“Flowers for Algernon”, a 1959 short story by Daniel Keyes, is about a human test subject whose intelligence significantly increases after undergoing a special surgery.

Summary

Charlie Gordon, the main protagonist, is a sweet-tempered and mentally disabled man. He has an I.Q. of 68 and works a menial job. He is selected to undergo an experimental surgical technique to increase his intelligence. This technique has already been successfully tested on Algernon, a laboratory mouse. The surgery on Charlie proves to be a success as well; his I.Q. triples. He surpasses everybody intellectually, including the scientists who performed the surgery on him. But as his intelligence increases, he becomes unable to relate to others who were once smarter than him.

The story is told through a series of journal entries written by Charlie.

My thoughts on this story

This is one of my favourite stories. The use of progress reports written by Charlie is very effective to tell the story. I also like the fact that some important themes are explored in the story: the treatment of the mentally disabled and the conflict between intellect and emotion or happiness.

Here are a few lines that struck me:

Interesting tidbits

• Word count: 11,745
• In 1958, on submitting the story to Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, the editor suggested changing the ending. Keyes refused to make the change and sold the story to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• It won a Hugo award for best short story in 1960.
• It was voted third out of 132 nominees for a Nebula award in the late 1960s (when SFWA decided to give Nebula Awards retroactively).
• In 1961, it was adapted for television in the drama The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon.
• It was expanded into a full novel and was published in 1966 by Harcourt Brace.
• In 1968, it was adapted into a movie: Charly.
• In 1978, it was adapted into a Broadway musical called Charlie and Algernon.
• It was adapted into a television drama in 2000.
• Both in its short-story format and its full-length novel, it is part of many school curriculums.

Where to find the story

• Flowers for Algernon was published for the first time in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1959.
• It was reprinted several times in different magazines during the subsequent years.
• You can read it online here.
• You can also read it in the book The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One published in 1970.

"Air Raid", a 1977 short story by John Varley, is about time travelers rescuing people from airplanes that are about to crash with no survivors.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Wearing make-up, wigs and dressed up as the airline crew members, the Snatch Team waits for the portal to activate and jump into action. They have to hurry, because 90 minutes or so after take off the plane will crash and everybody on board will die. But what is so important about this particular rescue mission? Or any other rescue mission for that matter?

My thoughts on this story

I found this story very entertaining. It is fast paced, written in the first person. We follow the action through the eyes of one member of the Snatch Team. I really enjoyed this story.

Interesting tidbits

• Page count: 14
• "Air Raid" was first published under John Varley’s pseudonym Herb Boehm.
• Best Short Story Hugo nominee in 1978.
• Best Short Story Nebula nominee in 1978.
• "Air Raid" provided the basis for the 1989 film Millennium.
• The 1983 novel Millennium by John Varley is also based on the short story "Air Raid".

Where to find this story

• This story first appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in 1977.
• It was also published in the short story collection Nebula Winners Thirteen in 1981.
• It was also published in the science fiction anthology Timegates in 1997.
• It is included in the excellent collection The John Varley Reader.
• To find out about other stories by John Varley, you may visit his official website varley.net.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Many, many years after an alien vessel crashes on Earth, the site is uncovered in an archaeological dig. That is all fine and dandy, but it inadvertently unleashes “the alien” on human kind. This alien is one of those multiple biomass shape shifting kind – you know, the kind that can break itself into pieces and disguise itself as human. When it tries to “commune” with humans they become angry and do what humans are notorious for doing: they try to kill it. This is a story told from the alien’s point of view, and describes how humankind is so strange and different from the other life forms in the galaxy. The question is will this alien succeed in teaching humans how to overcome unimaginable loneliness, or will it be destroyed by them? Good luck suckah’s!

Some Juicy Tidbits About This Story

• Word count: 6,836 (12 pages)
• Did you know that Peter Watts has “a bunch of degrees in the ecophysiology of marine mammals?” Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author (and scientist) on his web site.
• This story was nominated for a bunch of awards. It was a 2011 Hugo Award Nominee, 2010 BSFA Award Finalist, 2010 Shirley Jackson Award Nominee, 2011 Finalist: the Locus Award for Best Short Story and 2011 Theodore Sturgeon Award Nominee. Whew!

Where To Find The Things

• This short story first appeared in the January 2010 edition of Clarkesworld Magazine – where you can still read it online for free.
• You can also find "The Things" in the recent short story collection The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2011 Edition.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Things" then you may also enjoy “Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge” – about a group of anthropological aliens who are studying the long and brutal empire of mankind.

