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.

One Dream Job Coming Right Up!

This story evokes a setting that I would die for: being one of the first explorers on a newly discovered planet! Honestly, how cool would that be? It would be rough, but it would still be my dream life. This is a very cool story with descriptions that reminded me of both Hyperion and Chasm City – and that is a good thing indeed!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Cord is a teen-aged boy with the Colonial Team on the outback world of Sutang. There is a lot of work to do and very few people to do it, which is why Cord often gets in trouble for doing some exploring on his own. In fact, Cord’s local leader wants to send him back to his home world, but Cord doesn’t like that idea at all. Lucky for him the Planetary Regent is coming to visit, and she wants Cord to accompany them while riding a local life form. This is Cord’s big chance to impress the people who control his destiny – but can he be both chivalrous and safe at the same time? He is about to find out… because a big test is heading his way!

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 8,935 (15 pages)
• Special thanks to Tinkoo at Variety SF for recommending this great story!

Where To Find Grandpa

• This short story was first published in the February 1955 edition of Astounding Science Fiction.
• You can read a free online version of “Grandpa” at Baen eBooks.
• It is also included in the anthology Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked “Grandpa” then you may also enjoy “The World That Couldn’t Be” by Clifford D. Simak – about a farmer who tries to save his crops by hunting a very dangerous alien beast.

Who Needs Friends Anyway?

I think that I have always imagined that aliens, when we finally meet them, will tend to be aggressive and hostile – not at all peaceful and lovey-dovey. I don’t know, that’s just my feeling. However, here is a story where humans have become very peaceful, and what’s more is that they expect aliens to be peaceful too! Well, you can probably guess how that’s going to turn out, huh?

Non-Spoiler Summary

The crew of a Kzinti war ship has just discovered a new and relatively weak species: humans. They study them slowly and try to decide if they should attack or not. Meanwhile, the crew of the Human ship is trying to make peaceful first contact, but there are just a few things that don’t seem right to the captain, so he makes a desperate decision which could either help or further endanger all those aboard.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 5,181 (11 pages)
• You can learn more about science fiction author Larry Niven by checking out his fascinating biography.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing out this great story.
• Do you like reading about the Kzinti? If so, there are plenty more stories and novels about them – and Wikipedia has a lot of information too.

Where To Find The Warriors

• This short story was first published in the February 1966 edition of If magazine.
• You can read "The Warriors" online for free at the Baen eBooks web site.
• It is also included in the famous anthology The Man-Kzin Wars.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Warriors" then you might enjoy “Neutron Star” also by Larry Niven – about a man sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of two space explorers who were studying the galaxy’s only known neutron star.

A little over a year ago I reviewed a flash fiction story called “Chameleon” by Colin Harvey. It was a great story and many people mentioned to me how much they liked it.

Well, last week one of my readers, Sam Lemberg, wrote in to let me know that he had created a video based on the short story:

I discovered the short story “Chameleon” by Colin Harvey on your website a few months ago and turned it into a short film (I obtained story rights from his widow).

I watched the video and was blown away! It is very well done and stays true to the story. If you’ve got 6 minutes it is well worth checking out. And if you have a couple more minutes be sure to check out my original review of “Chameleon” – or just read it online for free.

Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

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.

We’re Not in 1948 Anymore Toto!

This is a fun story to read, but there are some out-dated and chauvinistic ideas about how to treat women, so watch out for that. Just keep telling yourself that this is a pulp fiction story from 1948 – maybe that will help you overlook its defects.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Karn has been kicked out of his tribe – he was the up-and-coming male and all that. Anyway, while wandering around on his own he comes across a strange site: an alien space ship with 3 aliens! The intriguing part is that one of those aliens is a pretty female who captivates Karn. When she is threatened by a wild animal Karn steps in to save the day. Needless to say she is impressed, and the aliens end up taking Karn back to their home planet – where all their cities are under attack by a strange race of green, slimy lizard people. Karn is appalled at the lack of the aliens’ courage and defensive skills, so he plans to teach them a few things.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 5,435 (10 pages)
• Did you know that the Cro-Magnon people mentioned in this story lived on Earth about 30,000 years ago? Yep. Learn more about Cro-Magnon men at Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for recommending this story!

Where To Find The Frightened Planet

• This short story was first published in the October 1948 edition of Amazing Stories.
• You can download or read "The Frightened Planet" for free online at Project Gutenberg.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Frightened Planet" then you may also enjoy “The Hunted Heroes” by Robert Silverberg – about a team of uranium miners who are captured by a madman on Mars.

NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Ohree, a sort of deep space policeman, is patrolling the borders when he sees a vessel of an extinct species being attacked.  He decides to step in, and by doing so, not only does he dramatically change the fate of the survivors, he alters his own destiny.

