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!

Garry hates elevators. They are always cruel to him – making him wait before they do his bidding. But at an old hotel in an Eastern city Garry finds the evilest of all elevators!

Read They Wait online for free.

Two men at a Sci Fi convention notice a very strange man slinking around stealing stuff – but things get even stranger when security finally tries to arrest him!

Read Shoplifter In The Crowd online for free.

Have a great weekend!

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.

Nat started a band – the first band for a new ultra high pitched music scene. But one small problem means that this kind of fame definitely won’t last for long.

Read A new note for Nat online for free.

One old man’s stealth suit helps keep him blissfully out of public awareness – that is until one small boy discovers a glaring problem.

Read Perchance to dream online for free.

Have a great weekend!

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.

Usually when we think of aliens conquering our world we think of vicious, mean killers. But they could also be very diplomatic and genuinely interested in us – even to the point of being boring!

Read Copycats online for free.

Martin has a big problem: 15 minutes of air in his bounder suit but 30 minutes until he reaches the safety of the nearest settlement. He decides to take a big leap of faith (Ha! Pun intended!) but forgets one very important little fact. Whoops!

Read Look Before You Leap online for free.

Have a great weekend!

A Weighty Recommendation

Last year after reviewing a Robert Sheckley story I received an unsolicited email from none other than David Brin himself! I was both surprised and delighted when he mentioned visiting my little site and actually enjoying it! We carried on a small email conversation, and I discovered that he is a big fan of Robert Sheckley. He suggested a couple of stories (which I am still looking for online), but when I saw this one I had to give it a go. Here’s to you you, Mr. Brin, and your encouragement that I read more Sheckley stories!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Two weeks before the Scouter Jamboree, Drog is sent by his patrol leader on a very important mission. In order to improve the public perception of their patrol he must hunt down a live, male Mirash and bring its pelt back as a trophy. That doesn’t seem like too big of a problem until he learns that the Mirash are not only smarter than they seem, but they also have some dangerous weapons. Drog resorts to several desperate hunting techniques, but the question is will any of them be enough to capture one of the savage beasts?

My Two Cents…

• “Hunting Problem” has very clever humor throughout- and that made it a pleasure to read!
• The methods Drog uses to try and snare the Mirash were hilarious, I actually laughed out loud at several of them.
• The ending of the story was even more clever and funny than the rest of it – and it also caught me by surprise!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 9
• Word Count: 3,949
• Did you know that Robert Sheckley wrote around 400 short stories – 4 of which were made into movies? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating science fiction author at his official homepage.

Where You Can Find Hunting Problem:

• This story was originally published in the September 1955 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• You can read a free HTML version of “Hunting Problem” online at The Fifth Imperium.
• This story is also included in the excellent anthology The World Turned Upside Down. (You can usually find a nice used copy on eBay too.)

Craving More Science Fiction Short Stories?

If you liked “Hunting Problem” then you may also enjoy the only other Robert Sheckley short story I have reviewed: Reborn Again – about a man whose whole-body transplant operation is botched by a morally indecisive lab technician.

Sianni and Ariya knew their romance was meant to last after they exchanged vital information on The Sea of Tranquility, but how will they handle having children while living on Saturn’s rings?

Read Boom Baby Boom online for free.

Danny has decided to throw a wild party and has invited several people. The problem is that he is hosting it in his head via an unsecured public access port – and that means lots of unwanted guests!

Read There’s a Party in My Head and Everyone’s Invited online for free.

Have a great weekend!

If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now

I have often wished that my current knowledge would have been available to me in my youth – life would have been much different, I can tell you that! I’m not really sure things would have been better – just different. Anyway, here is a great little story that shows how one man dealt with that exact situation, but in a strange sort of way.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

In the high society of 1860′s Baltimore, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Button are given the shock of their life when their newborn son turns out to be a 70 year old man! It isn’t easy explaining his age to their friends and family, but the difficulties of raising an old man don’t stop there. Clothes, canes, hair dye and even friends all come with a unique set of challenges for their son Benjamin, but strangest of all is the fact that he is growing younger each day! It has often been said that youth is wasted on the young, but this story proves that may not always be the case.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 21
• Word Count: 9,257
• Did you know that F. Scott Fitzgerald was friends with Ernest Hemingway? Yep. You can learn more about the life of this famous American author at Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:

• This story was originally published in the May 27, 1922 edition of Collier’s magazine.
• You can read “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” online for free at many different web sites.
• This story is also included in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous anthology Tales of the Jazz Age.

Benjamin Button Is A Movie Too!

• No doubt you have heard of (or seen) the popular 2008 movie starring Brad Pitt. If not then here is the trailer:

Stephanie is a girl who works for a Chinese takeout restaurant, and she is about to get a lesson in why it is important to learn other languages – rather than just let the computer translate them.

Read Takeaway online for free.

A professor and a police detective have finally figured out the answer to the Fermi Paradox – and it is “dismayingly familiar!”

Read MAXO signals online for free. (The first half of this story is a little bit jargon heavy, but stick with it because the ending is quite funny!)

Have a great weekend!