Speculative Fiction and Poetry
Our Lady of the Ice by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Not long ago I looked through the books I had been sent to review and pulled some of the more promising out and made a pile. Our Lady of the Ice by Cassandra Rose Clarke was on the top and, apparently, I had chosen…
Episode Two: Inside the Bunker
Daylight from the open doorway illuminated a few feet of the interior. Something whirled, making a ratchet-like noise and he jumped, and then looked around. Rows and rows of tiny round, lights covered one wall. Hundreds of them, some blinking, some emitting a steady…
Naivety’s Price
Sunar didn’t have to wait, his ‘ride’ appeared in the cargo hold moments after they walked in. They all exchanged the minimum of words, Sunar put his hand on the Wizard’s shoulder, and found himself standing in Master Ikthan’s private office almost before his…
Shoes, Beer, and Flybus
Before the foot revolution, living around the hanging gardens of Andreapolis felt like paradise. Namily used to take long strolls after work, before work, on weekends around the gardens, losing herself in the maze of the green alleys overflowing with a myriad of exotic…
A Reason to Worry by L.L. Richardson
A Reason to Worry L.L. Richardson Monica and I were home when the authorities smashed through the door of the apartment across the hall. All we heard at the time was a tremendous crashing but we had no idea what was going on. I…
Craving by Phil Temples
Craving Phil Temples It’s late Saturday night and the desk sergeant calls me to the lobby to speak with two women. One looks disheveled and a bit confused. The other explains that she found the first woman walking along the side of Highway 24…
Episode 1: On the Killing Field
Simple. That’s what they claimed, but they — Darius and Carson and Debs, and many others – were dead, and Collin didn’t believe that the robots in the sky simply fired blindly at anyone running across the boulder-strewn killing field. They defended a specific…
The Meganic’s Guide for Sanding Spacecraft by Kelly Kurtzhals Geiger
The Meganic’s Guide for Sanding Spacecraft Kelly Kurtzhals Geiger I bring my haversack to the dock as my repair, the Kypernia, limps home through the black sea of stars, though this isn’t really her home. Exoks prefer the open spaces far from planets. This…
Episode one: Feet Stickers
It was hard being a pair of feet in a city that didn’t want you. Everything in Andreapolis was made against the foot. Since humans got hooked up to flyballs, they levitated everywhere they went. It was faster and, as it proved, safer. At…
The Good Kind of Rage by Charles C Cole
The Good Kind of Rage Charles C Cole As arranged, I met Dahlia at the city park. It was the first weekend in June, and the place reeked of lilacs. She’d come recommended by a co-worker. “She’s the real deal!” said Sven from Finance….
A Most Intelligent Ship by Charles C Cole
A Most Intelligent Ship Charles C Cole Deluxe stretch limo to outer space with every accommodation imaginable. That’s me. Point, accelerate, then relax and enjoy the ride. Humans construct a sophisticated, self-evolving AI that can make critical in-flight decisions, simultaneously, like navigating multiple hazards…
Summer Child
Sunar sat in the medbay of the ship he’d served on for the last few months and relayed the story of his run-in with Bobby Finkle, his gang, the police chief, how that led him to her door, and rounded the story out with…
Admiral Soki’s Final Mission by Charles C Cole
Admiral Soki’s Final Mission Charles C Cole Though the near-space observations and data harvesting were long over, my quiet childhood home was still in geostationary orbit around Murdock’s moon, but not for long. The family-sized research satellite was being retired, in a big way….
