April 2026 | Issue No. 4 Empathy, Deception, and the Inhuman Edge. Humanity flickers against the cold machinery of worlds remade — robots stalling in chemical dark, cybernetic pets unraveling minds, cities slipping into surreal shadows, alien hungers feeding on hidden agonies. These four stories probe where empathy endures when everything else has been automated, colonized, or weaponized. This is the LDS speculative edge: faith sharpening the fantastic. Issue Details 4 Original Stories Print & Digital Formats Available PG-13 Teen + Adult Friendly 100% Human Real Authors All new stories from Joseph PembertonNeil PullenDavid Rogers Featured Story The Taste of Earth By Robert Hill April 2026 Issue No. 4 What's inside “Wednesday” by Joseph Pemberton: In a near-future where robots have taken human jobs, and people exist to get robots unstuck, a lone tech rolls up to an old fast-food joint on Spring Street. The job ticket is simple: enter the facility, find the jam, clear it. Ten times the payout if he beats four minutes. Inside, the lights stutter on in sequence. The air is thick with the reek of chemicals, vitamins, and something rotting. Bipedal units stand frozen, coated in white powder. A broken drum leaks glossy yellow sludge across the floor. Sixteen workers have already walked away. The timer is running. But this jam has teeth—and it might just bite back. “Grant Synthetic Veterinary Services” by Neil Pullen: George Grant, a cybernetic pet technician on a remote mining colony, is tasked with fixing a surge of malfunctioning robotic dogs before it costs the company money—and his career. As tensions rise among colonists, Grant discovers the real cause: invisible parasitic creatures that agitate human emotions. With help from a doctor, he defies orders to deploy a colony-wide sedative, preventing disaster. Though punished initially, his actions ultimately earn recognition and promotion. “Outside the Station” by David Rogers: After stepping off a familiar train, Mason finds himself in a subtly altered version of his city—one where street names are unfamiliar, the environment feels off, and people are strangely absent. As he tries to rationalize his disorientation, a mysterious woman suggests he may be lost in a deeper sense than he realizes, hinting that the city itself may not allow multiple "versions" of people to coexist. “The Taste of Earth” by Robert Hill — Featured Story: Set during a losing war against an alien species, the story follows Mark, a political consultant brought in not for tactics, but for psychological insight. As military leaders struggle to understand rare human victories, Mark uncovers a disturbing truth: the aliens feed on human suffering and are drawn to emotional intensity rather than strategic targets. Faith Meets The Fantastic Infinite Valley exists because the LDS perspective on the cosmos produces the boldest storytelling in the galaxy. 100% human authors. Written for teens and adults who take the fantastic seriously. Available in print and digital.
