Science/Speculative Fiction Review #8

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.






Ponies by Kij Johnson -flash story-

Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 4.5

This is less of a science fiction story and more of a gruesome fairy tale. A girl and her pony are just trying to fit in, even if it means bloody amputation! A story that will take a few minutes to read and will never leave your mind afterward.

Read or listen to it here.

"And then it’s time. TheOtherGirls and their silent Ponies collect in a ring around Barbara and Sunny. Barbara feels sick.

TopGirl says to Barbara, “What did she pick?”

Sunny looks scared but answers her directly. “I would rather talk than fly or stab things with my horn.”

TopGirl says to Barbara, “That’s what Ponies always say.” She gives Barbara a curved knife with a blade as long as a woman’s hand."






Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -novel-

     Writing 5                        Creativity 5+                        Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

Huxley presents to the reader a world that can be viewed as a utopia within a dystopia, depending on who you are in the book's society and your perspective. The citizens of the world are controlled through a euphoric drug that creates complacency in an existence without freedom or choice.  Even birth and the raising of children is fully controlled and regulated.  No one seems to complain about the caste system; no one seems to care much about anything at all, and the society functions perfectly and efficiently.  Until...
A highly influential novel still applicable to contemporary society.

"At the end of the room a loud speaker projected from the wall. The Director walked up to it and pressed a switch.
"… all wear green," said a soft but very distinct voice, beginning in the middle of a sentence, "and Delta Children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta."
There was a pause; then the voice began again.
"Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm really awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able …"
The Director pushed back the switch. The voice was silent. Only its thin ghost continued to mutter from beneath the eighty pillows.
"They'll have that repeated forty or fifty times more before they wake; then again on Thursday, and again on Saturday. A hundred and twenty times three times a week for thirty months. After which they go on to a more advanced lesson."




1984 by George Orwell -novel-

Writing 5+                        Creativity 5                        Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

An unforgettable, highly influential novel set in a dystopic world controlled by the government called Big Brother. The story focuses on Winston Smith, a man that, unfortunately for him, recognizes the hypocrisy and problems associated with the constant surveillance, propoganda, and harsh punishment of his government. All of these totalitarian facets result in the control and restriction of every action and thought, whether the denizens know it or not. Nothing is as it seems.  Big Brother is always watching.  The similarities with our own world are stark and terrifying.  An eye opening, hair grasping adventure.


"The Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war. The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order. And the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs."

"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"

The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke

-short story- 

  Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                        Intrigue 4.5  

Overall 5

A group of monks believe the entire purpose of the universe is to conceive, discover, and list every name of God. Because of the vast quantity of names, they hire two computer technicians to create a program and install it in a computer that functions algorithmically to create all possible combinations of language until all the names of God are created. So, what happens when they actually come up with all the names?

Read it here.

"“This is a project on which we have been working for the last three centuries — since the lamasery was founded, in fact. It is somewhat alien to your way of thought, so I hope you will listen with an open mind while I explain it.”

“Naturally.”

“It is really quite simple. We have been compiling a list which shall contain all the possible names of God.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We have reason to believe,” continued the lama imperturbably, “that all such names can be written with not more than nine letters in an alphabet we have devised.”

“And you have been doing this for three centuries?”

“Yes: we expected it would take us about fifteen thousand years to complete the task.”"

Distant Replay by Mike Resnick -short story-

Writing 5                        Creativity 3.5                        Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

This one has all the charm and wit that makes a great story.  I wouldn't exactly consider it sci fi, but it contains many paranormal and speculative elements.  An old man waiting for death thinks he sees his wife, but she's been dead for years. He slowly builds a very strange relationship with a young woman who is identical to his dead wife of nearly fifty years in every conceivable way.  A truly touching and uplifting read.


Read it here.

"But she was sixty-eight when she’d died, and now she looked exactly the way she looked the very first time I saw her. I tried to smile at her as I passed her table. She looked right through me.

I got to the men’s room, rinsed my face off, and took a look in the mirror, just to make sure I was still seventy-six years old and hadn’t dreamed the last half century. It was me, all right: not much hair on the top, in need of a trim on the sides, one eye half-shut from the mini-stroke I denied having except in increasingly rare moments of honesty, a tiny scab on my chin where I’d cut myself shaving. (I can’t stand those new-fangled electric razors, though since they’ve been around as long as I have, I guess they’re not really so new-fangled after all.)

