Non-Spoiler Summary

Therese Klass seems like a completely different girl to her parents. Um… that’s because she is. The well-behaved 17 year old mysteriously over-dosed on the drug Zen a couple of years ago and that did quite a number on her personality. Now after years of therapy, Therese and her parents are trying to start a new life together – and it isn’t easy. As Therese learns more about her former self, she begins to understand what could have possibly pushed the “other Therese” over the edge – and that isn’t very pleasant either. Will her parents be able to understand and accept that? A good question indeed!

Some Juicy Tidbits About This Story

• Word count: 8,515 (15 pages)
• "Second Person, Present Tense" placed 1st in the 2006 Asimov’s Reader Poll for Best Novelette.
• Did you know that Daryl Gregory has been a high school English teacher and a technical writer? Yep. You can learn more about this amazing author on his web site.

Where To Find Second Person, Present Tense

• This story first appeared in the September 2005 edition of Asimov’s Science Fiction.
• You can read "Second Person, Present Tense" for free online at Asimov’s web site.
• It is also included in Gardner Dozois’s collection The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Second Person, Present Tense" then you may also enjoy “Going Deep” by James Patrick Kelly – about a cloned teenage girl who lives on the moon and is about to be offered a life changing opportunity.

Rose Colored Asimov Glasses

I’ll admit it: I am a huge fan of Isaac Asimov! I have loved nearly every Asimov story and book I’ve read. So it comes as no surprise that I really enjoyed "The Bicentennial Man" too. This is classic Asimov. If you like his other stuff then it’s a safe bet to say you’ll like this too. And if not, well… you know what to do.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Andrew Martin is a very unique robot – much to the dismay of the company that created him. He started life simple enough, as a servant for the Martin family, but when it is discovered that he has an artistic talent he begins to make a lot of money – both for himself and the Martins. As the years go by and the people Andrew knows and loves get older and eventually die, he starts to use some of his wealth to buy freedom and fight for robot rights. This makes him extremely unpopular and even gets him into some trouble. Eventually he discovers that there are a few high risk things he can do that will make huge differences in his struggles, but will he have the courage to do them?

Interesting Tidbits:

• Word Count: 14,088 (31 pages)
• "The Bicentennial Man" won the 1977 Hugo Award, Nebula Award and Locus Poll for Best Novelette. Impressive! But what else would you expect from one of the grand masters of science fiction?
• Isaac Asimov, the author of this story, well… let’s just say he wrote a few books during his lifetime.
• "The Bicentennial Man" was the inspiration for the 1999 movie of the same name starring Robin Williams. The movie was ok, but I liked the story much better.
• Not only did this story inspire a movie, but it also inspired a novel co-written by Asimov and Robert Silverberg: The Positronic Man.

Where You Can Find The Bicentennial Man:

• This story first appeared in February 1976, in the anthology Stellar #2: Science Fiction Stories.
• "The Bicentennial Man" is a super famous story, and fortunately has been reprinted many times – most recently in Asimov’s collection Robot Visions.
• Do you have a public library near you? Chances are they have a copy of "The Bicentennial Man". Here is a list of books that contain this wonderful story. Any library worth its salt should have at least one of those!

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked "The Bicentennial Man" then you might also enjoy “Helen O’Loy” by Lester del Rey – about two men who buy a beautiful robot house keeper and the all too life-like problems they encounter with her.

