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John Joseph Adams

@johnjosephadams.com

4.3K followers 630 following 420 posts

Series Editor of BASFF. Publisher of @lightspeedmagazine.com (+ Editor) and NIGHTMARE. Editor of 40+ anthologies. Co-editor (with Jordan Peele) of OUT THERE SCREAMING. Newsletter Signup: https://robotwizardzombiecrit.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · Jan 6

My ROBOT WIZARD ZOMBIE CRIT! newsletter has launched! Sign up for updates about @lightspeedmagazine.com & @nightmare-magazine.com, my anthologies, + my thoughts on books, short stories, TV/film, RPGs, & related subjects. Get a free ebook anthology for signing up. www.johnjosephadams.com/newsletter

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 13h

We also just published "Last Meal Aboard the Awassa" by Kel in September, in LIGHTSPEED www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/last...

Last Meal Aboard the Awassa - Lightspeed Magazine

Gardener ladled dark-purple porridge into her primary digestion sac, staring absently out the viewport at black space and the distant smudge of the planet they had come to study. The simple meal and t...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 13h

We also just published "Aperion" by Cadwell last month in LIGHTSPEED www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/apei...

Apeiron - Lightspeed Magazine

Outside the cabin, there was snow. There had always been snow, far as the eye could see, and further still. It might be true that the snow extended forever in every direction, sitting heavy on mountai...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"The Venus Effect" by Violet Allen (@blipstress.bsky.social), from LIGHTSPEED (2016) www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-... One of my favorite stories I've ever published.

The Venus Effect - Lightspeed Magazine

This is 2015. A party on a westside roof, just before midnight. Some Mia or Mina or throwing it, the white girl with the jean jacket and the headband and the two-bumps-of-molly grin, flitting from fri...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"The Music of the Siphorophenes" by C.L. Polk, from THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION (2021) [later reprinted in UNCANNY www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-... ]

The Music of the Siphorophenes - Uncanny Magazine

I know a nanomask when I see one, especially when the wearer’s making eye contact. There’s something about how the mask melds around the lids—it’s just a little bit stiff, but you have to really know ...

www.uncannymagazine.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"What I Remember of Oresha Moon Dragon Devshrata" by P. Djèlí Clark, from THE BOOK OF WITCHES (2023)

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"Falling Bodies" by Rebecca Roanhorse, from THE FAR REACHES (Amazon Original Stories collection) www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches collection)

Amazon.com: Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches collection) eBook : Roanhorse, Rebecca: Kindle Store

www.amazon.com

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"Delete Your First Memory For Free" by Kel Coleman, from FIYAH (2021) [reprinted in ESCAPE POD escapepod.org/2021/09/30/e... ]

Escape Pod 804: Delete Your First Memory for Free

The bus jerks to a stop and I tighten my grip on the smooth, metal bar. Doors open. More passengers. Bodies hem me in, which makes me anxious, which makes me bite my nails. I maneuver the shredded…

escapepod.org

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"There, She Didn’t Need Air to Fill Her Lungs" by Cadwell Turnbull, from LOST WORLDS AND MYTHOLOGICAL KINGDOMS anthology (2022)

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"Reckless Eyeballing" by N.K. Jemisin, from OUT THERE SCREAMING anthology (2023)

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

yup!

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle" by Sofia Samatar, from THE STARLIT WOOD anthology (2016) [later reprinted in LIGHTSPEED: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/tale... ]

The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle - Lightspeed Magazine

This story is at least a thousand years old. Its complete title is “The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle: It Contains Strange and Marvelous Things.” A single copy, probably prod...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"The Daydreamer by Proxy" by Dexter Palmer, from THE BESTIARY anthology (2015) [later reprinted in LIGHTSPEED www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-... ]

The Daydreamer by Proxy - Lightspeed Magazine

Dear Geneertech Employee #__________: Hello! We’re glad that you’re considering serving as the host of a Geneertech Corporation Daydreamer by Proxy. We know that this is not an easy decision to make. ...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

"Lone Women" by Victor LaValle, from LONG HIDDEN anthology (2014)

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 14h

Since it's Black Speculative Fiction Month, I thought I'd share a story I love by a Black author each day. Since I'm starting 10 days in, I'll post a bunch to catch up. I'm going to do 15 from the Top 80 of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and 15 from Lightspeed/Nightmare.