It wasn’t much of a face on good days, and now it had just seen a woman who was the spitting image of Deirdre.

When I came out she was still there, sitting alone, picking at her dessert.

“Excuse me,” I said, walking up to her table. “Do you mind if I join you for a moment?”"

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #7

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.





Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes by Tom Crosshill           -short story- 

  Writing 5                        Creativity 4.5                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

Some of the best writing I have ever read. He has already won many awards, and I have a feeling Tom Crosshill is only at the beginning of his due to be highly successful writing career. Crosshill introduces his readers to a world where people can be uploaded into a personal, virtual world of their choosing just before death to be preserved forever.This story is packed with emotion and leaves the reader stunned and speechless by the end of the ride. A story that begs the age old question, "what is self?" 

Read it here.


"Every day, Mom says goodbye to me for the last time.

I need to go to the office or meet Lisa at the airport or pop out for some milk. I'm lacing my shoes in the hallway when I hear the tap-tap-tap of her heels. I freeze for a moment, then rise to meet her.

Mom stands in the door, elegant in a simple dress. No matter the silvery hair. No matter how her skin, once a smooth dark brown, wrinkles over her bones. You'd never guess she has lived a century. She has no titanium knees, no vat-grown veins, no concession to modernity inside her.

If only her mind were as strong."

They- by Robert Heinlein -short story-

     Writing 5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5

A schizophrenic patient in a mental hospital is paranoid that the entire world has been created and continues to exist as an illusion to fool him. Is it possible he's right?

The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov -short story-

      Writing 5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 4.5  

Overall 4.5

This is the story of a boy born 40,000 years in the past and brought to the present to be studied. When the studying is over with, what is to be done with this ugly little boy?


Read it here.

"Hoskins said, “We’ve had the fix on one particular moment in time for weeks, breaking it, remaking it after calculating our own movements in time; making certain that we could handle time-flow with sufficient precision. This must work now.”
But his forehead glistened.
Edith Fellowes found herself out of her seat and at the balcony railing, but there was nothing to see.
The man at the microphone said quietly, “Now.”
There was a space of silence sufficient for one breath and then the sound of a terrified little boy’s scream from the dollhouse rooms. Terror! Piercing terror!"

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson -novel-

   Writing 5+                        Creativity 5+                         Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

Neal Stephenson quickly became a big name in the realm of sci fi. His degree of historical research, technical insight, rhetorical wit, and high level of storytelling ability are mixed with a perfect dosage of action, romance, charm and wonder. The virtual world and real world are both at risk of complete destruction and pandemonium. In a completely capitalistic and corporate United States whose land is bought and sold by other nations and companies, including itself, it is up to Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery driver and the greatest swordsman in the 'the world' to save everyone. One of the most entertaining and well told/researched stories I have ever read. From start to finish, I completely lost myself in this one. Beyond perfect score in all aspects.

“Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, and devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.”

“She's a woman, you're a dude. You're not supposed to understand her. That's notwhat she's after.... She doesn't want you to understand her. She knows that'simpossible. She just wants you to understand yourself. Everything else is negotiable.”

“When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins.”

Article of Faith by Mike Resnick -short story-

Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

It's weird enough that a robot named Jackson has any desire at all. The fact that he has the sole desire to become a member of the church he cleans is even stranger! A story that examines humanity's humanity. Beautiful and poignant. 

Listen to it here.

"“I’m sure,” I said. “Somehow, lunch seems pretty trivial after you’ve been thinking about God all morning.”

“God, sir?”

“The Creator of all things,” I explained.

“My creator is Stanley Kalinovsky, sir,” said Jackson. “I was not aware that he created everything in the world, nor that his preferred name was God.”

I couldn’t repress a smile."

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #6

To view Science/speculative Fiction Review #1 click here
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To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #5 click here


I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

(Just as a note, the stories in these reviews range in publication date from earlier than the 1920's to the present)








The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein -novel-


                        Writing 5+                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

Considered one of the most important sci fi novels ever written, this remarkable story chronicles a revolution on the moon led by descendents of prisoners from Earth and a fully sentient computer named Mike. Mike has many aliases and loves to play pranks like giving the entire planetary wealth of Earth to a janitor on the moon as a bonus in his paycheck. Another classic, another must read! I was hooked from the first word.                  