Hauntingly Beautiful

It wasn’t until after I read this story that I learned the author spoke a couple of ancient languages. That makes sense. Not that any of those languages are used in this story, but it is easy to see the author’s love of language and how it can be used to create exquisite imagery. Yes, this story is eerily beautiful, and the writing is pretty darn amazing. I even had to stop a few times and re-read a sentence or two, just to make sure I got the full gist of what was going on. Some may call that confused writing, but it didn’t feel like it. This is a very cool story, but it takes a moment to piece together what has happened. It’s worth it though – just stick with it and you’ll be rewarded!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Bysshe is the famous daughter of a famous movie director. After her acting debut as a little girl, she decides that making documentaries is a more noble profession. Her films become all the rage as they pack theaters and make fortunes for producers, theater owners and vendors alike. As she grows older she uses her steam-punk-ish technology to travel to other planets in our solar system and film the strange things she finds there. When her latest and greatest documentary about a disappearing village on Venus ends differently than hoped for her reputation reaches martyr-like proportions. But there is one person whose life is truly touched by her efforts.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 10
• Word Count: 4,313
• "The Radiant Car Thy Sparrows Drew" placed 1st in the 2009 Clarkesworld Reader’s Poll for best Short Fiction.
• Did you know that Catherynne M. Valente received a B.A. in Classics with an emphasis in Ancient Greek Linguistics? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating author at her website.

Where You Can Find The Radiant Car Thy Sparrows Drew:

• This story was first published in August 2009 in Clarkesworld Magazine – where you can still read it for free.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked "The Radiant Car Thy Sparrows Drew" then you will probably also enjoy “The Film-makers of Mars” by Geoff Ryman – about a film journalist who views an outstanding 1911 silent movie and learns its amazing secret.

"Blood Child" by Octavia E. Butler is a science fiction short story based around an alien world run by a race of insect like creatures called the Tlic who use humans as hosts to lay eggs inside them to reproduce. The story focuses on the relationship a young man named Gan, whose family has been “adopted”, has with T’Gatoi a high ranking female with the Tlic government.

NON-SPOILER STORY

An alien world in the near future that human’s fled to is the backdrop of the story. T’Gatoi has adopted Gan’s family in the hopes of using him as host for her eggs in the near future. The story focus on Gan, who also narrates, as he comes to terms with the relationship between him and T’Gatoi as well as the political and social implications of using humans as host for interspecies breeding. Themes such as slavery, male pregnancy and interspecies love are some of the topics touched on in the story. The vivid descriptions of the actual breeding process are graphic yet informative giving intricate detail of the physical and emotional effects this cycle has on their human host.

THEMES OF THE STORY

There are different viewpoints one could develop after reading this story; is it about slavery? The Tlic are the higher beings in the story however humans are essential for their breeding habits and the survival of their race. Gan admits T’Gatoi “protects” his family from being exploited by the Tlic government which shows readers that not all adopted families might be treated as respectfully as his. Is this an interspecies love story, quite possibly? The relationship Gan describes with T’Gatoi borders around admiration, affection and closeness. Despite Gan witnessing the violent horrors of hatched larva being birthed from a host’s stomach he still questions whether he wants that fate or not with T’Gatoi. However, to the common eye this story might simply carry the theme of male pregnancy. Men are the primary host of the Tlic’s eggs for political reasoning so women can be left to birth more humans for the Tlic’s to reproduce with.

STORY INFORMATION

• Pages: 12
• Word Count: 7,064
• Published: 1985
• Octavia E. Butler was one of the few successful African-American women authors in the Science Fiction genre. "Blood Child" won Butler a 1985 Hugo Award, 1985 Locus Award, 1984 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and a 1985 Science Fiction Chronicle Award for Best Novellete.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

• Bloodchild and Other Stories: Second Edition
• Read the short story "Blood Child" for free at the Washington Post web site.

Becoming Part of Another Culture

Have you ever tried to be part of a different culture? It is difficult and takes a long time, but the rewards for learning a different way of thinking are extremely satisfying. I spent a year living on the pacific island of Pohnpei, and I can relate to the feelings the protagonist of this story describes: curiosity, fear, embarrassment, paranoia, not fitting in, striving to understand… and ultimately a bit of acceptance. It is very difficult to describe, but I think this story does a great job of it.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

The narrator of this story is an unemployed man who is wandering across the United States working odd jobs and staying with self-sustaining communities. Variety is the spice of life, and he is getting a lot of it. As he gets closer to California he comes across a commune of deaf-blind people and his curiosity forces him to see how they live. He finds out that they are children whose mothers were infected with Rubella while pregnant – which caused their condition. There were initially loads of deaf-blind children in the early 1960s, but these hundred or so have been educated and subsequently fought for their right to live on their own. They are a tight-knit community with some strict rules, but our drifter is determined to learn their ways – especially since getting to know Pink, the teen aged daughter of one of the deaf-blind people. She helps him learn their language, culture and rules. But there is something he is missing and he can’t quite put his finger on it – perhaps it is better that he doesn’t find out what it is!

