What’s in Issue 348

Novel	The brain trust of Hades, Ltd. has completed plans to smuggle George Pike aboard the Khomus vessel Nimrod, where he must impersonate the captain. Pike discovers that in his new incarnation he’s been a hero in the space wars of this alternate Earth: Gabriel S. Timar, The Hades Connection, chapter 9; chapter 10, part 1; part 2.
Novella	Fred Looseman gives a conference presentation about risk analysis in the La Figa bank’s operations. His session is desultory, even boring — until the audience realizes what La Figa is and what the risk really involves: Bertrand Cayzac, Floozman: First Episode with Figs and Riesling part 3: Fred’s Presentation — La Présentation de Fred part 4: The Old Consultant’s Slumber — Le Sommeil du vieux consultant Walter Wobble despairs of his career as a student and settles into an existence as a latter-day Romantic poet in a New York City tenement. There’s more: a vision of the captivating Cynthia may turn Walter’s life into an opera: Bill Bowler, The Bohemian Chapter 1: Peeping Tom Chapter 2: Love and Money
Short Stories	If you saw a preview of your life, would you want to live it? Could you? Mark Bastable, Flick Book, part 1; conclusion. An old, abandoned house doesn’t want to crumble, and it has strange and roundabout ways of protecting itself: Michael D. Brooks, Bully Factor. New contributor S. D. Houston plays a practical joke on Dorian Gray: Falling Shut. Does life resemble a crossword puzzle or is it the other way around? Maybe it all depends on who reads the clues: Diana Pollin, Grey Lines on White Paper.
Flash Fiction	New contributor Eileen Elkinson evokes nostalgia for school days, good old gang-war, violence-ridden school days: Everyday Disasters. New contributor Peter McMillan gives a few good reasons why a certain man might not want to be seen At the Grocery.
Poetry	Francine Schwartz, Silhouettes John W. Steele, The Machine
Short Poetry	Don Webb, I’m All, “And the Night Visitor!”

Departments

Welcome	*Bewildering Stories* welcomes Eileen Elkinson, S. D. Houston, and Peter McMillan.
Challenge	Challenge 347 Response: Crystalwizard writes about “The Name of the Tree.” Challenge 348: Like, Say It Again, Sam?
The Reading Room	Danielle L. Parker reviews Gardner Dozois & Jonathan Strahan, eds, The New Space Opera.
The Art Gallery	A randomly rotating selection of Bewildering Stories’ art NASA: Picture of the Day Earth Observatory Picture of the Day

Randomly selected Bewildering motto:

Randomly selected classic rejection notice:

Bewildering Stories’ official mottoes:

“Poems are not made with ideas; they are made with words.” — Stéphane Mallarmé
Ars longa, vita brevis. Rough translation: “Proofreading never ends.”

To Bewildering Stories’ schedule: In Times to Come

Readers’ reactions are always welcome.
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