NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Cinnamon is a young princess who cannot talk.  Her parents are desperate to teach her to speak, and offer treasure and riches to anyone who can help her to do so.  Many try, but none succeed.  Until one day a fierce tiger arrives and wants to help Cinnamon.  Her parents are worried that the tiger will trick them, but they agree to let him try.

MY THOUGHTS

I may be a little biased here, after all, this story bears my name!  Yep, Cinnamon is my name, so I was stoked to stumble across this story last week when I was checking out Neil Gaiman’s website!  As with most Neil Gaiman stories, this one falls into the fantasy category of science fiction.  It was a very quick read with some great illustrations that your kids will enjoy too!

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 1,138
• Page Count: 3

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

You can read Cinnamon for free at Neil Gaiman’s website.

I Should Have Joined the Circus!

When I was 16 I won the state talent show with my mad juggling skills. Afterwards I was invited to go backstage at the circus – where I was eventually offered a job! I was sorely tempted, what with all the talented people and weird freaks… but I turned them down. After reading this story (and working all day at my office job) I sometimes wonder what life would have been like had I become a carnie. Probably a never ending stream of good times, right? Right!?

Non-Spoiler Summary

Merton D. Kamal always wanted to be a clown – and he still does even though he recently lost his circus job. Now that he has moved back in with his mom and has no job prospects he decides to follow her advice and ask for work from a former high school sweet-heart. That does the trick (in a round-about way) and he finds himself transporting a drugged monkey to New Mexico. The problem, however, is that the monkey wakes up early and its “unique” abilities give Merton a hilarious fright!

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 3,636 (12 pages)
• Did you know Ken Scholes spent time working as a sailor, soldier, preacher and musician? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating author at his web site.
• If you liked this story be sure to check out Ken Schole’s short story collection Long Walks, Last Flights & Other Strange Journeys.

Where To Find Making My Entrance Again With My Usual Flair

• This short story first appeared in January 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 "Making My Entrance Again With My Usual Flair" then you may also enjoy “In The Pound, Near Breaktime” by Kent Brewster – which explores what the world would be like if unwanted pets, strays and pesky animals were intelligent enough to talk.

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.

NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Stephen has had a rough go of things lately. He’s low on cash, can’t drum up any new business, his wife left him, and his apartment is empty.  He’s beginning to feel conspired against.  And he’s starting to get looks from people… you know… looks of pity.

One day a beautiful woman approaches Stephen and gives him her card, “Cameron Cassavetes: Troublesolver”, offering to help him get out of his rut.  But when he arrives at home, his apartment has been ransacked.  Is it possible that the charming troublesolver is trying to drum up some business of her own?

MY THOUGHTS

I loved the tone of this story.  It almost felt like an old school, private investigator narrative.  Written in first person, you get the steady and usually sarcastic stream of Stephens’ thoughts that will keep you laughing.  Where is the science fiction you ask?  Don’t worry, it’s there, and it’s great!

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 9,698
• Page Count: 22
• About the Author: Tim Pratt has a unique writing style that I very much enjoy.  He won a Hugo Award, and has been nominated for numerous other awards.  Learn more about this talented and successful author at his website.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

You can read Troublesolving for free at Subterranean Press.

CRAVING MORE STORIES?

If you enjoyed Troublesolving, I’m sure you will enjoy Little Gods, also written by Tim Pratt.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Pid the Grom is under some intense pressure to succeed. He is the leader of the 21st expedition sent to Earth to try and plant an invasion device inside one of its nuclear facilities. Even worse is the fact that he has no idea how or why the previous expeditions failed! They were just never heard from again, and that makes Pid a little bit nervous about himself and his crew. As they arrive on Earth everything looks peaceful enough, and that should make the objective easy to accomplish, right? Nope, the Groms are about to learn a very hard lesson about life on the 3rd planet from the Sun. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

Some Juicy Tidbits About This Story

• Word count: 5,766 (14 pages)
• Did you know that Robert Sheckley was once a pretzel salesman? Yep. Read more about this amazing author at Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to QuasarDragon for recommending this great story!

Where To Find Keep Your Shape

• This short story first appeared in the November 1953 edition of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• You can read a free online version of "Keep Your Shape" at Project Gutenberg.
• You can also find this story in the Sheckley anthology Untouched by Human Hands.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Keep Your Shape" then you may also enjoy “Reborn Again” – about a man whose whole-body transplant operation is botched by a morally indecisive lab technician, also by Robert Sheckley.

NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Whitwell Smith grows pot.  He lives alone in the middle of nowhere.  He has plenty of good customers, and he has plenty of rules.  No showing up without an appointment is rule number one.  So when someone knocks on his door without prior notice, he freaks out.  Interesting thing though, Mr. Smith isn’t so worried about the whole illegal drug thing.  He is more worried about the whole alien being discovered in his living room thing!

MY THOUGHTS

Reading Cucumber Gravy felt more like I was listening to a good friend tell me about a crazy experience…  “Here is what happened, here is how I felt about it, here is what I was thinking at the time it all happened, here is what it reminded me of…” I thought it was a great writing style.  Mr. Smith is a great character with plenty of quirks and flaws that make him endearing even though he is a drug dealer.  And the unexpected knock at the door introduced us to another great character: a preacher that is full of his own surprises.  And the cucumbers… space cucumbers… fascinating little aliens!

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 8,541
• Page Count: 16
• Published: 2001
• Susan Palwick is an Associate Professor of English and a licensed lay preacher.  Read more about this author at her blog.
• Be sure to read the Author Spotlight Susan Palwick did for Lightspeed Magazine about this story.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

• Cucumber Gravy originally appeared in SCI FICTION.
• You can read Cucumber Gravy for free at Lightspeed Magazine.

