Happy Birthday, Niatti by Raz Greenberg

“Happy Birthday, Niatti” is a 2009 science fiction novelette by Raz Greenberg. It is about a girl who rebels against her mother’s illegal activities by joining the opposing Coalition forces that her father belonged to.

Children In Space!

I always wished that I had grown up in space somehow. I dreamed of adventuring between the stars and fighting laser battles – as long as I was always on the good (i.e. winning) side. However, after reading this story I realize that perhaps my terrestrial bound home wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

There are a lot of big events that happen on one’s birthday, and this is especially true for Niatti. The daughter of a spaceport owner, Niatti endures several terrible moments in her life, including the death of her father and several years of captivity at the hands of a ruthless commander. But there are some good points too, like her decision to join the Coalition and take a stand against the rich and illegal traders – even if that means she will inevitably have a show down with her infamous mother.

My Two Cents…

• I enjoy stories that span long periods of time. It is fun being able to see Niatti at different times in her life, and figuring out what has happened in between.
• Niatti is a great, feisty character. It was totally fun watching her use her rebellious talents to further the Coalition’s cause!
• Although the story is a bit predictable in places, and some of the characters are stereo-typical, this was still a fun read, and I really enjoyed the space-opera tone of the story.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 16
• Word Count: 10,471
• According to Raygun Revival, Raz Greenberg is “a PhD student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem” and has “published several short stories in Israeli science fiction magazines.” Be sure to read the bio at the end of the issue to learn more about this science fiction author.

Where You Can Find Happy Birthday, Niatti:

• This story was originally published in issue #53 (June 2009) of the online magazine Raygun Revival – where you can still download it for free.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked “Happy Birthday, Niatti” then you’ll probably also enjoy The Chief Designer by Andy Duncan.

Subscribe to BestScienceFictionStories.com