My Christmas List Gets Longer and Longer…

• Spider by Duncan Shields – A young girl investigates strange noises downstairs on Christmas morning.
• The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly – Robotic servants throw a Christmas party for the last man on Earth.
• Christmas Wedding by Vylar Kaftan – 3 women get married in a snowy, crime-ridden, post-apocalyptic Miami.
• Harnessing the brane-deer by Robert Billing – a physics teacher discovers the secret of Santa’s success.
• Brass Canaries by Gwendolyn Clare – Precision made finely tuned metal birds are being sold at Christmas time.
• All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis – glaring aliens have landed in Denver during the Holiday season.
• A Woman’s Best Friend by Robert Reed – an alternate reality George Bailey shows up on a strange world.
• Julian: A Christmas Story by Robert Charles Wilson – the President’s nephew and his friend celebrate a far-future Christmas.
• ‘Tis the Season by China Miéville – a man takes his teenage daughter to the one official Christmas party in London’s highly privatized holiday season.

NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Justine, Catherine, Beatrice, Mary, Diana and Helen form a small and very select group of women.  They all have something in common: each of them has an infamous father.  Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Rappaccini, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde… any of those names ring a bell?  Yep.  Well in this fascinating short story, each of those “mad scientists” left behind a daughter.  All of the daughters find each other and give each other the kind of support needed when your father is regarded as a madman!  Some of them live together, they help provide for each other, and most entertaining, we learn the details of how they feel about their fathers as they discuss them all on a regular basis.

MY THOUGHTS

I loved this story!  Mostly because I have been on a Halloween kick the past few weeks.  I have read and watched several classic horror tales and movies, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, and Dracula.  So it was fun for me to compare this short story with the original stories and be satisfied with an abundance of accurate and minute details.  Theodora definitely did her research and included bits and pieces of the classic stories into her own, making for a wonderful and entertaining read.

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 7,870
• Page Count: 18
• Published: 2010
• About the Author: Theodora Goss teaches as Boston University and has been nominated for and won several awards.  Read more about this talented author at her website.
• Thanks to Rusty for recommending this story to me, and for listening to all my musings about the classic stories I have recently read and watched.  Be sure to read his review of this story too.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

You can read The Mad Scientist’s Daughter for free at Strange Horizons.

Robots!

We all know Isaac Asimov is great at writing about robots, but there are loads of good robot stories out there that were written by other authors. Over the past 3 1/2 years I have read some really good stories involving robots so I thought I would share my favorites with you. Let me know what you think.

Here is the list – sorted alphabetically by title: (click the titles to see a more detailed review of the stories and where you can read them)

• Ancient Engines by Michael Swanwick – could a robot really live until the end of the universe?
• Apologies All Around by Jeff Soesbe – an apologizing telegram.
• Article of Faith by Mike Resnick – a robotic janitor wants to join the local parish.
• Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel Swirsky – robotic divorce hurts too.
• Exhalation by Ted Chiang – air powered mechanical robot makes a startling discovery.
• Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates – giant, unmoving robot frightens Washington D.C.
• Galatea’s Stepchildren by Sam S. Kepfield – the robot slaves must be freed!
• Helen O’Loy by Lester del Rey – a very life-like robotic house keeper.
• I, Row-Boat by Cory Doctorow – a sentient boat that is a practitioner of Asimovism.
• Little Lost Robot by Paul McAuley – giant robot must destroy all civilization.
• Marionettes, Inc. by Ray Bradbury – identical robots allow husbands some time off.
• Orbiter’s Reward by Greg Wickenhofer – an overly helpful scrap metal collector.
• Second Variety by Philip K. Dick – a Cold War team-up tries to eliminate robotic killing machines.
• Seven Sexy Cowboy Robots by Sandra McDonald – 7 ice skating settlement robots.
• The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly – robots throw a Christmas party for the last man on Earth.
• The Dyslexicon by Carl Frederick – a dyslexic robot tries to prove his worth.
• The Reluctant Weapon by Howard L. Myers – ancient weapon wants to live in peace – regardless of puny humans.
• The Robot Whisperer by Brian C. Baer – depressed robot needs help.