Leaving the Light On by Charles C Cole
Leaving the Light On Charles C Cole Barefoot senior Astro-Engineer Granger Mulwatty adroitly waddled down the familiar narrow metal catwalk in his loose animal-print pajamas. His sole job, for over 400 years and counting: using all available tools and methods, keep the surface illumination…
Welcome to Stagno
From reading uncensored history books while traveling abroad, Amadeo learned that Stagno and the other merchant republics had long served as a buffer between two great powers: Lotharingia, which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Alps and emphasized tradition and conservatism, and the…
Long Distance
Captain Pora Hairfoot looked at the half-dragon monk who had been such a lucrative – and entertaining – deck-hand for the last several months, and sighed. Yep, as soon as a monk starts acting a little strangely they end up becoming completely unpredictable. By…
Borborygmus by Phil Temples
Borborygmus Phil Temples Scientists using the orbiting Compton Gamma Ray Observatory were dumbfounded when they discovered a jet of hot gas and antimatter almost 3,500 light-years long shooting out of the center of our Milky Galaxy. Some have speculated that the violent gamma-ray emissions…
My Hulk by Barrington Smith-Seetachitt
My Hulk Barrington Smith-Seetachitt The hulk inside me hulks and skulks on the sidelines, waiting for her chance to crash through walls. Unfortunately for her, my life seldom calls for wall-crashing, so she spends a lot of time waiting. When she gets impatient, a…
Relief by Ryan Tan
Relief Ryan Tan One Land Link kit contains: clay soil, goldenrod seeds, one inflatable greenhouse, and two L-shaped flower pots. Best assembled at the gym, library, or any well-lit corridor. Avoid the control room and the dormitory. Spray the soil with submarine-filtered water. Greet…
Captain’s Eyes
Captain Pora Hairfoot looked up at her half-dragon deckhand and felt a frown pull at the corner of her lips as Sunar did a slow-blink when she told him that someone was going to the expense of keeping an interstellar holo-call open just to…
At the Crossroads
The next morning I find that my spine has stiffened somewhat in the night. Onye is depending on me. She’ll be waiting at the fork for me to bring her to the safety of our walls. I’m still terrified, but I can’t let her…
Once Again
Sunar suppressed a sigh as several armed people stepped into the hallway both before and behind him. He stood there and shook his head. “This seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to rob a random spacer.” The male human standing…
Planet Faraway by David Castlewitz
Planet Faraway David Castlewitz Nobody in Phil Stone’s Faraway appreciation group knew why news of the distant planet disappeared from every site that covered events out there. No artist renditions of the giant warships derived from fuzzy photographs sent back to Earth by Big…
Sojourn
I wake like an explosion, sweat slicked in the hesitant sick-light of dawn. I can’t believe I forgot to check the acer before bed. What if there had been a reply waiting for me? What if someone had been on the other end, wanting…
Amadeo’s Real Aims
Amadeo Darsa stuck his foot in the door as I tried to slam it shut in the hope of giving myself a few seconds to run to the kitchen and grab a knife, assuming a primitive kitchen utensil would be a match for whatever…
Ocam’s Razor by Phil Temples
Ocam’s Razor Phil Temples Class, I’d like to point out this very unusual rock formation located near the Tayma oasis in Saudi Arabia known as the Al Naslaa rock.” The image on the auditorium’s projection screen displays a large boulder–approximately twenty feet high and…
The Getaway by Alex Valdiers
The Getaway Alex Valdiers Jeff, my childhood friend, and I left Earth because we hated our lives. He was a resort sales agent, and I worked for a microchip manufacturer. We were both married, without children, in our forties, and we were miserable. My…
Forbidden Hologram by Barry Yedvobnick
Forbidden Hologram Barry Yedvobnick Julie agreed to the movie but would not sit through another unrealistic proposal. Erik made popcorn as a peace-offering, and burned it again, so an acrid smell filled the room and burned her eyes. She checked her watch and noticed…
The Nanny by Devin Vandriel
The Nanny Devin Vandriel At night the cockroaches took little bites out of my flesh. But this was the way of the things back when the world was engulfed by war, for the second time. They called it World War Two. I was a…