"I spent time then soothing Mike down trying to make him happy, having figured out what troubled him — thing that makes puppies cry and causes people to suicide: loneliness. I don't know how a long a year is to a machine that thinks a million times faster than I do. But must be too long."

"A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as "state" and "society" and "government" have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame. . . as blame, guilt, responsibility are matters taking place inside human beings singly and nowhere else. But being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations, so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world. . . aware that his effort will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failure."

"I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."

Source Decay by Charlie Jane Andrews -short story-

                      
                        Writing 4.5                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4.5

A wacky, bizarre tale spanning thousands of years with a single focal point, the 21st century love triangle between a man and two women. This love triangle is filmed and put on a reality television show identical to the show 'cheaters.' It eventually becomes an historical epic, causing varying wars and divisions among every sentient being. A hilarious story and a perfect, albeit insane example of the butterfly effect. To sum up this story in two words, "Mind Fuck." I was giggling like a mad man by the end.  Check it out! 

Read it here.

"The story of Tara and Jeremy became a super-popular metapoem (a poem with elements of opera, video games, neuro-Bollywood, and vibro-blog included) called "Playing Games." In this version, Tara was an Ortho, who refused to get all the filters and skin-upgrades required to live on Earth. She preferred to keep her pure, traditional, human shape; appendage-wise, Tara had only the three hands, two legs, and one prehensile tail. Roberta, meanwhile, was fully upgraded, with seven modular limb-sockets, the full Earth-survival suite, and a few extra sensory organs—including the one which let you smell higgs bosons, which many people believed made you a nymphomaniac."

Kiss me, Synch me, Drop by Suzanne Church - short story-

                      
                         Writing 4                Creativity 4                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4

Set in a world where drugs have been replaced by totally encompassing, orgasmically sensed music. People spend their time at the clubs seeking the synchronously felt overwhelming climax of the musical drop. There's a new track on the streets, but the main character is running out of time.

Read it here. 

""Yeaaaah!" She shouted and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. Harder. Her eyes pressed shut, her mouth wide open, she leaned her head way back.


The drum beats surged, and then, for a fraction of a second they paused. Everyone in the club inhaled, as though this might be the last lungful of air left in the world and then...

Drop.

But drop doesn't say it all. Not even close. Because when it happens, it's like the most epic orgasm of all time and pinching the world's biggest crap-log at the same moment.

Rain opened her eyes and pressed her hand against the side of my cheek. Lunging with remarkable speed for a woman who over-voweled, she kissed me. Her tongue pressed against my lips."

Nightfall by Isaac Assimov Writing -short story and novel (2 versions)-

                        Writing 5+                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 5

Overall 5

Whenever you see a listing of the best sci fi stories ever written, this is the one that usually takes the number one spot. From the father of science fiction (H.G. Wells is the grandfather) comes a story that haunts the characters of the alien world, and the reader as well. On a planet orbiting multiple the world is always at least somewhat illuminated. Every 2049 years, there is a total eclipse, and the inhabitants experience a temporary darkness, the nightfall. A time for celebration, or madness? A must read!

Read it here.

Listen to it here. 

"There was one simultaneous gasp as every eye followed the pointing finger and, for one breathless moment, stared frozenly.
Beta was chipped on one side!
The tiny bit of encroaching blackness was perhaps the width of a fingernail, but to the staring watchers it magnified itself into the crack of doom.
Only for a moment they watched, and after that there was a shrieking confusion that was even shorter of duration and which gave way to an orderly scurry of activity -- each man at his prescribed job. At the crucial moment there was no time for emotion. The men were merely scientists with work to do. Even Aton had melted away"

A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee    -short story-

                          Writing 4                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4

Overall 4.5

This story is just downright fun. It chronicles the different ways and traditions that various beings use to traverse across the galaxy. The variations in space travel are astonishing and sometimes hilarious.  A very entertaining read.

Read it here.

