OUR COPYWRITERS are overjoyed by the fact that we're serializing Terry Bisson's Planet of Mystery—now they have a chance to use all the great copy lines they've saved up for years. Be sure to catch the thrilling conclusion next month! You've never seen the likes of it! Will Commander Hall and Engineer Chang ever get home to Earth!?! And what fate awaits Collins!?! Don't miss it!!!

(Wow, they used up almost our entire year's supply of exclamation marks.)

Next month's cover story is an unusual tale that juxtaposes celestial bodies with matters of the flesh. Gary W. Shockley's "The Cathedral of Universal Biodiversity" introduces us to an unlikely evangelist whose specialty is envisioning what waits in unexplored regions of the universe. But not even he is completely able to ignore more worldly concerns, as you'll see.

Before Hurricane Katrina hit, our faithful chronicler of New Orleans's oddest spots, Albert Cowdrey, got out of the city with some new stories. He's fine, thank you for asking, and we'll soon bring you his latest tales. Other contributors with stories in inventory include Daryl Gregory, Claudia O'Keefe, M. Rickert, and Ysabeau Wilce, as well as several new writers. We expect 2006 to be a good year—you can subscribe at www.fsfmag.com to make sure you won't miss any of this year's goodies.