MY THOUGHTS

Wow this was an amazing story!  The main character Ohree was fascinating, a shapeshifter of sorts, and as the story was told from his point of view it was fun to feel his tentacles change into legs, and suffer his pain as he grew a pair of lungs.  He interphases with the ship and downloads knowledge from the database.  But what was more appealing to me was the growth and change he made in his personal journey, the realizations he came to about himself and his own path in life.  All The Painted Stars is definitely one of the best science fiction short stories I have read!

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 6,529
• Page Count: 15
• Published: 2012
• About the Author: Gwendolyn Clare has a BA in Ecology and a BS in Geophysics.  She also has quite a list of short stories and poetry available on her website.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

You can read All The Painted Stars for free at Clarkesworld Magazine.

Archaeology and Science Fiction – Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I am intensely fascinated by anthropology and archaeology. And when they are combined with a great science fiction story by an excellent author… well, let’s just say that its better than Reece’s Peanut Butter cups!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Ever since Simmilgord was a little boy growing up among the brightly colored savannas of Majipoor he has longed to study the planet’s history and tell its story. After many years of school and hard study he and his friend are given the chance of a lifetime – to excavate the tomb of the first Pontifex of Majipoor! He starts off as a skeptical scholar, but as they make several exciting discoveries his skepticism melts away and the two friends revel in their work – that is until the Superintendent of Antiquities becomes aware of their dig and stops by to (ahem…) help them out. Can their friendship survive the snobbish intrusion? Or will everything literally fall to pieces?

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 13,708 (34 pages)
• Did you know that Robert Silverberg has written more than 580 short stories? Yep. You can learn more about this prolific writer at majipoor.com.
• "The Tomb of the Pontifex Dvorn" is part of Silverberg’s Majipoor series. If you like it be sure to check out some of the other novels and stories set on this amazing planet – beginning with the award winning Lord Valentine’s Castle.
• Special thanks to the excellent Variety SF for pointing me towards this awesome story!

Where To Find The Tomb of the Pontifex Dvorn

• This story first appeared in the Winter 2011 edition of Subterranean Online – where you can still read it for free.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Tomb of the Pontifex Dvorn" then you may also enjoy “Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge” by Mike Resnick – a story set in the far future when a group of anthropological aliens are studying the long and brutal empire of mankind.

It’s a Bunch of Stories!

This is a strange story… if you can even call it a story. It’s more like an article written by an alien researcher who is describing the views and beliefs surrounding star drives. It is cool though, and some of the ideas are truly unique ones that I have never seen before – and that is worth something indeed.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Mrithaya, Mother of the Conflagration, and her priests believe interstellar travel to be one thing. The Iothal, who bind forest chronicles, believe it to be something entirely different. The same goes for the Dancers, the Kiatti and the civilization whose star drive always kills them. That doesn’t stop any of them from traveling among the stars, though. Learn all about their strange and exotic beliefs in this short but fascinating piece by an excellent author.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 1,966 (5 pages)
• You can learn more about Yoon Ha Lee by reading her author profile on Tor.com.

Where To Find A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel

• This short story first appeared in August 2011 on the web site Tor.com – where you can still read it for free.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel" then you may also enjoy another excellent story by Yoon Ha Lee: “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain” – about an ancient woman who possesses a uniquely powerful weapon.

Chocoholic

Yes, I admit it – I am very nearly addicted to chocolate. It’s funny because I can resist pretty much all kinds of sweets… but put something chocolatey in front of me and my resolve weakens by the second! Mmm, mmm, mmm! Oh well, it is good to know that this delightful substance tempts not only Earthlings but people on other planets as well!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Romee is an inhabitant of the planet Notcid. It is a pretty easy going place, but now that the “traders” have been replaced by more concerned Earth people she is having difficulty purchasing her favorite Earth food: chocolate. So when she is given the chance to participate in a study on “response to environmental stimuli” she literally jumps at the chance – especially since she will make a load of money for doing it. The study turns out to be a little bit scary and frustrating, but her experience with it proves to be invaluable after she learns to apply it in truly dangerous situations. Now if she can just teach the others to learn these new ways they will have chocolate galore! Yum!

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 6,857 (14 pages)
• Did you know that in the early 1970s Howard L. Myers was poised to become “one of science fiction’s top authors” when he suddenly died at the age of 41? Yep. You can learn more about this fantastic, yet nearly forgotten, author in the Preface to his book.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing out this great story!

Where To Find Health Hazard

• This short story first appeared in the January 1973 edition of Analog Science Fiction / Science Fact – over a year after the author’s death.
• You can read "Health Hazard" for free online at The Fifth Imperium.
• It is also included in the book of Howard L. Myers short stories The Creatures of Man.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Health Hazard" then you may also enjoy “Finisterra” by David Moles – about an engineer from Earth who contracts out to help poachers on a distant world make their biggest kill yet.