They’re Like Totally Spaced Out, Man!

Drugs: the tiny miracles of modern medicine and the bane of federal agents everywhere. We use them to cure illnesses, pain and boredom. Here is a story about the government sanctioning drug use on extremely long interstellar flights – and some of the side effects that come about because of that.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

After many years of trying to create a faster-than-light space ship the government and scientists of the world finally concede that it isn’t possible, so they build a half-the-speed-of-light space ship instead! But there is another vexing problem to solve: how to keep humans from going crazy during the long flights. After several failed experiments the government finally hits on viable solution: using hallucinogenic drugs to help crew members pass the long stretches of boredom between the stars. There is one little problem though, how do they deal with those pesky hallucinations when they can no longer control them? Hmm… like good question man!

Interesting Tidbits:

• Page Count: 11
• Word Count: 3,937
• Did you know that Norman Spinrad has twice served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America? Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author at Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for recommending this cool story!

Where You Can Find Subjectivity:

• This short story first appeared in the January 1964 issue of Analog Science Fact & Fiction.
• You can read "Subjectivity" for free at Project Gutenberg.
• "Subjectivity" is also included in Spinrad’s short story collection Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked "Subjectivity" then you may also enjoy Insomnia by Waldo van der Waal – about a man who is cuffed to his acceleration couch at the beginning of a very long space journey.

Short and Sweet
Are you in the mood for something fun? Then here is a delightfully funny short story from The New Yorker. It only takes a few minutes to read, and is sure to bring a smile to your face! Enjoy.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

An unknown alien species is coming to Earth. Sure they won’t be here for a while, but they were kind enough to send a message letting us know when they will arrive and what to expect when they do. It is a good thing they are not hostile – no, they just want to visit our gravel pits and view the sites – oh, and maybe occupy a continent or two. No problem though, because they are exactly like us – except for all the ways in which they are different!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 3
• Word Count: 1,073
• You can learn more about American television writer Paul Simms at Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing out this great little story.

Where You Can Find Attention, People of Earth:

• This short story was first published in the September 21, 2009 issue of The New Yorker.
• You can still read “Attention, People of Earth” online for free at The New Yorker web site.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you enjoyed “Attention, People of Earth” then you might also like “They’re Made Out of Meat” by Terry Bisson – about a couple of alien scouts who discuss the new race they have discovered.

Happy President’s Day!
Today is officially President’s Day here in the USA, and to honor the occasion I thought I would point you towards a funny science fiction story about the president of the United States. Enjoy!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Deputy White House Chief of Staff Alexander Lipsyte has just learned something amazing – the President of the United States has no brain! No, really, his brain is literally missing… gone poof… playing hide-and-seek… just plain not there! But how can this be you ask? Well, that is what he has been tasked to find out. The trail leads him on a very interesting goose chase involving military officials, top secret UFO bases, famous museums, the secret service and little known Washington, D.C. bunkers. He finally gets some answers and is quite surprised by what he finds out.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 16
• Word Count: 6,695
• Did you know that John Scalzi worked for America Online during the 1990s? Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author by reading the bio on his web site.

Where You Can Find The President’s Brain is Missing:

• This short story was first published in July 2010 on the Tor.com web site – where you can still read (or listen to) it for free.

If you liked "The President’s Brain is Missing" then you may also be interested in “Copperhead” by Gene Wolfe – about a powerful remote control held by the president of the United States.

Just Like Star Trek

I am a big fan of all the Star Trek series, and admittedly I have watched nearly every episode of every series. I have noticed that there are certain types of episodes that show up in all the series – and one of those types is the “abandoned powerful weapon attacks the crew.” Every series had at least one, and sometimes they were corny, but other times they were good. Here is a short story that fits that mold, and was quite enjoyable to read.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Tresqu, the leader of the powerful Hova alien race, has a problem. He has just learned that a subservient race has captured some of his peoples’ military technology and may be planning to use it against them. But before he panics too much it is decided that he and his war council will visit “the weapon” – a malfunctioning remnant of an ancient warrior race that passed through this section of the galaxy many years ago. Since that time the weapon has tried to live a peaceful existence, but the Hova have intermittently plagued it with questions about war tactics. Well this time in their attempt to get it to help with their little problem, Tresqu and his advisors seem to have misjudged their enemy… and the effect it will have on the weapon.

My Two Cents…

• The best part of this story was, without a doubt, the weapon itself. There was just something very funny about a sarcastic, eloquent and condescending weapon of mass destruction that made me laugh out loud!
• I love stories about ancient, militaristic alien societies that are conquering huge swaths of the galaxy. (I’m just glad they aren’t really true!)
• Jacob, the human slave used by the Hova to infuriate the weapon, was a pretty funny guy as well!

Interesting Tidbits:

• Page Count: 11
• Word Count: 6,235
• Did you know that Howard L. Myers also wrote under the pen name “Verge Foray?” Yep. But I don’t know much more about him – does anybody out there know anything else about this author?
• Special thanks to Variety SF for recommending this story.

Where You Can Find The Reluctant Weapon:

• This short story first appeared in the December 1952 edition of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• You can read a free online version of "The Reluctant Weapon" at The Fifth Imperium.
• This story is also included in the Howard L. Myers collection The Creatures of Man.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “The Reluctant Weapon” then you might also enjoy Little Lost Robot by Paul McAuley – about a huge robotic war machine that cruises the galaxy destroying all intelligent life forms it finds.