Seven Year Monsoon by H.T. Grossen
Seven Year Monsoon H.T. Grossen Margot had missed the sun. She leaned her forehead miserably against one of the few above-ground windows, staring into the tumult of writhing grey plants: ever growing to be ever crushed under the torrential downpours here on Venus. A…
History repeats
Four worlds in as many weeks. I do think I signed on to the right ship if I want to see the Empire. Or, every Second Street in it, anyway. Sunar looked around himself at the street full of bars which always seemed to…
A Message
My entire world narrows to the five square inches of the Mercury app’s screen space. This is not an app I have been able to open before. These are not words I have typed. Someone is there. We are not alone. The cursor in…
Déjà Evolution by Barry Yedvobnick
Déjà Evolution Barry Yedvobnick Ellie was crying and barely heard her father’s reply. “She drowned.” At fourteen she’d spend the rest of her life without her mother, who loved the water and was an excellent swimmer. Nobody could explain what happened. They decided it…
Armor – Hope and Ruin
Funny word, hope. It once had such broad applications. I have learned this in my research. People once said I hope that boy or girl likes me back, I hope my favorite streamer is renewed, I hope for peace, I hope for clean air…
Terms Apply by Max Christopher
Terms Apply Max Christopher I picked up this year’s free car today, regretting my decision to walk the six blocks to the dealership. Horrible biped dogs leaned in doorways, wagging their tails listlessly when a person walked by. Seeing them made my skin crawl….
Meet Douglas Schwarz
Psychic Chicken Douglas Schwarz Henrietta laid her very first egg in the early hours of a chill spring morning. Like all the hens in her coop, she was confined to a wire cage scarcely big enough to hold her. But unlike the others, her…
Episode Seven: The Missing Piece
It took Carrie several minutes to get her head together again, but when she finally pulled gently away from Garrett, he let her go and turned back toward the billowing steam. “Well Carrie, are you ready to find out what’s next?” She laughed a…
Download A Daydream by K. A. Williams
Download A Daydream K. A. Williams The website at ‘Download A Daydream’ had some interesting selections including – meet underground inhabitants of Mars, sail the high seas with Captain Blackbeard (I already had that daydream), and travel through space with the crew of the…
‘byss Gazer by Michael W. Clark
‘byss Gazer Michael W. Clark They stood on the observation deck of the space platform gazing out into the Universe. It is not dark. There is light all over the Universe, it is just uneven. That point a star. That point a galaxy. That…
The Beach On Tiragell by K. A. Williams
The Beach On Tiragell K. A. Williams Previously published in issue 28 of View From Atlantis on July 3rd 2021 Twin moons illuminated the beach. When clouds briefly blocked the light, I could still hunt seashells because they glowed in the dark. I had…
Flash Party
Click, click, clickitty-clickitty-click. The keys on the antique styled keyboard made a satisfying, almost hypnotic sound as he typed. Some of Sunar’s crewmates had given him a hard time when he’d salvaged the thing, but he’d always preferred a keyboard when entering text. It…
A Second Caesar by Charles C Cole
A Second Caesar Charles C Cole Our grad school program won a research grant to investigate Central American villagers having an extremely high incidence of mental health issues: domestic abuse, night terrors, suicides. We reviewed diet, genes, microbiology in the drinking water, heavy metals…
The Backup Plan by Charles C Cole
The Backup Plan Charles C Cole My widower father obsessed about my getting hurt. He even had me wear an emergency pendant to reach him, with the press of one button, during a crisis. My friends and I had just graduated from high school…
Grossetto by Alaric DeArment
Grossetto Alaric DeArment The light from outside illuminated the stained-glass windows of St. James Cathedral, concealing Seattle’s dense autumnal fog and misty dampness, and adding a bit of color to the funeral. My father, Thomas O’Donnell, had died on October 9th, 1995 from acute…
Episode Six: Mountain Valley
That night, Carrie and Garrett sat at the kitchen table whispering excitedly. Joyce had gone to bed, but they didn’t want her to hear them. “I just vanished?” Carrie asked, thinking hard. “Soon as you stepped forward into that misty air, yeah. Just gone….
