“Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?” is a 2007, Hugo nominated, science fiction short story by Ken MacLeod. It is about a man who agrees to investigate an abandoned experimental civilization around a distant red dwarf.

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The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year’s Best Science Fiction is a 2005 science fiction anthology edited by Gardner Dozois. It contains thirty six of the best science fiction short stories collected in the series from 1984 - 2004.

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“The Last Question” is a 1956 science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It is about a super computer that is asked a question about the end of the universe - and the very, very long time it takes to come up with an answer.

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“Finisterra” is a 2007 science fiction novelette by David Moles. It is about an engineer from Earth who contracts out to help poachers on a distant world make their biggest kill yet.

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I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove of free online science fiction short stories while browsing Greg Egan’s website.

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“Mortimer Gray’s History of Death” is a 1995 science fiction novella by Brian Stableford. It is about a nearly immortal man, living in a far future Earth, who writes a life defining Magnum Opus about - you guessed it - death.

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“The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” is a short story by Ted Chiang that has been nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It is about a fabric merchant in ancient Baghdad who discovers a time portal.

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The nominees for the 2008 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story, Best Novelette and Best Novella have finally been announced.

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“Riding the Giganotosaur” is a 1999 science fiction short story by Michael Swanwick. It is about a man who has his brain grafted onto a dinosaur’s, and then runs free and wild in the unspoiled Cretaceous period.

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Arthur C. Clarke, one of the most famous science fiction authors ever, and part of the “Big Three” of the genre (along with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein), passed away today.
In memory of this great science fiction writer I present “The Nine Billion Names of God”, the 1953 science fiction short story that was so […]

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Orbiter’s Reward
By Greg Wickenhofer
“Orbiter’s Reward” is a very short 2008 science fiction short story by Greg Wickenhofer. It is about a scrap metal business that finds a very helpful robot.

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I have had several people ask me how I consistently find great science fiction short stories online. Usually I just point them towards one of the many sites that list free online stories. However, there are times when I have a certain story in mind and I want to see if it is […]

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A 1999 short story that was nominated for the Hugo award, “Ancient Engines” explores the idea of robots that are so self preserving that they actually purchase replacement parts for themselves in a bid to live forever.

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“The Real World” is a 2000 science fiction short story by Steven Utley. It is about a scientist who has the distinguished honor of being the first person to travel back in time using a recently discovered time funnel. The question is: did he come back to the same world he left?

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Ever wondered how difficult it would be to communicate with aliens? Probably a bit harder than Star Trek makes it appear - in fact a person might have to change her whole view of the space-time continuum to truly understand their point of view.

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Stable Strategies for Middle Management
by Eileen Gunn
• Page count: 8
“Stable Strategies for Middle Management” is a 1988 science fiction short story by Eileen Gunn. It is about a woman who has undertaken a drastic form of bioengineering as a way to move up the corporate ladder.

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Allamagoosa
by Eric Frank Russell
• Word count: 4665
• Page count: 11
“Allamagoosa” is an award winning 1955 science fiction short story by Eric Frank Russell. It is about the crew of the spaceship Bustler, and their attempts to make everything spic and span prior to an official inspection.

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The 10 Best Web Sites for Free Online Science Fiction Short Stories
In my search for the best science fiction short stories to read and review, I have come across several really good web sites. These are the ones to which I am constantly returning to read stories as well as get ideas and recommendations […]

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The People of Sand and Slag
by Paolo Bacigalupi
• Word count: 7559
• Page count: 20
“The People of Sand and Slag” is a 2004 science fiction novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi. It is about three genetically enhanced guards who find a strange life form roaming on their employer’s property.

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Scherzo with Tyrannosaur
by Michael Swanwick
• Page count: 13
“Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” is an award winning 1999 science fiction short story by Michael Swanwick.
It is about the director of a dinosaur research center who holds a time-line-polluting fund raiser.

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