NON SPOILER SUMMARY

Lydia and Matt have recently moved away from the city and are getting used to their quieter, more isolated lives away from the hustle and bustle.  They have endured a couple of power failures being so far away from everything, and even found the lack of power to be enjoyable, lighting candles for dinner and having a real conversation rather than watching a movie.

But when the power goes out tonight, things are a bit different.  There is no ambient light, and their cell phones don’t work.  Even striking a match reveals no light.  There is only a pressing darkness that seems to grow thicker and heavier with each passing moment.

MY THOUGHTS

Ooohhh, this story gave me the creeps!  I loved how the author didn’t give any unnecessary pre-story, she just jumped right into the heat of the moment when the lights disappeared.  And from there you are drawn into a world of darkness that becomes stranger and scarier with each sentence!  Can you imagine a darkness so pressing that it swallows any light that is shed by any source?  Eeeek!

INTERESTING TIDBITS

• Word Count: 6,763
• Page Count: 17
• Published: 2010
• About the Author: Pamela Sargent has written several novels, and is the winner of a Nebula Award and a Locus Award.  Find out more about this talented author at her website, or at Wikipedia.

WHERE TO FIND THIS STORY

You can read The True Darkness for free at WorldLit.

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.

Another Dangerous Hunting Story
Hunting stories, especially dangerous ones, have long provided fodder for short stories. In fact one of my favorite all-time short stories is "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. Here is another tense but great story in that fine genre of “kill-or-be-killed.”

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Something has been eating Duncan’s crops, and that is not only bad for business but endangers the livelihood of him and the alien tribe he supports. The offender must be stopped! However, the offender is a Cytha – the most feared beast on all of Layard – and the aliens beg him not to hunt it. Safety be damned! Duncan gets a local guide and the hunt is on. There is a bit of a problem though, the Cytha seems to be getting smarter and more lethal the longer they chase it. Will Duncan figure out why the locals are so afraid of the Cytha? Maybe, if he can stay alive long enough to at least see the beast – and that proves to be incredibly difficult.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 37
• Word Count: 14,244
• You can learn more about American science fiction author Clifford D. Simak at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find The World That Couldn’t Be:

• This short story was first published in the January 1958 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• You can read "The World That Couldn’t Be" for free online at Project Gutenberg.
• It is also collected in Clifford D. Simak’s book Off-Planet – which is out of print but you can still find used copies at Amazon.com or on eBay.

If you liked "The World That Couldn’t Be" then you may also enjoy “Duel on Syrtis” by Poul William Anderson – about a renowned hunter who goes to Mars to get a trophy Martian.

What’s That Sound?

Have you ever been alone, in the woods, at night? If so then you know how the slightest little sound can cause your heart to pound and imagination to race. Now just imagine having another sense – a sixth sense – that compounds that feeling of fear and anxiety. Would that be better or worse? In this story one young girl finds out how a special ability can make a scary situation even scarier! Eek!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Telzey is smart for her age. At fifteen she is already in college – but could her special psionic abilities have something to do with it? Probably. Anyway, when she goes camping with a bunch of friends in the remote and wild Melna Park she becomes aware of a brutal murder that takes place. Yeah, probably not a good idea to investigate on her own, but like all good horror movies she ignores the cautions of the audience and goes anyway. You would think that the combination of her abilities and powerful technologies would keep her safe. Yep, you would think that wouldn’t you? Well, guess again.

My Two Cents…

• This was the first story I’d ever read by James H. Schmitz, and I thought his writing was excellent. A great story told very well – you can’t ask for much more than that!
• Although it is not a horror story, I still found it to be quite scary. The general creepy feeling throughout the story, and the way the author keeps the tension high made for one spooky tale!
• Telzey was an awesome character. I love seeing smart, young girls surprise people with their amazing abilities – bravo!

Interesting Tidbits:

• Page Count: 22
• Word Count: 13,489
• “Goblin Night” was nominated for the 1965 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
• Did you know that James H. Schmitz was born in Germany and lived there until World War II? Yep. You can learn more about this excellent author at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find Goblin Night:

• This story was originally published in the April 1965 edition of Analog Science Fiction.
• You can read it online for free at Webscription’s preview of the excellent The World Turned Upside Down.
• If you like this story you’ll be happy to know that James H. Schmitz published several other stories featuring the young Telzey, the main character in “Goblin Night”. Check out the collected stories in the book Telzey Amberdon.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “Goblin Night” then you might also enjoy The Menace from Earth by Robert Heinlein – about a 15 year old girl who lives on the Moon and gets jealous when her partner acts as a tour guide for a beautiful Earth woman.

