Thief of Always is an older book by famed horror aficionado Clive Barker, and it could be considered a type of children’s book. Written for those between the ages of 10-13, the story is fantastic for any age and is easily one of my favorite books by this particular author. Your typical premise; boy gets bored, creepy man takes him away, boy is no longer bored.

The Plot:

Harvey Swick is a 12 year old boy who is feeling rather depressed one dreary February day. Feeling depressed and on the verge of giving up, a strange man bursts through his bedroom windows. The man tells Harvey about a magical place known as the Holiday House; in this magical place all the holidays play on a loop in the course of one day, every day. Intrigued, he follows the man to the magical place. Once there, he finds that it’s more than he could hope for and is taken in by the magic of the house. After a while he starts to get home sick and attempts to go home; it’s at this time he begins to realize that there is a price for happiness.

Why It Qualifies:

This really short book deals with the “Paradox Twins” premise when Harvey finds out that one day inside the Holiday House is equivalent to 1 year in the real world. It also incorporates golems, a sentient home, a vampire, memory extraction, and a force field.

The Reason I like It:

It’s really dark, especially for the intended age group. It deals with the concepts of kidnapping and murder and captures the impatience of a child and counters it with very harsh consequences. The illustrations are typical Barker, creepy and well-drawn fitting perfectly with the theme of the book. I also think that this is his best work ever and I’ve read a few of his other works, the reason being is that it’s short and concise unlike his adult works that seem to be rather long winded and somewhat more difficult to get into.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fable, Young Adults, Horror
Word Count: 38,592 (with title and chapter names included) ; 38,478 (without title and chapter names)
Original Publishing Date: January 1^st, 1992
Original Publisher: Harper Collins

Sarah Rexman is the main researcher and writer for bedbugs.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Florida State, with a degree in environmental science.  Her current focus for the site involves researching how to eliminate bed bugs and the top bed bug medications.

Are You a Fan of King Arthur?

I have always found the legend of King Arthur to be fascinating and fun to read. This easy-to-read and fun story provides a bit of a modern twist on one of the knights from that famous tale.

Non-Spoiler Summary

Sean is in big trouble. With only days before the committee arrives to evaluate his final survey report, the computers on Nemuria have contracted a nasty virus and are holding his data hostage. There is one small chance, however, and that is the small nanny robot which sometimes stores back-ups. But the virus has caused it to believe it is an Arthurian knight… and the only way to fix it is to provide the mythical “Questing Beast” so that it can capture it – then the virus will purge itself and Sean can get his report done. Or at least that is what he’s hoping for. He has to pull every string he has to get the beast made, but even that may not be enough.

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 5,241 (10 pages)
• Did you know that Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team? Yep. You can learn more about this creative team on their web site.

Where To Find Questing Beast

• This short story was first published in issue #23 (June 2006) of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.
• "Questing Beast" can be read (or downloaded in many formats) for free online at Smashwords.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "Questing Beast" then you may also enjoy “From The Lost Diary Of TreeFrog7″ by Nnedi Okorafor – about a team of jungle explorers who are searching for an ancient computerized plant.

Science and fiction are both hard to write, which makes science fiction doubly harder. You need to present a situation as possible without alienating your audience. You need to sound credible. Your science needs to be sound. You need to have a great command of a language and you need to awaken your reader’s imagination. Oh, and yes, you have to do research.

I write mainly historical fiction, but I’ve found that science fiction and historical fiction have the same requirements and suffer from the same bad writing habits. Both require a lot of research, but when written badly, both science fiction and historical fiction sound like boring textbooks.

Nevertheless, good writing is always backed by good research. An “AHA!” experience always rests on a good, solid historical or scientific (or both!) foundation.

If you’re a science fiction writer who wants to do research, then here are a few research sources for you.

1. Google Scholar is your friend

Whenever I have to do research off a college campus – where I can’t access journal articles so easily – I always turn to Google Scholar. Google Scholar is a good jump off point for you to access research articles in any field. You can type in anything from “mutations in plants” to “space exploration” and get the latest in research.

