'One of Mallory’s favourite speculative fiction novels, Carve the Mark, by Veronica Roth, contains a quote that encompasses nearly all the works revealed in this issue: “It’s hard to know what’s right in this life,” she said. “We do what we can, but what we really need is mercy.” Considering the state of the world at the moment—with civil unrest, COVID 19, and numerous protests—it’s no surprise that the selections of speculative fiction for Issue #79 had an underlying theme: love in all forms.' (Publication summary)