Scary Sci Fi

So, this was the first story I’d ever read by Laird Barron, and I must say that his writing style is very cool! I loved the detailed descriptions he gave of what was going on and what was being seen. And his story telling style was very unique but I found it enjoyable. There was quite a bit of a “Lovecraftian” feel to this story, so if you are a fan of the Cthulu mythos then you’ll feel right at home with this excellent short story!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Mr. Partridge has just been invited by some old friends to visit their newly acquired rural farm. So like the true friend that he is he drops everything and flies across the country to have a look. But after his arrival he begins to notice some strange things – like constant references to NASA first contact procedures, perfectly preserved ghost town buildings and satellites pointed at the ground! Oh, and there is his old flame – who gives him a bit of sad news. But there is something else too, something bigger. And Partridge is about to discover something much worse than he had ever imagined!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 20
• Word Count: 12,188
• Did you know that Laird Barron raced in the famous Alaskan Iditarod 3 times? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating horror author at Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to Free SF Reader for pointing me towards this story.

Where You Can Find The Forest:

• This story was originally published in Ellen Datlow’s 2007 anthology Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural.
• You can read “The Forest” for free online at the wonderful world of Webscription!
• This story is also included in Laird Barron’s own horror collection Occultation.

If you enjoy scary / occultish science fiction stories then be sure to check out The Colour Out Of Space by H.P. Lovecraft and The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross. Enjoy!

Displacer Beast?

Being the big fan of Dungeons & Dragons that I am, I have always been fascinated by some of the strange creatures in the Monster Manual. One of those fascinating monsters is the Displacer Beast. It is very cool, but I often wondered where they got the idea for it. Well, I think I now have the answer – the terrifying alien in this story most likely provided the inspiration for it. Now if I could just figure out the origin of the rest of the monsters I’d be set!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Coeurl is more than just a big, cat-like alien – he is also a highly developed killing machine. The only problem is that he has decimated the food supply of precious id on his planet. So imagine his good luck when a human exploration ship lands nearby to explore the ancient archaeological ruins. Coeurl is starved, but he plays it cool when he meets the humans, acting the part of a nice pussy cat. Poor humans – will they ever figure out the true nature of this beast? Let’s hope so.

My Two Cents…

• Without a doubt the coolest part of this story is Coeurl – what’s not to love about a terrifying, tentacled alien?
• The idea of Coeurl feeding on the precious id was quite interesting and not something I had seen before.
• The final showdown between the humans and Coeurl was great fun to read about.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 20
• Word Count: 12,057
• Did you know that “Black Destroyer” is widely considered to be one of the stories that kicked off the Golden Age of Science Fiction? Yep. You can learn more about this story and its author at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find Black Destroyer:

• This story was originally published in the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction.
• You can read a free online version of “Black Destroyer” at Baen’s The Fifth Imperium web site.
• This excellent novelette is also part of the author’s anthology Transfinite: The Essential A. E. Van Vogt.

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “Black Destroyer” then you may also enjoy A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum – about an astronaut who walks several hundred miles across the Martian landscape, and the amazing life forms he encounters.

Lucky Limbs?

When I was a kid someone gave me a “lucky” rabbit’s foot. I was elated! I put it on a little chain and carried it around in my pocket for days. I tried to use it to coerce other kids into giving me things (I was really little, remember.) It didn’t work, and it only served to make loads of people angry at me. I finally decided that it wasn’t lucky at all, and I threw it away. Sure, I was unhappy about the incident, but it was nothing compared to what the man in this story goes through!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

One cold and wet night the White family is visited by Sergeant Major Morris, who has recently returned from India. He tells them about a magical monkey’s paw that grants wishes, but in a terrible way. He tries to destroy it but the White family will have none of that – they take the evil talisman off of his hands (Ha – pun intended!) Wow, what should they wish for? They wish for what most people would wish for: money! Unfortunately they get what they ask for, and now the big question is how to use the 2 other wishes.

My Two Cents…

• A deliciously creepy and chilling story! Don’t read it if you are all alone!
• I love Greek myths that show how people can’t escape their fate. “The Monkey’s Paw” is similar, but in a much more modern and terrible way.
• While the end of the story is very cool, it did stop quite abruptly. I wish… oops – I mean I would have liked it better if the ending would have told us a little bit more.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 8
• Word Count: 3,918
• My Rating: A-
• Learn more about British author W. W. Jacobs at The Literature Network.

