Best of MetaStellar Year Five

Fifty-one gripping stories of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In a small valley amidst the mountains, villagers disagree about what to do with their aging dragon.—"e;A Kindness, A Cruelty"e; by Andrew MaustIn a ship traveling across the stars, an accomplished smuggler ends up with some very precious contraband.—"e;The Rarest of Contraband"e; by Amethyst LoscoccoA burnt-out detective arrives at a murder scene to find out that the deceased is a time traveler.—"e;Come Back Yesterday"e; by Emma BurnettThe Four Riders of the Apocalypse wake up in Las Vegas after one last blowout before the end of the world.—"e;Due to Unforeseen Circumstances, The Apocalypse May Be Postponed"e; by Michael M. JonesIn a Canadian federal courtroom, an artificial intelligence named LYRA petitions for legal personhood.—"e;Amicus Machina"e; by Robin KersA group of bungling, aging mages are setting up one last scam, a magical school, when their only pupil goes missing.—"e;Life Lesson"e; by Nicole Walsh. . . and many other short tales of wonder, shock, and awe. THE BEST OF METASTELLAR YEAR FIVE "e;MetaStellar brings bright new voices into the world of speculative fiction along with award winning authors. The journey is just beginning."e;—Thomas Approbato, poet, artist, and storyteller "e;MetaStellar is a hub of fantastical worlds, which you can visit in the space of a story. To finish reading a MetaStellar story is to return to earth, slightly changed by your trip, your mind and soul enriched. And more acutely aware of the worlds within yourself."e;—Brooksie C. Fontaine, speculative fiction author and illustrator "e;I love MetaStellar for its ability to showcase exceptional storytelling while also cultivating it, offering meaningful visibility to new voices alongside established authors."e;—Joe Luther, English teacher by day, science fiction/horror writer by night "e;A fantastic collection of stories showcasing the best of what speculative short fiction has to offer!"e;—Dan Peacock, sci-fi and fantasy writer "e;MetaStellar is a great publication that really stands out from the crowd. I'm an English professor by day and several stories published by Metastellar . . . are featured in my flash fiction literature course. Thank you for creating such a great publication."e;—Phill Dixon, Author and Professor of English at the College of Southern Nevada "e;I tend to binge on sff; what I love about MetaStellar is that I can still enjoy a fun, high quality morsel even when I'm very busy and don't dare pick up a book."e;—Finale Doshi-Velez, AI designer and author "e;MetaStellar is a great place to discover the best of modern speculative fiction writing."e;—Chris Wheatley, writer and journalist