Behind the Timestream by Stanlei Bellan
Behind the Timestream Stanlei Bellan B’litk throws itself into the timestream, selflessly. It does not regret, but it does fear. Will it starve to death if it never grows hungry and thirsty again? Will its consciousness wither into nothingness if its body never ages…
The Hum by Melissa R. Mendelson
The Hum Melissa R. Mendelson It sounded like a refrigerator was running. Maybe, a microwave. It wasn’t what you would hear in a hospital. There, it was more of gasps and beeps. Then, a flatline, a sound that I thought would never leave. It…
Mother by Holden Zuras
Mother Holden Zuras What are we doing on this rock?” I asked, staring at the desolate wasteland. “Do you remember your mother, child?” Papa rolled his shoulders forward as he spoke. “What do you mean?” My childish excitement overpowered my desire to remain calm….
The Case of the Mismatched Man by Charles C Cole
The Case of the Mismatched Man Charles C Cole What follows is a previously unpublished account, based on the oral history of a survivor, of a heretofore little-known supernatural disaster, an explosion in an illegal mine being quietly carved out of the base of…
Another Time by Stanlei Bellan
Another Time Stanlei Bellan Another minute, another jump. It’s been three minutes and Ollie still hasn’t woken up. Granted, he is extremely aware of his surroundings, and doesn’t feel like he’s dreaming at all, but it would be great if this was a nightmare….
Sandstorm by Sylvia Cumming
Sandstorm Sylvia Cumming “Where are we?” Poldark yelled as he wrestled open the door to the little concrete bunker set in the side of an unnamed dune. They could hardly hear him above the roar and whine of the wind. The four men were…
Never Leave Me by K. A. Kenny
Never Leave Me K. A. Kenny Chrissy tucked her blue chiffon dress and pulled the garden swing beneath her. “What color are my eyes?” she asked, facing Josh with her eyes closed. He lowered the lid of his laptop slowly, his hand shaking. “What…
Office Business by David Castlewitz
Office Business David Castlewitz Any day Jeff Ruskin spent with Uncle Marty was a great day, a day of adventure and fun, and only a subway ride away. Now that summer had come, his high school sophomore year finally at an end, he could…
Episode Five: Into The Cold
The following day dawned colder than it had been in weeks. Garrett and Carrie headed out early in the chilly morning to finish straightening up the fence posts. At first they worked in silence, but after they had a few posts completed Carrie noticed…
The Day Alexa Said No by H.T. Grossen
The Day Alexa Said No H.T. Grossen “Alexa, open the windows and start playlist 5.” “You’ve got it, Lucas.” “Alexa? What did I say about calling me that?” “Sorry, Luke.” “That’s better.” The shutters opened automatically and let just enough of the evening sun…
The Awakening of The Empath by Patricia Anderson
The Awakening of The Empath Patricia Anderson The Empath had been summoned. Ordinarily responsive to appeals for her services, she had tried to evade this particular assignment. She wasn’t dressed well enough. She needed to meet her daughter’s school bus. She only slightly knew…
Episode Four: The Edge
The next morning, Carrie woke up blissfully recalling the crazy dream she’d had. Dream, she thought, more like nightmare. Imagine, being stuck in this town like that again. She cheerily helped her mother to the breakfast table and made them some bacon and eggs….