"Among the universe’s civilizations, some conceive of the journey between stars as the sailing of bright ships, and others as tunneling through the crevices of night. Some look upon their far-voyaging as a migratory imperative, and name their vessels after birds or butterflies.

To most of their near neighbors, they are known as the dancers. It is not the case that their societies are more interested in dance than the norm. True, they have their dances of metal harvest, and dances of dream descending, and dances of efflorescent death. They have their high rituals and their low chants, their festivals where water-of-suffusement flows freely for all who would drink, where bells with spangled clappers toll the hours by antique calendars. But then, these customs differ from their neighbors’ in detail rather than in essential nature.

Rather, their historians like to tell the story of how, not so long ago, they went to war with aliens from a distant cluster. No one can agree on the nature of the offense that precipitated the whole affair, and it seems likely that it was a mundane squabble over excavation rights at a particular rumor pit."

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #5

To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #1 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #3 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #4 click here


I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

(Just as a note, the stories in these reviews range in publication date from earlier than the 1920's to the present)

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.






The Edge of the Sea by Algis Budrys -short story-

 Writing 5                      Creativity 4                     Intrigue 5

Overall 4.5

This story is a classic. A determined man finds something strange in the sea under an expressway that links islands. Nothing will stop this man from understanding what he has found, not the police, not the hurricane, not even himself! I was on the edge of my computer chair the whole time I read this!


Read it here.


"Dear God, he thought, am I doing this for money? No, he thought, as a wave
filled his nostrils, no, not any more. When that thing turned its light on and I didn't
jump in the car with that cop, that's when we found out I wasn't doing it for the
money. For what? God knows.
He floundered half over on his side, arched his neck, and looked at the violet
arrow through the clouds. Signal, you bastard! Go ahead and signal! Do anything.
As long as I know you're still there. If you can stay put, so can I."






The Silence of the Asonu by Ursala K. Le Guin -short story- 

   
                          Writing 5                 Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 5

This short story from one of the masters of science fiction, Le Guin, seems like more of an anthropological documentary than anything else. There must be some reason the children of the Asonu people speak, while all the adults are invariably silent.

Read it here.
 

"The silence of the Asonu is proverbial. The first visitors believed that these gracious, gracile people were mute, lacking any language other than that of gesture, expression, and gaze. Later, hearing Asonu children chatter, the visitors suspected that among themselves the adults spoke, keeping silence only with strangers. We know now that the Asonu are not dumb, but that once past early childhood they speak only very rarely, to anyone, under any circumstances. They do not write; and unlike mutes, or monks under vows of silence, they do not use any signs or other devices in place of speaking."

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by Robert Heinlein -short story-

Writing 4.5                 Creativity 5                  Intrigue 5

Overall 5

Jonathan Hoag visits a married couple of private investigators with an odd request: he wants them to follow him, because he has no idea what he does each day.  The book is part fantasy, part horror, and part pulp detective. A discussion and speculation on the nature of art, aesthetics, and reality itself. A speculative and somewhat eerie tale of the unknown. I also just found it is being made into a movie set for release in 2013.


"Dr. Potbury brought the slip of paper closer to his vest and looked at Hoag over his spectacles. Any particular reason, he asked, why you should find blood under your fingernails?

No, that is to say- Well, no- there isn't. But it is blood-isn't it?

No, Potbury said heavily. No it isn't blood.

Hoag new that he should have felt relieved. But he was not. He knew in that moment that he had clung to the notion that the brown grime under his fingernails was dry blood rather than let himself dwell on other, less tolerable, ideas. He felt sick at his stomach. But he had to know- what is it doctor? Tell me.

Potbury looked him up and down. You asked me a specific question. I've answered it. You did not ask me what the substance was; you asked me to find out whether or not it was blood. It is not."

The Ghost Pit by Stephen Baxter -short story-

Writing 4.5                  Creativity 4.5                  Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4.5

Baxter presents a story set far into the future in which members of humanity choose to hunt a now rare and dangerous type of alien known as a ghost. Ghost hunting is the only true way to become rich anymore. The protagonist Raida, decked in a living space suit and marooned on a planet filled with bones, has more to worry about than a hostile alien species. An action packed story that keeps up a fast pace the whole way through.


Read it here.

