“Melville on Iapetus” is a 1983 science fiction short story by Jack McDevitt. It is about a group of astronauts who discover an ancient statue on one of Saturn’s moons.

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“Melancholy Elephants” is a 1983 short story by Spider Robinson. It deals with a legal issue, which is what first attracted me to it. The issue is copyright, and the theme is the mental health of the species. In it a U.S. Senate lobbyist argues against a law which will protect artist’s intellectual property in perpetuity. The hook is (at least the first hook) is that she represents the artists!
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“The Crystal Spheres” is a 1984 science fiction short story by David Brin. It is about a man who travels to a distant star system after learning that the inhabitants there have broken out of their crystal shell.

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“The Giving Plague” is a 1988 science fiction short story by David Brin. It is about a member of a famous research team that discovers a virus with a peculiar method of transmission.

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“Johnny Mnemonic” is a 1981 science fiction short story by William Gibson. It is about a man with some sensitive information implanted in his head, who is running from a Yakuza hit man.

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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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Kirinyaga

by Mike Resnick

• Page count: 13

“Kirinyaga” is an award winning 1988 science fiction short story by Mike Resnick. It is about a colony of Kikiru living on a utopian world who are investigated for their religious practices.

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Blood Music

by Greg Bear

• Page count: 18

Blood Music is a 1983 award winning science fiction novelette by Greg Bear. It is about a scientist who injects himself with billions of tiny biological computers, and then gets nervous when they start changing his body.

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Salvador

by Lucius Shepard

• Page count: 12

Salvador is an award winning science fiction short story by Lucius Shepard. It is about a group of specially trained US soldiers using drugs to enhance their fighting abilities in Central America.

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A Cabin On The Coast

by Gene Wolfe

• Page count: 9

A Cabin On The Coast is a 1984 science fiction / fantasy short story by Gene Wolfe. It is about a young man who makes a deal with an alien ship in exchange for his girlfriend’s life.

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Raft

by Stephen Baxter

• Word count: 5951
• Page count: 16

Raft is a science fiction short story that first appeared in issue #31 (Sep/Oct 1989) of the British science fiction and fantasy magazine Interzone. The story is about a group of humans that accidentally entered an alternate universe where gravity is much stronger than it is in ours. It follows a young man named Rees who is apprenticed to a scientist after one of his pranks nearly kills a fellow crewmember. It takes place over several years as Rees learns more about their universe and tries to overcome its limitations so he can save his crew.
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