The heat of summer will be here soon for many of us, and our July/ August issue will have a perfect mix of stories to read at the beach or enjoy in the cool shade. Last year, Gregor Hartmann brought us two adventures set on the planet Zephyr. He returns with a science fiction story closer to home about a man who gets in trouble because he's "Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful." It's hard to believe that it's been forty-five years since Phyllis Eisenstein introduced us to Alaric the Minstrel in our August 1971 issue. Now Alaric returns in "The Desert of Vanished Dreams," an adventure that will change everything you thought you knew about his world. Plus we'll have new stories by familiar visitors to these pages like Geoff Ryman and David Prill, as well as work by talented newcomers K. B. Rylander and Betsy Phillips, along with a few surprises we're still working on.

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