Are You a Fan of King Arthur?

I have always found the legend of King Arthur to be fascinating and fun to read. This easy-to-read and fun story provides a bit of a modern twist on one of the knights from that famous tale.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Sean is in big trouble. With only days before the committee arrives to evaluate his final survey report, the computers on Nemuria have contracted a nasty virus and are holding his data hostage. There is one small chance, however, and that is the small nanny robot which sometimes stores back-ups. But the virus has caused it to believe it is an Arthurian knight… and the only way to fix it is to provide the mythical “Questing Beast” so that it can capture it – then the virus will purge itself and Sean can get his report done. Or at least that is what he’s hoping for. He has to pull every string he has to get the beast made, but even that may not be enough.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 5,241 (10 pages)
• Did you know that Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team? Yep. You can learn more about this creative team on their web site.

Where To Find Questing Beast

• This short story was first published in issue #23 (June 2006) of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.
• "Questing Beast" can be read (or downloaded in many formats) for free online at Smashwords.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Questing Beast" then you may also enjoy “From The Lost Diary Of TreeFrog7″ by Nnedi Okorafor – about a team of jungle explorers who are searching for an ancient computerized plant.

If you swapped minds with your dog, what would you do? Go to the mall, sneak into locker rooms, or chase cats all day? Now, what if you swapped minds with a duck? A cat? Or worse, a toaster?

This is the quandary faced by a nameless professor in Matthew Grigg’s short story, Professor Panini. The story starts when a self-made man, now a professor and researcher, works on exchanging the minds of a cat and duck using a machine. There are no details about how the machine works or what it looks like; suffice it to say that the experiment doesn’t go as planned, and hilarity ensues.

The professor has become a helpless, though intelligent toaster. In his immobile state, he starts looking for help in a myriad ways that the reader might not even imagine. Tossing toast, reprogramming the toaster, and even giving orders over the phone after a Rube Goldberg-like sequence of events all lead comically and slowly to a fun finale.

Will the professor escape the life of a stationary toaster, or will he forever be shooting out SOS bread messages through his apartment window?

Grigg’s prose is simple, sometimes too simple that you wonder if the lead character is actually a professor or some science enthusiast gone mad. However, this also bucks the trend of the jargon-spouting scientist who has nothing to talk about except science, making the short story a much easier read.

There are very few descriptions of the professor’s whereabouts, which might be disadvantageous, since the story could have profited from some descriptions that would allow us to exclaim, “Yes, let’s try the oven/window/fridge so we can get out of this mess!” along with the professor. Nevertheless, the professor’s thoughts and observations about his state allow us to glimpse another angle of the short story: one where an introspective life is necessary, since there is no other option but to think.

Without being weighed down by jargon, much less by conventional characters, Professor Panini becomes funnier and even more believable. It’s easier, after all, to imagine a professor eating his breakfast while starting up his experiment than it is to imagine a researcher stuck in a lab and electrocuting everything in sight.

Professor Panini does not have a dull bone in its short body. With only one character trying to shuttle between brilliant humanity and mere technology, you’ll find yourself thinking: if this is possible, how would I get out of the toaster?

You can read the whole story here http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ProfPani724.shtml.

Inez Ponce de Leon has a background in molecular biology and science communication. She loves to write on a wide variety of topics, even Procera AVH.

Still Life With Apocalypse by Richard Kadrey is a post-apocalyptic fiction short story (about 3,000 words long) that is essentially the memoirs of a man in the ruins of the world, after it has been torn to pieces due to inexplicable reasons.

Non-Spoiler Summary:

The nameless protagonist starts by depicting a horrifying scene that completely immerses you into the short story. It is sufficiently disturbing without resorting to gorror imagery. Without missing a beat, he then goes on to describe the way everyday life is in the ashes and gives you just enough information about himself to make you both despise and pity him at the same time.

My thoughts:

My motto concerning science fiction short stories, has always been this: a good short short scifi story is like a swift, hard elbow thrust to the teeth. It makes you go reeling, stumbling back, grasping at the mess of your mouth, trying to pick up your teeth off the floor. Still Life With Apocalypse does just that. It grips you from the moment you start reading it and then suddenly lets you go reeling, feeling somewhat diminished and you just know you (and your dentist) will never stop thinking about it.

Despite its very, very strong selling points, the story does have a weak premise concerning how the Apocalypse came about (a series of events that somehow caused a chain reaction which in turn destroyed society as we know it), but it still flows excellently.

All in all, it’s a short and great read that feels like a nightmare (in a good way).

Writey-whimey ooblie-jooblies

• Word count: 2,900
• Richard Kadrey is a San Francisco-based novelist, freelance writer, and photographer. Kadrey’s novels are Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha from Hell, Metrophage, Kamikaze L’Amour, and Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion. Other works include collaborative graphic novels and over 50 published short stories

Where you can find Still Life With Apocalypse:

This short story has been printed in the short story collection Wastelands (edited by John J. Adams). It’s a collection of post-apocalyptic short stories which has a number of excellent pieces and I highly recommend it. If you want to read it from free, you can find it here (http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/shortshorts/kadrey22.html).