You’ll be working with primary sources, too, so the language will be different; but if you can consult with friends, then you’ll get a clearer picture of how research works and what goes into the science.

Learn how to read abstracts, which contain info on the research problem and its importance. Go through the reference list so that you can get more articles and branch out farther into the field. You’ll find that the research your reading is the product of so much work that has already gone before.

2. Watch news documentaries that feature science and tech breakthroughs

Now, it’s time to look at the science itself. If you don’t have the time to wade through journal articles, catch news and features that look at the newest in science. These reports will distill the research, but they can give you ideas of what you can do more research on, and who you can contact to ask questions.

Take down notes on who says what, and who the detractors are. These can give you ideas on who to talk to later on, and what to do research on when you finally get the time to sit down in front of your computer.

3. Use popular science magazines as jump-off points

Still have no time to go online or watch TV? Subscribe to science and tech magazines such as Discover, Popular Science, National Geographic, or Scientific American. You can read these magazines before bed, or whenever you have free time on your hands. Again, this is a good jump off point, the way that Google scholar and TV can help get you ideas. These are distillations of research, so you’ll still need to go to primary sources. Nevertheless, take down notes and see what research is being done!

4. Attend popular science talks

Here’s another jump off point that can help you get connections to the scientific world, and even widen your circle of friends. Check with your local college or university for popular science talks. These can include symposiums inside the school, or even a small talk at a local cafe. These talks can help you get ideas, find out the latest about science, or even put you in touch with science writers who are as interested in science as you are.

5. Visit your local science museum regularly

Science museums can give you a full view of the history of science, from the fossils to the modern machines that power our world. Look at the history of science and see if you can spot trends in how mankind has progressed. Then, extend your reasoning to the future. How will we live? Where will we be? What will technology be like? Who will we respect?

These resources can help you get a glimpse of science, both as a changing field, and as one that has affected our everyday lives. Don’t forget to take notes and keep on asking questions. Science never sleeps, and you shouldn’t sleep on that research, either!

Inez Ponce de leon is straddles both worlds of the bench and social sciences while working as a science and risk communication specialist. She loves to write on a wide variety of topics, whether it’s dancing, culture, Healthy Trim, novels, writing, movies, or genetics.

Non-Spoiler summary:

Foster is a young boy, who only wants one thing for his birthday: a nuclear bunker. Everyone else in the neighborhood has one, you see, except for him. His friends keep telling him he’s gonna die when the Reds drop the bomb. His teachers constantly scold him for failing his nuclear readiness exercises. On the TV, the Reds keep coming up with new, deadlier weapons every week.

Well, Foster’s had enough. He’s tired of being scared. He’s gonna do whatever it takes. He’s gonna scream, he’s gonna cry, he’s gonna cuss and plead, till he gets that bunker.

My thoughts while reading it:

‘What the hell, that’s no way to talk to a kid!’ ‘You shove that bunker where the sun don’t shine, Mrs Carlyle!’ ‘The Reds made a WHAT?’ ‘Dude, buy the damn bunker, it’s for your own safety!’ ‘Yaaaay!’ ‘Aaaawww’

The technical stuff:

• Word Count: 7,000 words
• Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Go check your dad’s old stash of scifi books. The best ones are probably written by this guy.

Where you can find it:

• In his collected works anthology The Father-Thing (available in every online bookstore worth its salt)
• This story is currently not available online. Which means you’re gonna have to buy it. And trust me, this is a sound investment

By-Line:
Konstantine Paradias is a short story science fiction and fantasy writer, who has his own blog, called Shapescapes. There you can find a free novel, called Stone Cold Countenance as well as a series of sci-fi comic book reviews. For comments, requests or plain old contact, you can find him at kosparadias@gmail.com

BestScienceFictionStories.com is excited to announce the addition of a new full-time blogger: Konstantine! Kostas (as he is known around here) is joining us from his home in Athens, Greece. He is no stranger to blogging or science fiction, just check out his cool web site, ShapeScapes, to find several good stories and reviews – including his recent review of the comic book The Metabarons.

