“Vita Nostra” — a cross between Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” and Elizabeth Kostova’s “The Historian” [...] is the anti-Harry Potter you didn’t know you wanted.” -- The Washington Post “Vita Nostra has become a powerful influence on my own writing. It’s a book that has the potential to become a modern classic of its genre, and I couldn’t be more excited to see it get the global audience in English it so richly deserves.” -- Lev Grossman Best Books of November 2018 -- Paste Magazine The definitive English language translation of the internationally acclaimed Russian novel—a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way. Our life is brief . . . Sasha Samokhina has been accepted to the Institute of Special Technologies. Or, more precisely, she’s been chosen. Situated in a tiny village, she finds the students are bizarre, and the curriculum even more so. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, it is their families that pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want. A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction—brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey—is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.

Science fiction magazine featuring stories from across the globe. In this issue we have original fiction and translations from China, the Ukraine, Nigeria, Italy, and the United States. Fiction contents:"The Rule of Three" by Lawrence M. Schoen, "SisiMumu" by Walter Dinjos, "The Emperor of Death" by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, "One Bad Unit" by Steve Kopka, "The Substance of Ideas" by Clelia Farris, "In All Possible Futures" by Dantzel Cherry, "Perfection" by Mike Resnick, "Wordfall" by Liang Ling. Also included is an interview with Hollywood showrunners Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Jose Molina, an essay about the role of empire in SF storytelling, and a profile of Marina and Sergey Dyachenko by their translator and friend Julia Meitov Hersey. Includes 65,000 words of fiction and articles.

Today’s software can only imitate art, but what about tomorrow? Will true artificial intelligences be able to appreciate or even create art? Explore dystopian societies, where AI generates most of the content and human artists must eke out an existence, and utopias, where artificial minds help unlock and enhance human creativity. Delve into the minds of robot painters, AI poets, drone forgers, and electronic theater curators. These and other possible futures are imagined by award-winning and bestselling human authors from the USA, UK, China, Ukraine, Chile, Japan, Madagascar, Brazil, Czech Republic, and Sri Lanka. "In this impressive collection, a star-studded lineup of 17 authors assembled by Shvartsman (Kakistocracy) raise angst-ridden questions about human-AI collaboration. ... This smart, kaleidoscopic view into the digital future will have readers longing to log off." - Publishers Weekly

Science fiction magazine featuring stories from across the globe. In this issue we have original fiction and translations from China, the Ukraine, Nigeria, Italy, and the United States. Fiction contents:"The Rule of Three" by Lawrence M. Schoen, "SisiMumu" by Walter Dinjos, "The Emperor of Death" by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, "One Bad Unit" by Steve Kopka, "The Substance of Ideas" by Clelia Farris, "In All Possible Futures" by Dantzel Cherry, "Perfection" by Mike Resnick, "Wordfall" by Liang Ling. Also included is an interview with Hollywood showrunners Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Jose Molina, an essay about the role of empire in SF storytelling, and a profile of Marina and Sergey Dyachenko by their translator and friend Julia Meitov Hersey. Includes 65,000 words of fiction and articles.