By-Line:

Konstantine Paradias is a short story science fiction and fantasy writer, who has his own blog, called Shapescapes (shapescapes). For comments or plain old contact, you can find him at kosparadias@gmail.com

It was a dark and gritty night…

In the past few years there have been several dark-and-gritty stories about the future. (Nearly all of Paolo Bacigalupi’s stories come to mind.) Here is another one. While this is not a very action packed story, it does have some cool, unique ideas that I have never seen before – and that made me really enjoy it!

Non-Spoiler Summary

This is the story of a man who used to be famous, but now ekes out a living doing menial work for somebody who is rich. You know the type, right? Someone who blew his or her big chance and now is humiliated and paying for it? I do. Anyway, the protagonist of this story used to work in the vacuum of space, but now lives in a crowded Chinese city painting ancient space trinkets. But he has a deal with a local crime lord: basically he’ll stay alive as long as he continues doing good work. While he and the cook eye each other with suspicion, he suddenly gets word that the boss is coming to see him, and that is not good news at all – especially since there are lots of people who are clamoring for a piece of him!

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 4,187 (7 pages)
• Did you know that Jay Lake is a cancer survivor who blogs about politics, technology and health? Yep. Learn more about this fascinating science fiction author at his web site.
• Special thanks to SF Signal for pointing out this cool little story.

Where To Find The Sky that Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and into the Black

• This short story was first published online in the March 2008 edition of Clarkesworld Magazine – where you can still read it for free.
• You can also find "The Sky that Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and into the Black" in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Sky that Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and into the Black" then you may also enjoy “The Shangri-La Affair” by Lavie Tidhar – about a special agent who travels to Southeast Asia to find a unique virus engineered to bring peace.

Since both of these stories are pretty short and written by the same author, I thought it would be safe to recommend them both.

First off, these stories are available for free and written under the pen name Spookysister7. I happened to run across them by a strange set of events.

I like to read fan fiction. I know; it’s a guilty habit of mine. But the author, Spookysister7, is a great writer in that arena. I liked her work so much that I followed the links back to her blog, Twitterpatedss7, and from there to her archive of original work.

I have to say, the Angelfire website is terrible: confusing, hard to navigate, and almost impossible to find the links to click on. But once I overcame all that, I found two diamonds in the rough.

Apparently, both of these stories were written in 2005, and the author is still writing, so I have to say that’s a good sign. No fly by night hack writer, at least.

So, on to the stories…

Summary of Story #1: No Earthly Ship -

This is a simple sci-fi adventure/romance. The action apparently takes place on an alien planet where blood is blue, people come in different colors, and shape-shifters hide in plain sight. There are two different varieties of dragon-like aliens, who serve as the soldiers to opposing forces. When a princess gets caught in the crossfire, her guard risks everything to save her…

Things I Liked -

I loved that the story started out with a note: “Translated from the original Eltaran.”

Even though this story is unfinished, according to the author, it leaves off at a good point.

Summary of Story #2: The Quiet Ones -

Let me just say that I like sci-fi adventure/romances, okay? This story is a twist on the superhero genre. By a miraculous chain of events, a college-age woman gets superpowers. But instead of using them for some noble purpose, she decides to go mess with frat boys. Unexpectedly, one of them softens her heart. But when she hears a gunshot, she runs to help… leading to disastrous consequences.

Things I Liked -

The story was in first person; which actually made it more powerful and compelling.

The dry humor in this story had me laughing hysterically.

Where to Find These Stories -

Like I said, I followed a long and convoluted path to get to these stories. Thankfully, I can provide you with the direct links here:

No Earthly Ship

The Quiet Ones

They are in plain text format, so you might want to transfer them to a Word document if that bothers you.

Want to Read More by Spookysister7?

If you like these stories and want to read her current work, visit her blog: Twitterpatedss7

Her blog is a mix of her personal thoughts, dating adventures, and Psych episode reviews.

Or, if you enjoy fan fiction like I do, you can visit her FanFiction.net page: Spookysister7

Author Bio:

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing home internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.

What’s Your Prized Possession?

Do you have one special thing that you just couldn’t live without? I used to. When I was a wee little one I had a special teddy bear that was my most favourite thing in all the world. I didn’t go anywhere without him. He and I were best friends… until my dog got a hold of him! He met a violent end that day. Anyway, on a lighter note, this story is about one boy’s prized possession and the great lengths he goes to in order to keep it – and there are no dogs involved!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Being a space colonist going to Tau IV is tough – you need a certain body type, the right psychological make-up and you must endure being frozen for many years. Plus, you and all your belongings must come in under a very strict weight quota. This is the story of a 13 year old boy who is trying to shed some extra pounds (oh, I mean kilograms) so he can bring his most prized possession on the multi-year voyage. He does all the extreme dieting and exercising, but when it is time for the final weigh-in he gets a bit of a surprise… two surprises actually.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Audio Length: 18 minutes
• Page count: 10
• Did you know that Scott Westerfeld has written 18 novels, of which 13 are for young adults? Yep. You can lean more about this excellent author at his web site.
• Special thanks to Carl V. for recommending this great story!