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 16h

I don't know about the other adventures in DUNGEONS DEEP, but I think "The Dark God's Ziggurat" would be OK for a newb DM; "Clockwork Phylactery" would be more challenging.

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 16h

With "Ascendancy" I really went out of my way to include everything a DM might need and organized it in a way that I thought would be easy to reference on the fly.

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 17h

Since DUNGEONS DEEP just came out, I wanted to post again about my indie-published adventure, ASCENDANCY OF NUR'RY'ZA. It's about missing wizards-in-training, a cursed game, and monks who worship a dark entity.

PDF: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Roll20: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Cover of ASCENDANCY OF NUR'RY'ZA, a 5e Adventure for PCs of 5th or 6th level by Ennie and Hugo Award winner John Joseph Adams. Cover image depicts a female monk standing in a powerful martial arts pose, with the earth shattering around her as if from the force of her feet striking the ground.
TEXT: PLAY THE GAME. LOSE CONTROL. FEED THE GOD.
What begins as a simple missing persons case quickly spirals into a descent through obsession, curses, and cult sacrifices. Ascendancy of Nur’Ry’Za is a one-shot adventure easy to slip into any campaign. Set in a monastery high atop a remote mountain, a cursed game is dominating minds and feeding the bottomless hunger of a dark eldritch entity.

This 50+ page adventure includes:

A narrative-rich mystery adventure with elements of horror and psychological tension
A Go/Chess-like game called Ascendancy that curses its players and enthralls them to a dark eldritch entity
A climactic ritual encounter where timing and choices matter
A monastery dungeon with tactical encounters and dramatic set-pieces
Three original full-color, highly-detailed hi-res maps (including player versions, GM versions, and a GM versions with creature placement)
3 original monk statblocks, inspired by Brazilian jiu-jitsu: Monk, Grappler Monk, and Grappling Master Monk
4 original “disciple” statblocks, designed to be warlock-monk cultists: Disciple Initiate, Zealous Disciple, Dark Disciple Priest, and Ardent Disciple
Tokens for all creatures and NPCs
Adventure text that uses special formatting conventions and hyperlinks to help GMs easily navigate the text while running the adventure
Four player handouts
An original monk subclass, The Way of Control, inspired by Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Designed for 5 PCs of 5th level (Hard-Deadly) or 6th level (Medium-Hard), this adventure is perfect for groups who enjoy a mix of intrigue, combat, and unraveling ancient secrets.

Reposted by John Joseph Adams

Marty Cahill @mcflycahill90.bsky.social · 1d

New story day! My 6th story with @lightspeedmagazine.com, "At the Bottom of the Bonfire," is about ambition with no limits, hunger with no satisfaction, and what you lose as you gain power. Thanks as always to @johnjosephadams.com & @wnwagner.bsky.social!

www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/at-t...

At the Bottom of the Bonfire - Lightspeed Magazine

By the time he went to reclaim himself, it was too late. As a young man, he’d realized there was a power to being alone. Relationships were tethers that held you back, sapped you of strength, of will....

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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Reposted by John Joseph Adams

Osahon @osahon4545.bsky.social · 1d

Story day! “O Mechfighter, O Starsinger” in @lightspeedmagazine.com is my epic space opera about lost ancestry that’s trying to be revived between a human trafficking survivor who sings to the stars and a soldier grappling with her complicity in war: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/o-me...

O Mechfighter, O Starsinger - Lightspeed Magazine

The Starsinger, the Starsinger, the Starsinger, he sings. His histories have long been recorded—in every pit stop he has visited. In every station he has stayed. It may be just a minute of the traffic...

www.lightspeedmagazine.com

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Reposted by John Joseph Adams

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 2d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 2d

Though I suppose my advice is to not buy a D&D rug, unless you don't have dogs. If you have dogs, they will definitely immediately ruin your D&D rug.

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 2d

Sick! Dang, that looks way better than my D&D d20 rug. I want THAT as a rug. I'll pass on a puzzle, though; you're made of sterner stuff than I am.

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John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 2d

FBI director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi stand in front of an American Flag. Kash has his arms folded across his chest and is making weird eyes at someone off camera; a thought balloon beside him says "Can't wait for Valhalla." Pam is looking longingly offscreen, with a thought balloon that says "Can't wait to end rule of law."

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 2d

Just always thinkin bout Valhalla

John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams.com · 5d

I'll urge everyone to not judge the show by episode 3, "Night of the Dead Living" which is episode 3 officially (but apparently aired as episode 9?). It's ... not good.