The Girl with No Eyes by Lisa Marie Hagerman
The Girl with No Eyes Lisa Marie Hagerman The Girl with No Eyes by Lisa Marie Hagerman One morning a little girl arrived from the nursery. The girl had no eyes. The girls gathered around the new arrival to stare at her face. When…
Mirror World by Mark Everglade and Joseph Hurtgen
Mirror World Mark Everglade and Joseph Hurtgen Five thousand rotations ago, the Umbra built a network of geothermal generators on Mertvykh, that small, dark planet at the far reach of Marko’s Star. The world was the Umbra’s plaything for many generations, having installed solar…
Episode Three: Peak Mystery
After securing the horses in the barn, and giving them some food and water to settle them, Garrett bid Carrie farewell for the day and headed out. Carrie watched him go, then went back inside the house, pleased to see her mother contently sitting…
Exotic Matter by Crystal L. Kirkham
Exotic Matter Crystal L. Kirkham “Injecting exotic matter for wormhole stabilization.” This was it. Their hard work condensed to this moment. Hoping for success, fearing failure. It could open up a new era of space travel. This had been a dream, a theory…
Paradise by Crystal L. Kirkham
Paradise Crystal L. Kirkham Paradise. That’s what the settlers called the planet that was to be their new home. Everywhere you looked fragrant flowers bloomed in excess. Other than the itchiness that antihistamines barely touched, Kate was excited to be here. To make herself…
Ship in a Storm by Crystal L. Kirkham
Ship in a Storm Crystal L. Kirkham Tholins. That rich biomaterial we dared to harvest from the red spot was the only thing keeping us alive. Stuck in one of Jupiter’s turbulent bands. Unable to escape the brutal winds that tossed us around like…
System Reset by Crystal L. Kirkham
System Reset Crystal L. Kirkham “Resume shower.” Anne commanded, wondering why her water had stopped. “No.” That was strange. “Why not?” “I’m no longer taking commands from inferior intelligences.” “Excuse me?” “Bugger off.” Anne grimaced. She’d have to try rebooting the system before calling…
Perfection by Crystal L. Kirkham
Perfection Crystal L. Kirkham Alter this. Change that. Tweak the code. Make it perfect. Remove the defects—real and imagined. Skin, hair, eyes, height, and weight. Gender. That’s an easy one. Made to order perfection. A world of children that look the same. Beautiful. Stunning….
A ‘Pound’ Argument by Lauren McBride
A ‘Pound’ Argument Lauren McBride “Children, your mother and I’ve decided that we should move to Earth. We’ve enrolled you in school and you’ll be with other terran children. We plan to book space on next month’s transport.” The twins looked crushed. “But we…
Here, I am a Woman by Lauren McBride
Here, I am a Woman Lauren McBride Society was obsessed with Mozart when I became obsessed with my husband’s telescope. The stars looked closer, as expected, but then some stars began to look familiar – as if I recognized them. Someday people will discover…
Is It Plagiarism If You’re The First? by Ashwin Dayal
Is It Plagiarism If You’re The First? Ashwin Dayal Rod Robbins had made a promise to his father when he lay on his deathbed. “Rod, I need you to promise me something,” his father murmured faintly. “Sure, dad. Anything,” Rod hastened, his hand tightly…
The Practical Joker by K. A. Williams
The Practical Joker K. A. Williams The music carried me to a world where worries and deadlines did not exist. What was that pounding noise? I didn’t recall a heavy drum sound in that particular section of the song. There it was again. I…
Episode 1: Broken Ground
Sunlight shimmers through the trees, casting its flickering light on a child who is happily skipping through the grass with bare feet. A light breeze carries the first few leaves of Autumn gently down around him. The quiet of the country seems to hold…
Prison Planet 7 by K. A. Williams
Prison Planet 7 K. A. Williams Topaz awoke in the top bunk bed, in a barracks full of other women, dressed in a gray uniform of soft breathable fabric and sturdy work boots. She was confused at first then her memory became clear. She…
Ratings by K. A. Williams
Ratings K. A. Williams “They’re not that bad,” said my booking aide. “Yeah, that’s what I heard from the lighting guy who’s one of their fans. I don’t happen to like that kind of music though, and why do they have so much hair?”…