Where To Find Ass-Hat Magic Spider

• This short story was first published in the 2008 science fiction anthology aimed at young people: The Starry Rift.
• You can download or listen to "Ass-Hat Magic Spider" for free online at Dunesteef.com – the story goes from time index 4:23 to 22:45.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Ass-Hat Magic Spider" then you may also enjoy “Orange” by Susan Forest – about young couples who try to escape the Earth as it crumbles around them.

NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Chloe recently broke up with her BFF, and now to be considered part of the cool gang at school, she has to do whatever they tell her to do. Chloe takes a dare to break a window at the Cat Lady’s house. The Cat Lady is rumored to steal children and turn them into cat food for the dozens of creepy cats in her yard. But when Chloe hurls a gigantic rock, and hurts a cat instead of a window, the consequences are very severe.

MY THOUGHTS

My kids are always asking me about the science fiction short stories I am reading. So when I was browsing at the school’s book fair, I was delighted to find a “Science Fiction For Kids” section! (Two birds, one stone, my friends… or in this case… two cats, one stone, haha!)

I read The Cat Lady aloud to my kids and we were all pretty happy with this (not too) scary science fiction tale. It had a good buildup, some fun creepy details that grossed my kids out, and a great moral to the story that satisfied the mother in me. While it wasn’t a hardcore science fiction story, it was a fun family read.

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: approximately 10,000
• Page Count: 51
• Published: 2006

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

• The Cat Lady is one of the 3 Terrifying Tales collected in “The Midnight Library”, a book I purchased at the school book fair.
• You can purchase The Midnight Library at Amazon.com.

Find out what happens when people start being polite and start getting real — in space.

Non-Spoiler Summary

The story is told through the exchange of two postcards, sharing the different perspectives of a husband and wife involved in an intergalactic TV wife swap among species. In typical fashion for these television reality shows, the husband and wife each have very different experiences during their swap, which ultimately reveal more about their individual personalities and beliefs.

My Thoughts

This is a fun bit of flash fiction told in a unique format. With the strict word limitations on the form, experimentations with narrative can add another layer to flash fiction, and this author chooses a great narrative device to add meaning. In a short amount of space, this author gives us a rich story that involves religious beliefs, prejudices, sexual politics, questions about marital relations, and commentary on our culture’s obsession with fame.

Interesting Tidbits

• Word Count: 284
• Published Online: 2008
• This story is an example of flash science fiction.

Where to Find This Story

• You can read Reality TV Intergalactic Wife Swap for free at the blog of online author Rob Hopcott.

 Bio:

Erinn Stam is the Managing Editor for campus visits at nursing schools. She attends Wake Technical Community College and is learning about online DSN programs. She lives in Durham, NC with her lovely 4-year-old daughter and exuberant husband.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Lukasz has had a hard life. When he was a child in Poland a horrible new plague swept across the world killing nearly everyone. Now he ekes out a living with a handful of other survivors. It is in this situation that his city receives some unlikely visitors – first a *real* family with a young woman who can still bear children, and then a group of African elephants who take a keen interest in Lukasz life. Oh, and the two sets of visitors aren’t entirely unrelated – as Lukasz is about to discover for himself!

Some Juicy Tidbits About This Story

• Word count: 9,141 (13 pages)
• "The Elephants of Poznan" was nominated for the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
• Did you know that Orson Scott Card also works as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University? Yep. You can learn more about this excellent science fiction author at his web site.

Where To Find The Elephants of Poznan

• This story first appeared in the January 2000 edition of Galaxy Online.
• You can read a free online version of "The Elephants of Poznan" at Lightspeed Magazine.
• This story is also included in Orson Scott Card’s anthology Keeper of Dreams.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Elephants of Poznan" then you may also enjoy Orson Scott Card’s story “Ender’s Game” – which lead to his excellent and famous novel with the same title!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Desdemona ‘Desi’ Pringle is a smart girl who lives a really good life. But she is noticing something strange lately: not only do parts of her body spontaneously disappear, but some of the knowledge she has learned is being brushed off as “outdated.” She decides that it is time to start investigating some of those other weird things that have been around for a while – starting with the chair in the attic. Uh-oh, this only leads to more investigations as Desi begins to unravel the mysteries of her world and is shocked to discover the amazing truth!

Some Juicy Tidbits About This Story

• Word count: 6,387 (12 pages)
• Did you know that Paul Carlson helped free a Russian Unificationist missionary imprisoned in Kazakhstan? Yep. Learn more about this fascinating SF author on his web site.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing me towards this great story!

Where To Find Mirror Girl

• This short story first appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2009 edition of Abyss & Apex – where you can still read it for free.
• Although it wasn’t included in the collection, "Mirror Girl" did receive an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’ The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Mirror Girl" then you might also enjoy “Artifice and Intelligence” by Tim Pratt – about an unorthodox artificial intelligence designer, a video game programmer and a recently converted pagan woman who are called into action to help an Indian sentient computer network do battle against the world’s malicious software. (Whew!)