Enjoy!

I have read many alien short stories over the past 3.5 years, and I have really enjoyed them. Here is a list of my all-time favorite alien stories. Each of these is linked to my original review of the story, which tells you what I thought of it and where you can go to read the story yourself. Enjoy!

Stories about Aliens on Earth:

• Rescue Party by Arthur C. Clarke
• Something Wicked This Way Plumbs by Vylar Kaftan
• The Cauldron by Rocky Keele
• The Father-Thing by Philip K. Dick
• Through Thy Bounty by Lucy A. Snyder
• Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge by Mike Resnick
• All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis
• Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
• How To Talk To Girls At Parties by Neil Gaiman
• Kin by Bruce McAllister
• Craphound by Cory Doctorow
• Stories of the Alien Invasion by Manek Mistry
• Chameleon by Colin Harvey
• Shoplifter In The Crowd by MFKorn
• Time On Our Side by Mark Farrugia
• Discerning Women by William Highsmith
• Spinnerbait by Amy Treadwell

Stories about Aliens in Our Solar System:

• They’re Made Out of Meat by Terry Bisson
• Eight Episodes by Robert Reed
• The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model by Charlie Jane Anders
• The Film-makers of Mars by Geoff Ryman
• The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith
• A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny

Stories about Aliens on Their Own Worlds:

• Black Destroyer by A.E. van Vogt
• A Jar of Goodwill by Tobias Buckell
• From The Lost Diary Of TreeFrog7 by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain by Jason Sanford
• From Babel’s Fallen Glory We Fled by Michael Swanwick
• Orphans of The Helix by Dan Simmons
• The Color of Sunfire by Larry Niven
• After the Coup by John Scalzi
• A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel
• Finisterra by David Moles
• The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick
• In The Season of Blue Storms by Jude-Marie Green
• Tk’tk’tk by David D. Levine

Now it’s your turn: what are some great alien stories you have read? Leave a comment telling us what, where and why. C’mon, share the love – you know you want to!

Ho ho ho – Merry Christmas! Feel like doing some Christmas reading? If so then here are several Christmas themed science fiction short stories to warm your heart. Well, maybe “warm your heart” isn’t the right choice of words… how about “to please the geek in you” or “to satisfy your Christmas urges!” Whoa! Anyway, here you go – my list of 5 Science Fiction Christmas Stories:

• The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly – Robotic servants throw a Christmas party for the last man on Earth.
• All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis – glaring aliens have landed in Denver during the Holiday season.
• Julian: A Christmas Story by Robert Charles Wilson – the President’s nephew and his friend celebrate a far-future Christmas.
• A Woman’s Best Friend by Robert Reed – an alternate reality George Bailey shows up on a strange world.
• ‘Tis the Season by China Miéville – a man takes his teenage daughter to the one official Christmas party in London’s highly privatized holiday season.

If you know of any other science fiction short stories that would make for good Christmas reading then please share with us!

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.

In honor of Halloween this coming weekend, I decided to share some of my favorite scary / Halloween-themed science fiction short stories. Now don’t forget, none of these are true horror stories (well, except for one) but I figured that they are creepy enough to qualify as good Halloween stories. So here we go – my list of 10 Science Fiction Halloween Stories:

• Through Thy Bounty by Lucy A. Snyder – mean aliens who love to eat human flesh!
• The Colour Out Of Space by H.P. Lovecraft – New England is blighted by a haunted meteorite!
• The Father-Thing by Philip K. Dick – You’re NOT my Dad!
• When Thorns Are the Tips of Trees by Jason Sanford – trees with ghosts in them!
• Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel – Frankenstein is in England bothering the Pride and Prejudice people!
• Memorare by Gene Wolfe – tombs in space!
• The Dead by Michael Swanwick – a zombie workforce!
• Shoggoths in Bloom by Elizabeth Bear – Researcher finds Lovecraftian water monsters!
• It’s a Good Life by Jerome Bixby – a cruel boy gets whatever he wishes for… so don’t make him angry!
• The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury – ancient sea monster makes its yearly trek to try and woo a lighthouse!

If you know of any other science fiction short stories that would make for good Halloween reading then please share with us!