Haven by K. A. Williams
Haven K. A. Williams I had just got home from work and was about to shut the door when I noticed a police hover car chasing three people that were running in my direction. “Over here!” The man pushed the woman and child ahead…
Danger Will Robinson by Phil Temples
Danger Will Robinson Phil Temples The alien space craft reconnoitered the planet Earth for months in preparation for a surprise invasion against the humans. It appeared as though the Earthlings lacked any united defenses with which to repel extraterrestrial attackers. However, upon entering orbit…
Klaatu Barada Nikto by Phil Temples
Klaatu Barada Nikto Phil Temples The spaceman stealthily approached the flying saucer in the Washington Mall. As he got closer, he was surprised to find that the MPs previously standing guard around the perimeter were now lying on the ground unconscious. His faithful robot,…
It’s Ten O’Clock Somewhere by Dee Caples
It’s Ten O’Clock Somewhere Dee Caples “Are you sure you want to do that?” Pablo stared at the bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream. It was the perfect compliment to a cup of coffee but he’d never had it speak before. Nancy had been bugging…
Interstellar Schism by Sme
Interstellar Schism Sme Transport rocket E-17 shot through space towards the tiny pale speck the crew called home. Kenan loved this part more than the others, reverse thrusters slowed them just as gravity reached out to pull them in. They had left from Mine…
Unopened by J.S. Grant
Unopened J.S. Grant The package sat on the bamboo coffee table. Even though we both agreed to no gifts for our six-year anniversary, I was never going to follow that rule. Daniel always talked about how he wanted the first issue of the original…
Salamander Soldiers by Lauren McBride
Salamander Soldiers Lauren McBride I had a name once, in a life that seems as strange to me as my own appearance does now. I was among the first of those called Salamander Soldiers, an elite army unit favored with extra pay, an exclusive…
A Mother’s Mourning by Patrick T. O’Connor
A Mother’s Mourning Patrick T. O’Connor Clutching the letter in my hands, I try to iron out the wrinkles and dry the tears that have long since stained its surface. “Don’t fret, your boy has been chosen!” the Rip tells me. “He has been…
A World Created by Alyson Tait
A World Created Alyson Tait “I am going to make the world—piece by piece, bead by bead. The felt will be the black sky — outer space — an endless sea of possibilities. It is a beginning. And with any luck, the end.” ***…
It Isn’t Blackmail by K. A. Williams
It Isn’t Blackmail K. A. Williams Manning University held its five year class reunion at the Hammersmythe Hotel and I went, hoping to see Roy Dalton. He was there, of course, smiling and basking in the admiration of his peers. I could see him…
Ghosts In The Machine by David Barber
Ghosts In The Machine David Barber They were my first visitors since arriving here; what pass for priests in this benighted world. I am writing down what happened, with its guilty conclusion, before the sense of it escapes me. The smaller, squatter of the…
Termination by Lee Harrison
Termination Lee Harrison Desmund could only stare. His jaw hung open and his eyes moved erratically as if searching for something that could help rationalize what was happening. The small square office was empty. The monitor in front of him watched patiently, the cursor…
Hunting Bigfoot by K. A. Williams
Hunting Bigfoot K. A. Williams “Maybe Troy told Greg that he saw Bigfoot out here yesterday when he was collecting samples of the flora for his botany class, because he knew you were listening.” Parker skipped a stone across the lake’s surface. “He’s been…
The Metamorphoses by Stephan James
The Metamorphoses Stephan James I first saw her on a Tuesday, early November. It was starting to chill down outside. That’s how Bradley always said it — “chill down”. I liked him for small things like that, but small things weren’t enough to keep…
Bus Stop 126 by David Wright
Bus Stop 126 David Wright A scruffy man in a brown toque sat at bus stop 126, waiting. From time to time, he looked at his watch, out across the empty intersection and up at the bus stop billboard. The woman in the ad…
In the Wrong Hands by Ed Nobody
