Metaphorosis magazine - beautifully written science fiction and fantasy

Lars Bjornsen, the exiled imperial poisoner, has reunited with his old friend, Fredrik Magnusson, who now serves as physik to the imperial family. Together they race to unravel two mysteries: the sudden illness of Emperor Gustavus and the death of the newest imperial poisoner, Lord Anders. While the clues point to a possible coup attempt, Lars begins to suspect that Spymaster Maja Viklund and Lord Anders were dosing the emperor with an aphrodisiac known as Sweet Agony to ensure a new heir. While Sweet Agony is not part of the Society of Poisoner’s arsenal, its side effects could be fatal for an old man like Emperor Gustavus.
Narrated by Thomas Baxter. Published in Metaphorosis on 25 August 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

In the wake of Earth's apocalypse, a hardened group of survivors has settled on Mars. Melanie lives on the fringes of this violent new society, her little sanctuary visited only by settlers coming to request rewrites of their favorite books from Earth. Until, two young boys show up one day, and she is forced to choose between her comfortable life and helping them face a looming threat.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 18 August 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

Laura’s job with the Department of Magical Resources has left her no time or desire for human connection but when a mysterious magical infant is thrust into her care, she is forced to confront elements of her painful past. As she tries to help the child, the integrity of herself and those around her will be tested. But no matter how the assignment is finished, Laura will never be the same.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 11 August 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

You settle in beside the child. Her pulse is rapid and weak beneath your fingers as you bring your thoughts to the focal point of the girl’s origin. You set yourself like a fulcrum in the space between what is yet to come and what has passed, and stretch.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 04 August 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

Lars Bjornsen was once an influential member of the Society of Poisoners, serving as imperial poisoner to Emperor Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, but Lars has been in exile for the past three years because he failed to assassinate the son of the Russian tsar. When an imperial messenger brings word that Emperor Gustavus has taken ill and the current imperial poisoner is dead, Lars realizes his oath of fealty requires he assist. He must be careful, however, because Lars’ former lover, Spymaster Maja Viklund, has eyes everywhere, and he faces imprisonment or execution should he be discovered.
Narrated by Thomas Baxter. Published in Metaphorosis on 28 July 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

The story of Miranda Southbrook has been told and retold with all manner of embellishment and fancy. But this recovered journal is the story told in her own words, the story of a young woman given a terrible choice and tested with an impossible circumstance. It is the account of an extraordinary person wrestling with the most ordinary of questions: what is my place in the world?
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 21 July 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

In the halls of the House of Hassam, a prince meets an oracle. The prince seeks to master his fate and bend fortune to his will. The oracle sits and watches.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 14 July 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

All Derek wants is to survive his shifts as an antibacterialist at the Museum of Anthropological Findings and bask in the projection light of infomercial titans like Vince Offer and Joe Gray. But when someone decides to desecrate a display he’s responsible for, Derek finds himself thinking about the Old World, the New, and who he is in all of it.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 07 July 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

The animals of the Rainriver Zoological Gardens experience the backlash of Oliver the tortoise's escape and the zoo's sudden popularity. Overstressed and driven to the edge of desperation, the animal and human inhabitants of the zoo race toward an unintended intersection that is bound to end in tragedy.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 30 June 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.

A young refugee living out of a tenement becomes the unwitting avatar of her lost country's god.
Narrated by host Matt Gomez. Published in Metaphorosis on 23 June 2023. Find the original at magazine.metaphorosis.com.