, is June’s Mirror, Mirror by Sofia Samatar. It stars an art history student who picks up a side job as an assistant for an eccentric artist, prompting compulsive research into the strange past of her employer that mirrors the increasingly frantic exploration of the obsessions of her dissertation subject. The former’s work combines art, tech, and the psychology of attention to create something truly strange, and the lead’s journey of discovery is utterly compelling, even when the subject is truly ineffable. This hits the intersection of weird, surreal, vibey, and scientific that feels like it could work just as well in Bourbon Penn or Apex as it would in a place like Clarkesworld (or indeed Future Tense). 

The most recent publication at Future Tense (at least as of my drafting this review) is July’s Prompts for a Perfect Daughter by Ai Jiang. Jiang’s work often touches on issues surrounding family, technology, and immigration, and this story hits all three. It alternates between the lead’s past and present, focusing on her relationship with the psychological prompts that can be imprinted on a mind in an attempt to produce compliant children, employees, or perhaps even selves. The delving into both the chafing of the parental proverbs and the ways in which those prompts can be hijacked or circumvented give the story real emotional heft, but it introduces so many fascinating threads that I suspect would’ve benefited from a bit more length. 

Uncanny

A pair of stories by authors I’d quite enjoyed in the past jumped out at me in Uncanny issue 71. Leavetaking by Tia Tashiro shot immediately to the top of my TBR with an opening line in which the lead is cursed by her cousin on his deathbed. What follows is an exploration of the bounds of her curse and a search for others like her, interspersed with flashbacks into the relationship with her cousin that had led to such an unfortunate end. It’s a compelling tale with a sympathetic lead that does a wonderful job digging into the complicated relationships with loved ones who hold strong opinions about the direction of one’s life. It’s a story that left me at the end wanting just a bit more, but there’s no doubt a lot here. 

Finally, The Cinema of Babel by Sam J. Miller continues my surprising—to me more than anyone—recent trend of falling for strange and surreal stories. It’s a tale of grief at the same time as it’s the search for a legendary cinema that never seems to appear in the same place twice and may contain every movie ever made. Even though I’m not quite the cinephile that the lead (and I suspect the author) may be, the surreal atmosphere with just a hint of danger makes for an engrossing tale, and the slow unveiling of the lead’s grief at the loss of his husband creates an affecting character story at the heart of it all. 

August Favorites 

• Night Caller from Outer Space by Dale Bailey (novelette, Asimov’s)
• Forever and Again by Leah Cypess (novelette, Asimov’s)
• The Cinema of Babel by Sam J. Miller (short story, Uncanny)
• Mirror, Mirror by Sofia Samatar (short story, Future Tense)