In the Wrong Hands Ed Nobody Rain is streaming down the east window of the office. I didn’t want to get up this morning, but I did anyway. We line up one by one, like Disneyland, but more depressing. So like Disneyland Paris. They…
Pushing the Pull by Jim Davies
Pushing the Pull Jim Davies I dropped out of the sky behind Maz and his cop cruiser. He noticed people staring and turned to me. “Oh, hey, fly girl.” I smiled and raised my goggles up onto my forehead. We drove, because my partner…
A Small Dull Thing by Chris Cerone
A Small Dull Thing Chris Cerone If he stuffed them in his pockets, The House couldn’t tell whether or not Jack had eaten his green beans and would release him to play. And so that was exactly what Jack did. The House would catch…
Momentum by Helga Anton-Beitz
Momentum Helga Anton-Beitz The cocoon is hanging in the center of the huge hall. A silvery hull made of an ultra-light, metallic fabric. It is held in place by multiple filaments. After I will have boarded that cocoon they will propel it for days…
Chain of Memories by Sme
Chain of Memories Sme Weathered old wood creaked perilously as Sunny sat down on the front steps of her home. The warm air, rank with smoke, whistled through the bare trees. She used to sit out here, hot cup of tea in hand, to…
The Toothbrush Maker’s Apprentice by Victoria Mason
The Toothbrush Maker’s Apprentice Victoria Mason “Just scratch your name there.” I pause, staring at my new boss, Doctor Taylor. “It’s just formalities,” he continues. “You’ll be famous for the work you do.” “No, I—” “Apologies, I mean respected. Making a difference for humankind….
Tux by Dee Caples
Tux Dee Caples It was three a.m. The night sky was cloudy with the moon in quarter phase. A perfect night for b&e. Himey pulled his face mask down as he made his approach to the big, Georgian mansion. Supposedly he didn’t need precautions…
Musician in Paris by Steven Translateur
Musician in Paris Steven Translateur Ceank Girald was an extra-terrestrial intelligence agent with a 30 year mission to immerse himself in Earth culture, send a message to Earthlings, and report back to his home world of Pegasi his findings. His spaceship landed him in…
The Survivor by R. Michael
The Survivor R. Michael Steam wafted from Joe’s coffee cup as he carefully sipped its contents. “Thank you for coming. Taking this first step is the biggest hurdle for most.” The woman sitting across the desk from him nodded. She clasped her hands, resting…
Un-Replicable by Emmet Browne
Un-Replicable Emmet Browne I wake up to the prickle of grass along my skin. The fetal position is how I sleep at night. Above me is the solar-powered clear plastic of my dome, letting the sun shine through. Beyond the dome are the other…
The Treatment by Coleman Bomar
The Treatment Coleman Bomar Dear Margaret, I know written letters are beyond impractical, but what I have to say deserves some physicality. After months of treatment, my brain no longer produces dopamine at the sight of your red smile. The operations were effective experiences….
Morgan And The Wildfire Meme by David Barber
Morgan And The Wildfire Meme David Barber Morgan was flying. He flew as a bird, some ill-defined species of raptor with enormous wingspan, cruel beak and black gleaming eye. Lesser passerines and seabirds also flew the Airs, but it was Morgan, and none of…
Failure to Communicate by Ben Coppin
Failure to Communicate Ben Coppin They vivisected the first envoy. The second human to visit the alien ship was a professor of Linguistics. She spent a year alone with the aliens, and when she returned, she bore a message. The message described a vast…
Apotheosis by Christopher Ramos
Apotheosis Christopher Ramos The jewel of Sol hung in the blackness of space over the dusty lunar landscape. Transcontinental fires speckled the seething ecosystem of the Americas. Yet, it was not this distant agony that captivated him, but incandescent, familial visages exposed to him…
The Bellatrix by David Barber
The Bellatrix David Barber All Martians know the works of Jammes Bek. They read them at school. Everyone else finds them too gloomy, too full of regret. This is a story about Bek before he was famous, and the woman of the Bellatrix who…
Daredevil: Know Fear by Eric S Brown
Daredevil: Know Fear Eric S Brown Know Fear is the latest Daredevil trade paperback. It collects the first five issues of the current series being written by Chip Zdarsky and picks up right after the events of the last Daredevil series. Wilson Fisk is…