Traffic Safety

I sometimes feel unsafe while driving, realizing that the only thing keeping the on-coming traffic from smashing into me is a line of yellow paint. I know, I know – that’s a depressing thought. However, after reading about the futuristic traffic in this story I’m thinking maybe our roads aren’t so bad after all!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Ben Martin, Clay Ferguson and Kelly Lightfoot are the team aboard Beulah – a giant, hovering, patrol car / wrecker / ambulance of NorCon. It is their job to spend weeks at a time patrolling the massive freeways spanning all of North America. They direct traffic, clean up wrecks, help stranded motorists, write tickets and even help catch criminals – all from the comfort of Patrol Car #56. It is a good thing Beulah is equipped for all these activities – what with her kitchen, surgical room, bunks and specialized arms – because they are going to need all the help they can get on this tour of duty.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 35
• Word Count: 21,616
• “Code Three” was nominated for the 1964 Hugo Award for Best Short Fiction.

Where You Can Find Code Three:

• This story was first published in the February 1963 issue of Analog Science Fact.
• You can read “Code Three” online for free at Webscription.
• It is also included in the excellent anthology The World Turned Upside Down.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you enjoyed “Code Three” then you might also like “The Last Command” by Keith Laumer – about an old war machine that is reactivated decades after being buried in a radiation-proof landfill.

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.

Friends With Death

When I was a kid my older brother had a friend whose father was a mortician. Their family lived below the mortuary – just thinking about that still gives me creeps! Anyway, I remember going over there once and looking at the dead people in their coffins. I was totally freaked out! It’s a good thing I didn’t live in the future portrayed by this story, because I really can’t imagine doing what some of the people in “Bridesicle” do.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Mira has just been awakened from death only to find a creepy old man leaning over her telling her that she has been dead for over 80 years! Why has she been brought back? Because in her future there are dating centers where desperate living people can chat with dead people to determine if they are compatible, and if so the live person can pay for the dead person to be restored. Nifty huh? Well, yeah – except that Mira has a few secrets that her suitors weren’t aware of, and that could end up being a bad thing if she ever wants to live again!

My Two Cents…

• I loved the whole idea of “Bridesicle”! It is an idea that I have never come across before, and I really enjoyed reading about it as I could totally see this type of thing happening in the future.
• Mira was a darn interesting character. She had enough issues to make her interesting, and enough courage to make her fascinating. Well done.
• I thought the ending of the story was great – I really enjoyed how it all came together in a rather unusual way.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 11
• Word Count: 6,661
• “Bridesicle” was nominated for the 2010 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
• It was also nominated for the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.
• Did you know that Will McIntosh is a psychology professor? Yep. You can learn more about this science fiction author at Writertopia.

Where You Can Find Bridesicle:

• This story was originally published in the January 2009 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction.
• Asimov’s has created a nice PDF version of “Bridesicle” which you can download for free.
• You can also listen to (or download) an audio version of this story at Escape Pod.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “Bridesicle” then you may also enjoy the other Will McIntosh story I have reviewed: Boxed – about a woman whose brain is serving time in solitary confinement!

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.

I’m A Sucker For Robot Stories

I admit it – ever since reading Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels 20 years ago I have loved robot stories. I especially like stories where the robot is striving to emulate human behavior in some way. From R. Daneel Olivaw to Data on Star Trek, I just can’t resist a good robot story – and “Article of Faith” certainly qualifies as a good robot story!

Are Robots Always Trying To Be More Like Humans?

Jackson is the new robot that cleans the church and tends to its grounds. But he is different than the previous cleaning robots – he is thoughtful and kind and asks some very deep questions concerning the nature of God. At first this is a pleasant surprise for Reverend Morris, who takes advantage of Jackson’s nature to practice his sermons. But as time goes on the Reverend learns that Jackson has bigger plans than just asking questions, and that makes the local congregation quite upset!

My Two Cents…

• I was surprised at how good this story was. I’m not sure why I was surprised, since I like most of Mike Resnick’s stories, but this one really caught me off guard. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about a robot who was interested in the nature of God and faith.
• I also felt a bit of anger by the prejudice displayed in “Article of Faith”. Sure – robot prejudice has been done before, but there was just something about this story that made it seem more wrong than other stories with similar themes.
• Reverend Morris and Jackson were both very deep and interesting characters. I totally enjoyed reading about the conversations they had, and the effects those conversations had upon each of them.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 12
• Word Count: 6,048
• “Article of Faith” was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
• My Rating: 4.9 out of 5

Where You Can Find “Article of Faith”:

• This story first appeared in the October 2008 edition of Jim Baen’s Universe, where you can still read it online for free.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked this story then you might also enjoy:

• The Dyslexicon by Carl Frederick
• Helen O’Loy by Lester del Rey
• Exhalation by Ted Chiang.