We're still in the final throes of proofreading
STUPEFYING STORIES 1.5 before letting it go out the door. In the meantime, here's a small foretaste.
From the Editor's Desk
by Bruce Bethke
...and this is why we call
STUPEFYING STORIES an anthology series, not a magazine: because as an anthology series we can adjust our release schedule, when needed.
Two months ago, as we were first starting to pull this edition together, a pair of unfortunate coincidences exposed the weaknesses of our "lean staffing" model at the same time as our ever-growing slush pile became sentient, chained itself to the front doors, and demanded our full attention. Thus what began as a simple Valentine's Day edition of
STUPEFYING STORIES became a Love and Presidents edition, and then a Sex and Presidents edition, and then a Sex and
Dead Presidents edition (but the less said about that one, the better), while we launched a major recruiting drive and wrestled with a plethora of back-office issues that aren't terribly interesting to read about now, but solutions to which were needed urgently if we were to stop our out-of-control slush pile from conquering the world.
Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that these efforts have been entirely successful. We have more than doubled the size of the
STUPEFYING STORIES crew, and thanks to the tireless work of Erin, Ricky, Karen, Paul, Eli, Tyler, Jason, Barb, Allan, Yvette, and Guy—hereinafter to be referred to as the
Fearless Slush Pile Reader Corps—we have not only defeated the growing slush pile menace, in the process reducing Slush Mountain to manageable dimensions again, and we not only stand ready to release
STUPEFYING STORIES 1.5 (a.k.a., "the March issue"), but we also have 1.6 ("April") and 1.7 ("May") in production and are very close to wrapping up our first theme-issue Special Edition. To the members of the FSPRC: I salute you, and
"Induction Day," by J. R. Johnson, is for you.
Speaking of the contents of this edition: I'm about out of space now, but would be remiss if I did not call special attention to our cover story, the brilliantly mad steampunk vision that is
"Cog Noscenti" by Aaron Bradford Starr, and especially to my personal favorite in this entire collection,
"Red Dust and Dancing Horses" by Beth Cato. If this story doesn't wind up on several Best of 2012 lists and on the short list for at least one major award, I will be disappointed.
And with that said, until
STUPEFYING STORIES 1.5 is officially released, I can only add—
Hi-yo Silver, away!
~brb
