In The Season of Blue Storms by Jude-Marie Green

In The Season of Blue Storms

by Jude-Marie Green

• Word count: 4134
• Page count: 9

In The Season of Blue Storms is a science fiction short story by Jude-Marie Green. It is about two scientists surveying a world ravaged by storms and the unique life forms they discover there.

In The Season of Blue Storms follows two separate story lines. The first is about a self-aware storm named Naschi as he tries to figure out why another storm robbed him of his nutrients. The second follows two scientists who send satellite probes into the planet they are surveying and are amazed at what happens to them.

Quite an enjoyable read, this short story has some very unique ideas. If you enjoy stretching the boundaries of the term “alien life forms” then you’ll love this one.

In The Season of Blue Storms was selected as an Honorable Mention in Gardner Dozois’s 2006 edition of The Year’s Best Science Fiction. It was also selected as a notable story of 2006 by Story South.

In the four seasons since his naming, Naschi had built up herds of nutrient balloons rich in particulate density enhancing his own spectra – an intense bright oxygen blue. Now though, he was weak, slow in speed, pale in color, unable even to plant his foot on the planet’s hot, restoring surface.

The blue storm was in trouble. He was on the outskirts of his storm family, ostracized and perhaps dying. His balloons needed nourishment. They were pale turquoise rather than the strong oxygen blue they should have been. The encounter with Coromell had worn him out. She had taken the largest part of his life force.

Where you can find In The Season of Blue Storms:
• In The Season of Blue Storms originally appeared in Issue #17: 1st Quarter (January-February) 2006 of the online web-zine Abyss & Apex Magazine of Speculative Fiction.
• You can read a free HTML version of In The Season of Blue Storms online at the Abyss & Apex website.

Jude-Marie Green lives in Los Angeles with her cat and parrot. Some of her work has been featured in the science fiction anthology Visual Journeys: A Tribute to Space Artists.

If you liked this story you may also enjoy Beyond the Wall by Justin Stanchfield.

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