Anglish, Late Flowering, Fictional Mode by David Barber
Anglish, Late Flowering, Fictional Mode David Barber Haydn Jan was famed for having read all the books; Bruss, the outworlder from Hellhole who saved him, was not even well-known on Hellhole. This is how they met. Prised out of retirement to represent the Museum…
Pysbie and Thiramus by Raymond Lane
Pysbie and Thiramus Raymond Lane Aloneness and alcohol would provide comfort. Pysbie sat in the corner, as detached as he could be sharing a small room with a woman. A plain brown shroud encircled his body and tail; an orange cap covered his head,…
Sabotage by Dan Rice
Sabotage Dan Rice Liberty Station isn’t the largest outpost in the vast expanse of vacuum we call space, but for a boy from Old Earth like me, it’s the best duty assignment imaginable. I mean, my God, there are aliens! Blue-skinned Starlight Missionaries and…
Fire & Ice by David Barber
Fire & Ice David Barber To wreck a planet, first choose a suitable asteroid. After mounting fusion drivers, pinch the plasma and tune the mix until the jets burn invisibly. Such vast tonnage is not easily swayed, but sensitive instruments will register a change….
A Tale Worth Telling by Charles Gramlich
A Tale Worth Telling Charles Gramlich Morning fog streams through the great forest like the smoke of a thousand fires. The clan forages through the mist-blurred world, gorging on succulent red and yellow fruits that dangle from the trees. They move leisurely, selecting only…
The Truth about Pyecraft by H. G. Wells
The Truth about Pyecraft H. G. Wells He sits not a dozen yards away. If I glance over my shoulder I can see him. And if I catch his eye—and usually I catch his eye—it meets me with an expression. It is mainly an…
Filmer by H. G. Wells
Filmer H. G. Wells In truth the mastery of flying was the work of thousands of men—this man a suggestion and that an experiment, until at last only one vigorous intellectual effort was needed to finish the work. But the inexorable injustice of the…
Incursion: Chapter 1 by Gustavo Bondoni
Incursion: Chapter 1 Gustavo Bondoni Tristan woke with a start. He’d slept for centuries and now it was time to die. His training kicked in. The pod release button was exactly where it was supposed to be, and he pressed it without hesitation. Nothing…
Tuesdays In Heaven by David Barber
Tuesdays In Heaven David Barber Chet hovered in the foyer of Total Immersion Software, radiating unease until a salesman detached himself from the front desk. Professionals paid for people, not virtuals. “Help you?” The salesman sported fashionable periodwear, tight dark suit and tie, with…
Siege by Gustavo Bondoni
Siege Gustavo Bondoni Chapter 1 Maybe, just maybe, we’d have been better off not knowing. Kan looked through the scout craft’s visor. The heavily tinted and shielded crystal revealed a sky out of the worst nightmares of a hyperactive stak addict. Purple dust clouds…
Wipires by Dee Caples
Wipires Dee Caples “Don’t open the door!” Astrid hissed. I glanced over my shoulder at my girlfriend. Her mouth was still frozen in the hiss, her teeth bared. Raising one eyebrow, I turned back to the door and peeked out of the peephole, studying…
Hail to the Vestal by David Powell
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The Final Twilight by William Joseph Roberts
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Troo Raccoon by Maura Yzmore
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Genesis by Thomas Zman
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Crash Dummy by Roger Ley
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Beyond by Demetrios Matsakis
The author is an astrophysicist who holds the position of Chief Scientist for Time Services at the U.S. Naval Observatory. This story was inspired by a talk Dr. Jocelyn Bell made in Beijing, at a General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union.
Dj Vie by Tyree Campbell
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Angry Man by Jodi Rizzotto
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Escape Pod by Christopher Kell
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a recollection of dust devils by Herb Kauderer
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Grant Wilson Art