My Two Cents…

• There is a lot of so-called “hippy” culture in this story – liberal amounts of free-love and self-expression. I found it fascinating but your tastes may vary.
• The narrator’s discussions about communication, language, learning and love is deeply interesting.
• Wow – this story is told in a fantastic way! The writing style, the characters, the situations – excellent!
• "The Persistence of Vision" is a very soft science fiction story – so don’t be expecting anything too alien. Ha – pun intended!
• Warning: There are a few sexually explicit scenes in this story – so stay away if that kind of stuff bothers you.

Interesting Tidbits:

• Page Count: 40
• Audio Length: 2 hours
• Did you know that John Varley was once an unemployed drifter himself? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating author on his web site.
• "The Persistence of Vision" won the 1979 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 1979 Nebula Award for Best Novella and placed 1st in the 1979 Locus Readers Poll.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing out this great story!

Where You Can Find The Persistence of Vision:

• This story was first published in the March 1978 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• You can listen to (or download) a wonderful audio version of "The Persistence of Vision" at spiderrobinson.com. (The story begins at time index 5:43, and there is a 12 minute musical intermission.)
• It is included in the excellent collection The John Varley Reader.
• You can also read this story online for free courtesy of Google Books. (This link may not work if you are outside the United States)
  

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you enjoyed "The Persistence of Vision" then you might also like "…For a Single Yesterday" by George R. R. Martin – about a musician in a post-apocalyptic commune who uses a powerful drug to re-live the past.

Perfect Therapy?

Have you ever been to therapy? I have, (Shh! Don’t tell anyone!) and I found it incredibly useful. However, after reading this story I very much wished that I could visit the doctor/island in this story. Now that is what I call awesome therapy! Oh, except for the homicidal guy – yeah, he was a little bit scary.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Nicholas Kenneth de Vore has just been transferred to the island, and what a lovely place it is! A beautiful, tropical island that talks to and helps Nicholas, and it is nearly deserted. Yeah, there are 2 other people on the therapeutic island – but everyone on it is crazy in their own special way. (How fun is that!) But the island (Dr. Island, by the way) has a plan to help them. The only problem is that the plan doesn’t end so well – but did it help anyone? Hmm… good question.

My Two Cents…

• Doctor Island was a very cool idea – in both a psychological and science fictiony kind of way.
• I really enjoyed the character of Nicholas / Kenneth. Both his personality and his past were quite interesting to read about.
• This is a classic Gene Wolfe story, which could be good or bad for you. It is very descriptive and starts out slow, but the ending is both strange and cool. If you like his other stuff then you’ll probably like this one too.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 51
• “The Death of Doctor Island” won the 1974 Nebula and Locus Awards for Best Novella, and was also nominated for the Hugo Award.
• Did you know that Gene Wolfe is a convert to the Catholic faith? Yep. You can learn more about this amazing author at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find The Death of Doctor Island:

• This story was originally published in the 1973 anthology Universe 3, edited by Terry Carr.
• You can read a free online version of “The Death of Doctor Island” at the Harper Collins web site. (Hint: Use the Table of Contents button to jump to Chapter 1)
• This novella is also part of the awesome collection The Best of Gene Wolfe: A Definitive Retrospective of His Finest Short Fiction.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “The Death of Doctor Island” then you may enjoy Memorare, about a man making a documentary of the dangerous tombs built in asteroids, also by Gene Wolfe.

