An AI-controlled avatar built to entertain patients in deep space performs innocuous magic tricks for patients... until one day, he adds something new to his act.
This story was originally published in AVATARS INC edited by Ann VanderMeer, and collected in THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 2 edited by Jonathan Strahan.
PLUS! With FIYAH Literary Magazine and Tor.com, we announce the winners of the LeVar Burton Reads writing contest!
Content advisory: hospice setting, death
"The Angel of Khan El-Khalili" by P. Djèlí Clark
"Milagroso" by Isabel Yap
"Dark Spaces on the Map" by Anjali Sachdeva
"Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot" by Robert Olen Butler
"The Bank of Burkina Faso" by Ekaterina Sedia
Season 9 is Almost Here!
"St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid" by C.L. Polk
"Vaccine Season" by Hannu Rajaniemi
"Getaway" by Nicole Kornher-Stace
"Salt" by Rosemary Melchior
"An Equal Share of the Bone" by Karen Osborne
"Killer of Kings" by Anjali Sachdeva
"Flyboys" by Tobias Wolff
"The Regression Test" by Wole Talabi
"Alluvial Deposits" by Percival Everett
"Daddy" by Damion Wilson
"The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roanhorse
"Silver Door Diner" by Bishop Garrison
Season 8... Coming Soon!
Nnedi Okorafor, Author of "Mother of Invention", Part 3
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