Where You Can Find “The Monkey’s Paw”:

• This story first appeared in the 1902 short story collection The Lady of the Barge.
• You can read a nice free version (complete with illustrations) online at the Scary For Kids web site.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked “The Monkey’s Paw” then you might also enjoy The Colour Out Of Space by H.P. Lovecraft – about a meteorite that falls from the sky in the 1880′s and the devastating consequences it has upon the people in a rural New England town.

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.

Combining Two Classic Stories

Thank goodness for my wife. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t know the story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and knowing that story turns out to be a good thing when reading this story. John Kessel’s “Pride and Prometheus” is about Mary Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice) and Victor Frankenstein (from Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.) I was somewhat familiar with both stories (although I have never read either of them), so I really enjoyed reading this one and found myself laughing out loud and admiring the author’s clever combination of the two classics.

Will They Bring Pitchforks and Torches?

Anyway, “Pride and Prometheus” is about Mary and Katherine (Kitty), the little sisters of Elizabeth Bennet. Several years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet drags Mary to a ball that Kitty is attending. While there Mary encounters Mr. Victor Frankenstein, who is traveling in England with his friend Henry Clerval. She is delighted to find Mr. Frankenstein most agreeable and easily converses with him about a variety of subjects. After several encounters she becomes even more fascinated, but when rumors of a grave robber are heard Mary discovers that Victor is harboring a terrible secret – one which will haunt the Bennet family for a long time indeed!

My Two Cents…

• I’m not sure about John Kessel’s other stories (since this is the first one I’ve read by him) but the writing in this story was excellent! Not only was the story-telling good, but it was also written in the manner of a 19th century English novel! Very well done!
• While it isn’t one of the most science-fictiony stories I’ve read, I did have a difficult time putting it down. It was just very fun to read, and knowing both stories made me eager to see how they be would mixed.
• Personally I liked everything about this story, but if you are not a fan of 19th century English writing styles then you may not enjoy it so much.

Stats:

• My Rating: 4.8 out of 5
• Page Count: 26
• Word Count: 13,870
• “Pride and Prometheus” was originally published in the January 2008 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
• Awards:
  • “Pride and Prometheus” won the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and the 2009 Shirley Jackson Award.
  • It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award.
  • It also placed 5th in the 2009 Locus Poll for Best Novelette.
• “Pride and Prometheus” is included in The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories by John Kessel. (Find it at Amazon.com or search for it on eBay.)
• You can download “Pride and Prometheus” for free (as part of the previously mentioned book) from Small Beer Press.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked this story then you might also enjoy A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman – in which Sherlock Holmes meets Cthulhu!

A Strange Circus

I was invited to join the circus once. Yep, back when I was a teenager I won a state-wide talent contest with my juggling skills. After the show a circus-master (is that what they are called?) gave me his card and invited me to view his show. I enjoyed the performance and then went to meet the others in his troupe. I was briefly tempted to “run off and join the circus” so-to-speak, but I didn’t. I often wonder where my life would be today had I accepted his offer. Probably not reviewing science fiction short stories.

A Strange Talent

Anyway, “Under the Honey” is about some people in a traveling circus in post-Third World War France. (A very cool setting, by the way) They are all entertaining, but Firouche has a very unique talent: she can be killed in a variety of ways and then come back to life. Wow! People are both horrified and fascinated by her. But one particular man wants to use Firouche’s abilities for his own dark purposes.

Going along with this the reader is also treated to a story about Joan, a woman who can see bits of the future when she eats honey from some specially engineered bees. Joan is starting to see some very strange and disturbing things, but her “beekeeper” assures her that everything will be alright. But will it? Hmm… probably not.

My Two Cents…

• I loved the tone set by “Under the Honey”! There is a calm, yet eerie, feeling throughout the entire story – and it adds a whole other level to the reading.
• The writing was very good. The story line didn’t feel rushed and the excellent descriptions added more depth to an already great story.
• The are several awesome characters in “Under the Honey”: Firouche, Joan, the young adoring Minou, the scary Mercurier, the creepy Baron – well done all of them!
• There wasn’t much I disliked about this story, but I did long for some more explanation of things. I would have loved to learn more about the Unbound and the mercuriers.

Stats:

• My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
• Page Count: 22
• Word Count: 10,210
• “Under the Honey” was originally published in the Spring 2009 issue of Subterranean Press – where you can still read it online for free. (Thanks to Free SF Reader for the link!)
• You can learn more about Liz Williams at her web site.
• If you liked this story be sure to check out Liz Williams short story collection The Banquet of the Lords of Night and Other Stories at Amazon.com, or search for it on eBay.