NEXT MONTH WE'RE pleased to bring you a new story by award-winning writer Ted Chiang. His first appearance in F&SF is a lovely novelet set in Baghdad during the Middle Ages. Don't miss "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate."

Also on tap for August is John Langan's grim view of the near future, "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers." This one's pretty potent.

We've got lots of other stories jostling each other to fit into the next two issues, including fantasies by Fred Chappell, Daryl Gregory, Paul Park, and Michael Swanwick, along with science fiction stories by James Stoddard and Robert Reed...plus tales from newcomers like M. Ramsey Chapman and Heather Lindsley. Use the reply card in this issue or go to www.fandsf.com and subscribe so you'll be sure to get all the goodies we're publishing in the next year.