Kostas has already submitted several guest posts here at BestScienceFictionStories.com and they have been a blast to read! So if you are interested in a new point of view, a great sense of humor and some really great reviews of science fiction stories then join with me in wishing him a warm welcome and a long reviewing life.

Welcome aboard Kostas!

Do You Have Arachnophobia?

Are you afraid of spiders? If you are then don’t feel bad because I have an older brother who is terrified of them too! I must confess that after reading this story I became a little jumpy at the sight of them. It is a great read though – especially if you already dislike the little buggers!

Non-Spoiler Summary

The leader, the gaunt man and the little man are chasing 3 fugitives on horseback when they happen on a great, gray valley. Yeah, it is a little bit mysterious as well as creepy – but that doesn’t stop the from charging into it. It is when they are past the point of no return that they start to notice weird things – like the mad dog that completely ignores them, and the increasingly jittery horses. But once they see the strange haze-balls blowing down the valley they start to get concerned… but will it be too little too late? Hmm – yeah, probably!

Some Interesting Tidbits

• Word count: 4,153 (7 pages)
• Special thanks to the members of the Classic Science Fiction group – whose engaging discussion of this story made me want to read it!
• Did you know that H.G. Wells is often referred to as one of the “fathers of science fiction?” Yep. You can learn more about this classic science fiction author on Wikipedia.

Where To Find The Valley of Spiders

• This short story was can be read for free online at The Literature Network.
• "The Valley of Spiders" is also included in the anthology Great Tales of Horror & the Supernatural.

Craving More SF Stories Like This One?

If you liked "The Valley of Spiders" then you may also enjoy “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs – about a family who discovers a magical talisman that grants 3 wishes.

Time travel stories have almost run their course: whether you’re reading The Time Traveler’s Wife or a classic by Jules Verne, it seems that man’s obsession with time travel has gotten tiring, if not overused. However, once in a while, there comes a story that makes you actually think: what if time travel was truly possible? What would happen? Where would you go?

In Tim Maly’s short Time, Again, we find ourselves looking at the world through the eyes of a man desperately in love, but confused in a world increasingly plagued by war. He is nameless, perhaps adding more to his believability. He loves a woman who travels through time, who loves the technology and is well versed in it.

Like The Time Traveler’s Wife, his likewise nameless wife comes back several times, and at different ages. She is young, full of life and brilliance; she is almost a child, but with wisdom beyond her years; she is his age, and his ardent lover. They make love, they kiss, they speak to each other as equals, she comforts him as she leaves.

However, unlike The Time Traveler’s Wife, Tim Maly’s story is short, succinct, and packed with emotion without going overboard. The story is not so much about the technology of time travel itself, but its impact. It is here where Maly works his magic with his prose: as the husband grieves and nurses his fears about the war, he struggles to remember the many times his wife returned, in different ways.

The past, present, and future tense all merge and interact, like a swarm of bees that is as incongruous from the outside looking in – but that forms a pattern that the reader/observer can easily follow. Maly’s prose is easy, and his imagery is vivid. He shows more, tells less, from the broken egg on the floor that rebuilds itself – a testament to a broken time machine and changed patterns of time – to his lead character’s eyes lingering over his woman’s body, even as she tries to preoccupy him with her knowledge of time travel.

The lead character is developed strongly, with an even pace. He comes off as a typical macho man who wants to control and understand everything, and yet who hides his broken heart. And yes, she does break his heart, in this story without end that travels eternally through time.

Maly’s story is surprisingly easy to follow, even with its jumps through tenses. His prose is his strongest point, as he shows how a brief tear in time changes lives completely.

You can read the whole story here http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/TimeAgai.shtml

Inez Ponce de Leon has a background in molecular biology and science communication. She loves to write on a wide variety of topics, even Procera AVH.

Non-spoiler summary:

Ed Morris is a citizen of Earth, who works for an accounting firm on Ganymede. Every day, during his daily trans-solar commute, he is bombarded by animated billboards, radio and tv ads. When he has finally run this gauntlet, he reaches his home planet, only to be beset by swarms of robot salesmen, who pester him. Even at home, the barrage will not cease.