Another Smart Robot

I have read a few stories in the past couple years about robots who are too intelligent for their own good. All their deep thinking leads to deep questions which inevitably leads to self-destructive behavior. Whew, its a good thing only robots do that and not us humans!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Adriana is a grieving woman. Of course she hasn’t always been that way, in spite of her overbearing father, self-righteous sisters or quarrelsome friends. In fact it was after her father’s death that she purchased Lucian, a robot companion. And although he caused embarrassment and jealousy for others in her life, Adriana grew to love him – so much so that she actually gave him his freedom. That’s when all the problems started, for a free robot doesn’t always do what you want him to do… does he?

My Two Cents…

• This was my first Rachel Swirsky story, and wow – she is a great writer! The descriptions she gives in the story are amazing.
• Although “Eros, Philia, Agape” is a slow paced tragedy, I still found myself drawn in by how beautiful the story (and the language used to describe it) was.
• It was fun trying to figure out which type of love went with which relationship!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 20
• Word Count: 11,799
• Did you know that Rachel Swirsky is a Master’s of Fine Arts student at the Iowa Writers Workshop? Yep. You can learn more about this author on her web site.
• “Eros, Philia, Agape” was nominated for the 2010 Hugo Award, Sturgeon Award and Locus Award for Best Novelette – impressive!

Where You Can Find Eros, Philia, Agape:

• This story was originally published in March 2009 on the Tor.com web site – where you can still read it for free.
• “Eros, Philia, Agape” is also included in Jonathan Strahan’s 2010 anthology The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 4.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “Eros, Philia, Agape” then you may also enjoy Galatea’s Stepchildren by Sam S. Kepfield – about a female robot who is hired as a secretary by a nice, educated man, and all the things she learns from him.

I Was Dis-Possessed!

When I was a young and just starting out reading science fiction I read Ursula Le Guin’s book The Dispossessed and, admittedly, hated it. There wasn’t near enough action or stereotypical SF elements in it for me to enjoy it. In the many years since then I have come to appreciate the importance of that book and its political under-pinnings. So when I had the chance to read this story, which could be considered a short prequel to The Dispossessed, I figured it was my chance to redeem myself by showing how much I had learned and matured since then. Well, I guess I have advanced, intellectually speaking, a little bit because I enjoyed this story and found myself wanting to re-read The Dispossessed. That is proof enough that I’ve matured… isn’t it?

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Laia is an ugly, old woman who recently had a stroke, yet she is respected immensely by the people who surround her. Why? Because she is a major figure in an anarchist revolution on her home world of Urras that will eventually lead to the events depicted in The Dispossessed. In this story we are treated to a typical day for a revolutionary who is well past her prime, including dreams of her husband, memories of being a political prisoner and dictation of anarchist essays. The question is will she survive long enough to see the changes she fought so hard for really take effect?

My Two Cents…

• This is NOT an action story by any means, so don’t expect anything too exciting from it.
• If you haven’t read The Dispossessed (or it has been a long time since you read it) then I HIGHLY recommend you familiarize yourself with that story, otherwise you may find yourself scratching your head after you finish reading “The Day Before the Revolution”.
• Anyway, regardless of the previous 2 points, this is still a fascinating story. Ursula Le Guin is an excellent writer and that shows in her beautiful descriptions of Laia’s thoughts and actions.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 9
• Word Count: 6,233
• “The Day Before the Revolution” won 3 short story awards in 1975: The Nebula, the Locus and the Jupiter. Impressive!
• Did you know that Ursula Le Guin was raised in Berkeley, California by her famous anthropologist parents? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating author at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find The Day Before the Revolution:

• This story was originally published in the August 1974 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• “The Day Before the Revolution” is included in Ursula Le Guin’s excellent collection of short stories The Wind’s Twelve Quarters.
• You can read an online version of this story at the Harper Collins web site. (Hint: use the Table of Contents button to jump to Chapter 2)

Craving More?

If you liked “The Day Before the Revolution” then may want to check out Ursula Le Guin’s very famous and multiple award winning novel The Dispossessed, which describes events that take place years after this story.

