The Readers’ Guide

What’s in Issue 800

News	Special Challenge: This is Bewildering Stories’ 800th regular issue. Our special issues include the Annual and Quarterly Reviews and the early Retrospectives. Beginning with Year 3, how many special issues have appeared? How many official issues — regular plus special — have appeared as of issue 800? For what date is our 1,000th official issue scheduled? Our 1,000th regular issue? How many names are listed in our Biographies & Bibliographies index? A veteran contributor of our early years, Thomas R., enjoyed factoring issue numbers. Can you think of another fancy formula besides 2³×10²? The Bewildering community is large. A member of long standing, Michael E. Lloyd, marks the occasion with kind words.
Novella	Kelvin stars on a defensive play in a practice session, and Jimmy stars in a big game. Their rival, Sterling Richardson, feels humiliated. But Kelvin’s sister, April, is looking forward eagerly to a big date with Sterling. Kelvin and Jimmy know what to expect: J. C. G. Goelz, Responsibilities of Being a Man, part 5; part 6.
Serial	New contributor Keith O’Neill introduces 86, an android designed to be thoroughly man-like in order to work well with humans. On an assembly line, 86 and his friend Herman build the machines that will inherit the future in the economic and ecological Badlands, part 1; part 2.
Short Stories	An artificial intelligence designed to care for prospective customers performs poorly in sales but may have a good place elsewhere: Scott Coon, The Loneliest Advertisement Bot. New contributor Joe Greenslade introduces two demons who are fed up with a tyrannical boss who delights vindictively in humiliating and firing his employees. No, not that one; the big one: Toil and Trouble. Fast food ensures both performers and audiences in a mysterious, immobile circus: Ljubo Popovich, The Prototypes of Shade Town, part 1; part 2; conclusion.
Flash Fiction	New contributor Deborah Shrimplin depicts the life of a hardworking forensics photographer whose true feelings No One Knew.
Short Poetry	Alan Garfoot, Know Forever

Departments

Welcome	*Bewildering Stories* welcomes Keith O’Neill and Deborah Shrimplin.
Challenge	Challenge 800 goes all in by Doubling Down.
Letters	Michael E. Lloyd sends Congratulations.
The Art Gallery	Richard Ong, Feral Night A randomly rotating selection of Bewildering Stories’ art NASA: Picture of the Day Previous NASA photos Earth Observatory Picture of the Day Our Earth as Art *Sky and Telescope*, This Week’s Sky at a Glance

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.
Please write!

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