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.

Aah, the allure of finding some ancient edifice. Whether it be real life archaeologists in Egypt, or outlaw xeno-biologists at the edge of our galaxy, there is just something oh so romantic about huge, old monuments – especially if we can’t figure out who built them. Here is my list of 4 Science Fiction Stories Containing Ancient Alien Monuments:

• Beyond the Wall by Justin Stanchfield – a UN security team chases a pirate ship to the base of a controversial alien wall.
• The Ghost Pit by Stephen Baxter – a team of alien hunters crash land on a moon containing an impossibly long bridge.
• Melville on Iapetus by Jack McDevitt – a group of astronauts discover an ancient statue on one of Saturn’s moons.
• The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke – the classic story of an ancient monument discovered on the moon.

What other science fiction short stories have you read that contain ancient alien monuments?

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.

A few weeks ago when I was researching stories about powerful children I discovered that I had also read several short stories about kids who possessed some sort of powerful object. These stories were cool because they usually turned the tables, somehow, in favor of the kids. Aah, I just wish I could have been one of those kids when I was little! Anyway, I figured this would make a cool list of bizarrely connected stories too, so here we go – my list of 5 Science Fiction Stories About Kids With Powerful Objects:

• The Ray-Gun: A Love Story by James Alan Gardner – an unpopular teenage boy finds an alien ray gun in the forest.
• Just Before Recess by James Van Pelt – a boy finds a small sun in his school desk.
• Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett – two young children find a box of toys sent back in time from millions of years in the future.
• The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link – about a girl whose grandmother has a handbag with a whole village of fairies in it.
• The Veldt by Ray Bradbury – a couple of parents become concerned when their children use a virtual nursery to recreate an African veldt.

What other science fiction short stories have you read about kids with powerful objects?

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.

I am starting to realize that several science fiction short stories contain human characters whose bodies have been modified in some way, and usually it is to serve some special purpose in the story. Sometimes the whole story line is based on the modifications, and other times altered humans are just background noise in the stories. Either way it makes for some very interesting reading, so without further ado here is a list of 6 Science Fiction Stories Containing Altered Human Bodies:

• Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith – a sensory deprived man tries to stop his Scanner brothers from killing a human who has just made a great scientific breakthrough.
• The Fluted Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi – a girl sculpted for music plans revenge of the ruler of her fief.
• Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn – a woman undertakes a drastic form of bioengineering as a way to move up the corporate ladder.
• Riding the Giganotosaur by Michael Swanwick – a man has his brain grafted onto a dinosaur so he can run free and wild in the unspoiled Cretaceous period.
• Desertion by Clifford D. Simak – the director of a Jovian survey dome changes men into the local life form so they can explore the planet.
• Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson – sensitive information locked in a man’s head, a girl with mirrored eye implants and people with canine teeth – what more could you ask for!

What other science fiction stories have you read that contain altered human bodies?

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.

I always wanted to be a “powerful” kid when I was growing up. I tried lifting weights, and exercising, and studying hard, and eating my Wheaties and all that stuff – but I’m not quite sure I made it. Oh well, maybe that is just the price I have to pay for growing up in the 80′s!

What constitutes a “powerful child?” Well, for the purposes of this list it is children who have some special ability, are super intelligent, have political clout or are tactical geniuses. How’s that? Hopefully it works for you because here are 7 Science Fiction Stories About Powerful Children:

• It’s a Good Life by Jerome Bixby – a small boy uses his special powers to terrorize the town in which he lives.
• Star Light, Star Bright by Alfred Bester – powerful people search for a boy with some amazing knowledge.
• The First Men by Howard Fast – a group of gifted children are raised in a controlled environment and eventually evolve into super humans.
• Burn by James Patrick Kelly – a farmer accidentally summons the young ruler of a distant world to help fight forest fires.
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – The 11 year old military genius and his fateful game.
• None So Blind by Joe Haldeman – a brilliant boy and a talented girl who join forces to change the intelligence paradigm.
• Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison – a five year old boy who never ages.

What other science fiction stories have you read that are about powerful children?

If you liked this article be sure to check out my other posts about Bizarrely Connected Stories.