NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026
Welcome to Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Every issue features award-winning authors, compelling fiction stories, intriguing science fact articles, editorials, news, reviews … Travel to the edges of the universe!
EXCERPTS:
The End of the Line
William Paul Jones
POETRY:
Hope Is an Illogical Concept
Fiona Perry
GUEST EDITORIAL:
As Above, So Below—and Closer Than They Appear
Howard V. Hendrix
THE REFERENCE LIBRARY:
Rosemary Claire Smith
THE ALTERNATE VIEW:
John G. Cramer
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FEATURED STORY
Derailed
She limped a few meters from the rails to get a good look at the crash site, already covered in a thickening layer of red dust. “Well,” said Lowell, looking at the distinctly sideways nuclear steam train, “shit.” Nobody heard the words but her. That was one of the many
Keep readingHOT OFF THE PRESS
More stories from the latest issue:
- DerailedShe limped a few meters from the rails to get a good look at the crash site, already covered in a thickening layer of red dust. “Well,” said Lowell, looking at the distinctly sideways nuclear steam train, “shit.” Nobody heard the words but her. That was one of the many
- Future Trajectories for CivilizationsThose involved in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations (SETI) have found it convenient to extrapolate from the growth trajectory of our present human civilization on Planet Earth into the future, particularly the next millennium, to assume that extraterrestrial civilizations might follow a similar path, and to consider detectable signals
- The Reference LibraryI sat down to write this column on April 2, 2026, the day after Artemis II launched humanity’s first international crew of one woman and three men on a journey farther than any person had ever gone, including the astronauts in Apollo command modules that orbited the Moon over fifty
- ELDERThe reef formed overnight. It began with the spilled fuel pellets, stringing them together like pearls on a necklace. Bits of matter, familiar to humanity but arranged in novel ways, encrusted the plutonium beads—and the reef grew faster the more pellets it added to its body. It wasn’t long before
- Hundred-HandedBriareus could experience most of his life only in reconstruction, after growing complex enough for a concept as subjective as “experience” to be meaningful. This was a comfort, of sorts. He, as Briareus would later regard himself, began as a single copy in the sensor records of what he would
SNEAK PEEK
A simple courier job turns out to be more than a crew of mercs had bargained for—literally, in “The User Manual” by Tony Ballantyne; a coming of age ceremony has more personal stakes than anyone realizes for one participant, in “Beggar’s Mounted” from Eric Del Carlo; an alien superstructure does its best to keep its secrets in “Septo’s Taj” from R.R. Corvi; a burglary leads a pair of Detective Inspectors to a much bigger and weirder crime in “The Light of Darian” by Sean McMullen; an automaton with larceny on its mind gets down to business in “Career Considerations for Starship Burglars” by Hans Enge Wenger; some harsh youths learn a harsh lesson in “Robo Bashers” from Harri Hemlock, plus the next installment in Kelly Lagor’s “Warm Pond” fact series, and much more, from Adam-Troy Castro, Jay Werkheiser, and others!
AWARDS
OVER 90 YEARS OF AWARDS
Analog Stories
- 39 Hugo Awards
- 23 Nebula Awards
Analog Editors
- 7 Hugo Awards for Best Editor
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine
- 8 Hugo Awards for Best Magazine!
EXPLORE ANALOG
Welcome to Analog Science Fiction and Fact! A lifelong appreciation of science fiction has led me to an incredibly fulfilling career with Analog…
Analog Science Fiction and Fact is the most enduring and popular science fiction magazine in history. Launched in 1930, Analog offers imaginative fiction reflecting the highest standards of scientific accuracy, as well as lively fact articles about current research on the frontiers of real science. A guiding principle for both fiction and provocative opinion columns is the exploration of the impact of science and technology on the human condition.
Meet the pantheon of Analog Science Fiction and Fact authors. In addition to a Who’s Who of outrageously famous writers, you’ll also find short bios of authors in the current issue, in-depth factual articles examining the processes particular authors utilize, and more. Visit often – there’s always something new to discover!
Summer blockbuster season is soon beginning at your local cinema, but this issue, we’re splitting the difference, between SFnal human interest tales like Meg Elison’s “Go Forth and Multiply”—when we lose someone, it’s natural to want them back . . . but does it have to be on our terms?—and “Conversations with Callie,” by Lettie Prell, on the one hand, and big visionary SF like Tom R. Pike’sinterstellar game of thrones (a nod to friend of the magazine, GRRM), “Red Ships,” and the life or death struggle against pirates in Michael Kuester’s “Casual Brutality.” Add in stories from Gregor Hartmann, Jen Downes, Auston Habershaw, and “When a Greenhouse Goes Wild,” our fact article from Kevin Walsh, and your butts will be glued to your seats. So grab your popcorn and don’t miss it!
Practical resources for readers and writers, including the Analog Index, Writer’s Submission Guidelines, upcoming Science Fiction events, News, and more.
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AN INSIDE LOOK
by William Paul Jones
The stars flow beneath my slippers. Each of my steps blots out a new part of the sparkling void; I am a carefree god treading on the secrets of heaven on my way from kitchen to table. Walking on the unblemished glass of our viewing floor gives most people vertigo at the very least or night terrors at worst, but this is my home and my sanctuary. I see only potential and plenty in the infinite.
The feeling is rubbing off on our guests. “I could not envision it before,” Charan says with that million-watt smile of his. “But this is why we research our roles, is it not? Rise of the Void Guard could well be the crown jewel of my career.”
by David Horn
The control deck of the orbital station was windowless, its walls a patchwork of external feeds. Jupiter’s storms boiled across one screen; Europa’s cracked ice shimmered on another.
Dr. Lena Ortiz stood with her arms crossed, staring at the moon. Even here, kilometers of ice and substructure above the unbreachable ice shell, she felt it: the liquid below, dark and deep and restless, waiting.
Dr. Ortiz reversed her arms and stared at Europa. Behind her, Dr. Arun Sen scrolled through the mission brief. “You know the committee still doesn’t believe Europa is worth it, right?” he said. “Too deep. Too cold. Too long a shot.”
Ortiz didn’t look at him. “And yet here we are.”