Ed Morris finally realizes he has had enough, so he pleads with his wife Molly to relocate to an extra-sola colony, where people live their lives in peace and quiet, ‘like they used to do in the 20^th century’. Molly won’t even consider it, when suddenly Ed’s worst nightmare comes to life, in the form of a Fully Automated Self-Regulating Android (Domestic use only).

What I think:

Opinions on Philip K. Dick’s tone of his work vary, but everyone can agree on one thing: the man writes like an angel; he is also terribly depressing. This story is both the best and the worst one in his anthology The Father-Thing (buy it now, it’s awesome). It’s the best because it actually addresses the contemporary problem of media saturation and the increasing aggressiveness of ad campaigns, which so far have intruded into every aspect of our lives. It’s also damn funny.

It’s the worst because of its ending. Its ending is, in fact, so depressing, that even Philip Dick apologizes for it at the end of the book.

Boring Technical Stuff:

• Word Count: 5,000
• Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. His work is legion and I suggest you start as soon as possible, or you’ll die unfulfilled.

Where you can find this story:

• In his collected works anthology The Father-Thing (available in every online bookstore worth its salt)
• This story is currently not available online. Which means you’re gonna have to buy it. And trust me, this is a sound investment

By-Line:

Konstantine Paradias is a short story science fiction and fantasy writer, who has his own blog, called Shapescapes (shapescapes). For comments or plain old contact, you can find him at kosparadias@gmail.com

Dr. Thorne has a great new machine – a Gene Code Reprogrammer. But the problem is that he has run out of funding, so he has turned to some questionable practices to get more money. Let’s just wait and see what happens, shall we?

Read Double Blind online for free.

Captain Branson has spent 100 years making the journey from Earth to New Terra. Now, as this historic journey is about to fulfill its long-awaited purpose he receives a message that is a quite dis-heartening… to say the least.

Read The Long and Short of It online for free.

Enjoy!

If you swapped minds with your dog, what would you do? Go to the mall, sneak into locker rooms, or chase cats all day? Now, what if you swapped minds with a duck? A cat? Or worse, a toaster?

This is the quandary faced by a nameless professor in Matthew Grigg’s short story, Professor Panini. The story starts when a self-made man, now a professor and researcher, works on exchanging the minds of a cat and duck using a machine. There are no details about how the machine works or what it looks like; suffice it to say that the experiment doesn’t go as planned, and hilarity ensues.

The professor has become a helpless, though intelligent toaster. In his immobile state, he starts looking for help in a myriad ways that the reader might not even imagine. Tossing toast, reprogramming the toaster, and even giving orders over the phone after a Rube Goldberg-like sequence of events all lead comically and slowly to a fun finale.

Will the professor escape the life of a stationary toaster, or will he forever be shooting out SOS bread messages through his apartment window?

Grigg’s prose is simple, sometimes too simple that you wonder if the lead character is actually a professor or some science enthusiast gone mad. However, this also bucks the trend of the jargon-spouting scientist who has nothing to talk about except science, making the short story a much easier read.

There are very few descriptions of the professor’s whereabouts, which might be disadvantageous, since the story could have profited from some descriptions that would allow us to exclaim, “Yes, let’s try the oven/window/fridge so we can get out of this mess!” along with the professor. Nevertheless, the professor’s thoughts and observations about his state allow us to glimpse another angle of the short story: one where an introspective life is necessary, since there is no other option but to think.

Without being weighed down by jargon, much less by conventional characters, Professor Panini becomes funnier and even more believable. It’s easier, after all, to imagine a professor eating his breakfast while starting up his experiment than it is to imagine a researcher stuck in a lab and electrocuting everything in sight.

Professor Panini does not have a dull bone in its short body. With only one character trying to shuttle between brilliant humanity and mere technology, you’ll find yourself thinking: if this is possible, how would I get out of the toaster?

You can read the whole story here http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ProfPani724.shtml.

Inez Ponce de Leon has a background in molecular biology and science communication. She loves to write on a wide variety of topics, even Procera AVH.