The End Of The World… Once Again

One trend I’ve noticed among both classic and modern writers of science fiction is the tendency to write about “the end of the world” – so to speak. Here is another classic story by the great Arthur C. Clarke about that very topic – only this one is told from the aliens’ point of view.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Alveron is captain of the Galactic Survey Ship S9000, which has recently been ordered to save a young civilization from its exploding star. Arriving hours before the sun goes supernova, Alveron sends two teams to rescue people – but the planet seems deserted. One team finds a working (but recently abandoned) communications station, while the other team finds a bit of trouble when they stumble upon a working subway. Now the question is whether Alveron can save his crew before the end of the world – literally!

My Two Cents…

• The various races of aliens which make up the crew of the S9000 are really cool! One of the reasons I love classic science fiction like this is because of the fun and unique life forms.
• The feeling of a recently abandoned planet about to meet its doom worked very well in this story. It created both a sense of urgency to the story, as well as a cool setting.
• Like most of Arthur C. Clarke’s stories, the ending was great!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 17
• Word Count: 10,337
• Did you know that Arthur C. Clarke built his first telescope at age thirteen? Yep. You can read his biography at the arthurcclarke.net web site.
• Guess what? This story placed 9th in the 1971 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll – very cool!

Where You Can Find Rescue Party:

• This story was originally published in the May 1946 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.
• “Rescue Party” is included in the fantastic anthology The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke – a book I highly recommend.
• You can read a very nice online version of this story at the Baen CD web site – where it is part of their awesome free book The World Turned Upside Down.

Craving More Stories?

If you enjoyed “Rescue Party” then you might also like Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge by Mike Resnick – about a group of anthropological aliens who are studying the long and brutal empire of mankind.

Another Pail of Air Please

After last week’s review of Fritz Leiber’s “A Pail of Air” I was anxious to read Jason Sanford’s award winning story, which he openly admits was inspired by “A Pail of Air”. It turned out to be an extremely gratifying read, as most of his stories usually are. And I’m not just saying that because Jason sometimes reads my blog – this story really does contain some unique and awe inspiring concepts! Bravo, Jason, on a story well done – it is easy to see why it was nominated for a couple of prestigious awards.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Chicka is the twin brother of “The Chosen One.” Yeah, it’s rough being related to someone so special. After the enigmatic Aural aliens chose Omare, Chicka’s quality of life has gone steadily downhill. While Omare got to study all the best subjects in all the best schools, Chicka was forced to repair space suits. Things got even worse when Omare planted blasphemous questions in Chicka’s mind and married a girl from a lower “caste.” As things get even worse for the twins, the situation finally comes to a head when the Artificial Intelligence leader of the human expedition takes actions that force the twins to make desperate choices. The question is: can a rag-tag group of lowly kids really challenge an elite bodyguard unit of a powerful AI? Hmm, maybe – if they had some help.

My Two Cents…

• Wow – the characters in this story were amazing! Not only Omare and Chicka, but all the low kids, the AIs and even the moms were truly believable and totally fascinating to read about.
• While “Sublimation Angels” isn’t set in exactly the same place as “A Pail of Air”, it is close enough to keep the same eerie tone set by that story. Nicely done.
• Not only was the story line great, but the back story was just as cool! I am not sure how some writers come up with their amazing ideas, but the whole 600 year history of the human expedition to the Aural’s planet was incredibly intriguing.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 29
• Word Count: 19,689
• Did you know that “Sublimation Angels” was nominated for both the 2009 Nebula Award and the 2009 Interzone Readers’ Poll? Yep. You can learn more at Jason’s web site.

Where You Can Find Sublimation Angels:

• This story was originally published in the September / October 2009 issue of Interzone.
• You can download a free PDF or RTF version of Sublimation Angels at Jason Sanford’s web site.

Craving More Stories?

If you enjoyed “Sublimation Angels” then you might also like The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain about a weather forecaster who discovers an amazing secret about her mud-packed world, also by Jason Sanford.