  
ILLUMINATIONS OF THE FANTASTIC ONLINE MAGAZINE

ISSUE

NO.
21

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 5TH, 2026
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EDITORS
SAMUEL J. STEPHENS · PHILIP J. PALACIOS · NATHAN GILMORE · DIANA MASSENGALE

ART DESIGN
SAMUEL J. STEPHENS

EDITED BY SAMUEL J. STEPHENS | PHILIP J. PALACIOS | NATHAN GILMORE | DIANA MASSENGALE

Stories

[appalachian black hole story]

***story | sci-fi/noir***
by CALEB CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

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HOSTILE TAKEOVER

***story | science-fiction***
by PHILIP J. PALACIOS
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*Artwork by*

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THE BARGEMAN WILL NOT COME

***story | gothic***
by SAMUEL J. STEPHENS
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
*Artwork by*

[a story]

***story | sci-fi/noir***
by CHRISTOPHER WITTY
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
*Artwork by*

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[a story]

***story | fiction***
by CAMILLE DASILVA
Description Text Here
*Artwork by*

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Features

THE BOOK CORNER

***VOLUME IV · JUNE 2025***
edited by Nathan Gilmore
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*Artwork by*

THE SONNET CORNER

***Edition No.5***
edited by Samuel J. Stephens & Nathan Gilmore
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*Artwork by*

FILM FILINGS

***JUNE 2025***
edited by Nathan Gilmore
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*Artwork by*

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COPYRIGHTS.

Illuminations of the Fantastic (or “IF: Illuminations of the Fantastic”) is protected by U.S. Copyright Law. All materials published online here or in the printed version, are claimed by us (IlluminationsFantastic.com). We reserve the right to pursue legal action against those who publish or re-publish the works claimed by Illuminations of the Fantastic without our express permission or the original author(s) of said work.

Illuminations of the Fantastic has been named 'One of the Best Literary Magazines of 2023' by the influential writer's resource website ReedsyBlog.

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Content Rating: All stories published by IF can be assumed to have a content rating between PG-13 and a soft R.

Illuminations of the Fantastic Magazine is a current and free online magazine that publishes new short stories, poetry, and essays. www.illuminationsfantastic.com

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Stories

[appalachian black hole story]

by CALEB CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS

HOSTILE TAKEOVER

by PHILIP J. PALACIOS

THE BARGEMAN WILL NOT COME

by SAMUEL J. STEPHENS

[a story]

by CHRISTOPHER WITTY

[a story]

by CAMILLE DASILVA

Features

THE BOOK CORNER

edited by Nathan Gilmore

THE SONNET CORNER

FILM FILINGS

edited by Nathan Gilmore

COPYRIGHTS.

***