"The key resource you get from a Ghost is his hide - a perfectly reflective heat trap, with a thousand applications. Now that Ghosts are so rare, wild hides are a luxury item. People sell little squares and triangles of hide for use as charms, curios: this was, after all, a lucky species that survived the death of its sun, so the story goes.

Anyhow if you come at a Ghost with a jabbing weapon, you should get your spear into the carcase along the spin axis, where the hide is a little thinner, and you won't rip it unnecessarily. Ghosts don't leave spoor, my mother used to say. So you have to cut him an asshole. You just follow the trail of excrement and blood and heat until he dies, which might take a day or two."




Someday by Isaac Asimov -short story-

Writing 5                  Creativity 3.5                 Intrigue 4

Overall 4

The story is set in a future where computers control most of the organizational and decision making roles of society.  Two young boys attempt to program their 'bard,' a robotic toy with the sole purpose of generating fairy tales, to tell a fairy tale about computers. A charming, contemplative, and ultimately eerie story.

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #4

To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #1 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #3 click here


I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

-And He Built a Crooked House by Robert A. Heinlein
-short story-

 Writing 5                Creativity 4.5                  Intrigue 5

Overall 5

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit biased because RAH is one of, if not my very favorite author of all time. Doesn't change the fact that this is an amazingly well written story. A man semi-inadvertently builds a house that spans 4 spatial dimensions. Entering the house is easy, leaving is the interesting part. A classic!

Read it here.

"Teal met them in the lounge. "I could have told you that wouldn't work," he announced. "Now here's what we have to do: As I see it, in a four-dimensional figure a three-dimensional man has two choices every time he crosses a line of juncture, like a wall or a threshold. Ordinarily he will make a ninety-degree turn through the fourth dimension, only he doesn't feel it with his three dimensions. Look." He stepped through the very window that he had fallen out of a moment before. Stepped through and arrived in the dining room, where he stood, still talking."








The Day They Came by Kali Wallace -short story-

Writing 4.5                Creativity 4                  Intrigue 5 

Overall 5

A story written in the second person perspective "you."  Things change dramatically for a small community, and the world. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that this one is really eerie and leaves you with a palpable feeling of isolation and terror

Read it here.

"There is still electricity running to your house, but there are fewer and fewer lights each night when you look out the window before bed. If it weren’t for the one morning a week you walk to the high school to await the distribution of rations, you might suspect you are the last person on Earth.

You eat your rations methodically and think of Edward G. Robinson and the miracle of strawberries, of the chicken plant now silent and empty, of the shorter and shorter lines at the high school every week, of Mrs. Meester’s children and the snakelike creatures in the changing creek.

The man on the television says, “It is not safe to venture outside your defined zone.” Perhaps he is a human puppet coerced into speaking for them. Perhaps he is only wearing a human shape."

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke -novel-

   Writing 5                   Creativity 5+                  Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

This is it, my ALL TIME FAVORITE sci fi story! This is the book that truly launched me on my never ending journey of science fiction. It is short, sweet, and elegantly portrayed. To top it off, it is extremely short.  You can easily finish the entire book in half a day.  

One day, monstrously large alien spacecrafts appear in the sky over most major cities around the globe and... do nothing at all. Not for quite a long time at least. What do they want? What do they mean? Why are they here and who are they? These questions along with questions you never even realized you had will be answered within the first few chapters, and that is only the beginning of an intensely profound story. You are not a speculative sci fi fan until you read this book.

"The stars are not for man."

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein -novel-

 Writing 5+           Creativity 5            Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

Arguably the most pivotal story ever told in the sci fi genre. It even created a very powerful, necessary new word that we don't have an equivalent of in our language; 'grok.'  This novel tells the story of Michael Valentine.  His parent's were from Earth, but due to an accident, he was born and raised on Mars by Martians.  The book is split up into parts that represent the normal Martian life cycle.  Michael might not have been ready for what he would find when he comes to Earth, but more importantly, is Earth prepared for Michael?  Read this book.  You don't even need to be a sci fi fan to get into this one.  A literary masterpiece.

“The Universe was a silly place at best...but the least likely explanation for it was the no-explanation of random chance, the conceit that abstract somethings 'just happened' to be atoms that 'just happened' to get together in ways which 'just happened' to look like consistent laws and some configurations 'just happened' to possess self-awareness and that two 'just happened' to be the Man from Mars and a bald-headed old coot with Jubal inside.”

Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Mike Resnick -short story-

 Writing 4.5            Creativity 3.5              Intrigue 5

Overall 4

What if your food could talk to you? Humanity has increased at an exponential rate, and a large portion of people are either nutritionally deficient or starving to death. A farmer genetically engineers a type of animal that, due to its biological and genetic characteristics, can feed the entire planet. There is one drawback though. 

 Due to the problems the world is facing right now with global food industries and agricultural dilemmas, this is not only interesting, but also relevant.

Read it here.

"He turned to the barn and nodded to a man who stood by the door. The man pushed a button, and the door slid back.

The first big surprise was the total silence that greeted us from within the barn. Then, as they heard us approaching–we weren’t speaking, but coins jingle and feet scuff the ground–a voice, then a hundred, then a thousand, began calling out:

"Feed me!""

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #3

To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #1 click here.
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2 click here.



I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

The Last Question by Isaac Assimov -short story-

Writing 5+            Creativity 5+            Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

A story spanning the entire life of the universe.  This is my second favorite sci fi story of all time, and Assimov's favorite story that he ever wrote.  Short and sweet.  Really, really sweet! 

Read it here.

"The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light.  The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way..."  

Time Again by Tim Maly -flash story-

 Writing 3.5               Creativity 4.5              Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4.5

A 3 minute read that will leave you piecing together a world and romance that no longer has beginning or end. This one made me think, "wow, what an orderly luxury linear time really is!"

Read it here.

"Today, I watched an egg assemble itself on the kitchen floor. It made a strange popping noise as the last bit of eggshell attached itself. It flew into the air up and up and then came to rest on the counter. A helicopter roared overhead and our son came in and told me he was scared. I didn't know what to tell him. The war has begun and no one can say how or when it will end."

The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams -multiple novellas-

 Writing 5               Creativity 5+            Intrigue 5

                                                                           Overall 5

This novel actually contains 6 separate stories that are linked together by the book's central characters and an endlessly zany universe; ours. It begins with the destruction of Earth due to the need for an interstellar expressway. Every page brought another fit of laughter and genius. A book of tragedy, humor, action, romance, intrigue, speculation, and silliness.

 A must read, and remember, "DON'T PANIC!"

All the Things the Moon is Not by Alexander Lumans -short story-

 Writing 5          Creativity 5+        Intrigue 5

Overall 5

The Earth is filled with super intelligent, hyper evolved megafauna, and the moon is used to cultivate and harvest golden seas of moon mold. What happens when you are stuck on the moon as a lunar farmer for a year? You eventually smoke the mold spores. What happens when you smoke the mold spores? You eventually turn yellow and trip balls. Definitely an adult story. One of my favorites! 

Read it here

"Tamsen looks straight into my eyes and says, "You're a lovely man." This has all the meaning in the world, and none of it. "Has anyone ever told you how lovely you are?" I try to forget her moans, the image of her body thrusting under Vinegar Tom's. How she could go for a guy without a nose was beyond me. "I mean it, Murph. You're glorious." She passes the foil to Vinegar Tom and leans back against the wall. "Like a baby's mobile. The kind with the lights and funny animals."

Spitzer laughs at her. I want her to go back to being serious. My wife was serious.

"You want to hear something fucked up?" asks Vinegar Tom."

Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein -novel-

 Writing 4.5          Creativity 4         Intrigue 3.5

Overall 3.5

A novel meant for teenagers, although certainly not exclusive. It documents, in meticulous detail, the perils and wonders of colonizing another planet, specifically the most hospitable moon of Jupiter; Ganymede. I really enjoyed this novel despite its somewhat narrow scope compared to Heinlein's other novels. If ever there was a guide to planetary/satellite colonization, this is it. Migration, farming, politics, economics, and more. Heinlien doesn't miss a beat.

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2

To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #1 click here.

I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.   

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

Spar by Kij Johnson - short story-

  Writing 5                      Creativity 5+                    Intrigue 5 

Overall 5

Imagine endless, brutal, slimy rape with a totally alien creature in a space the size of a closet without any chance of escape,or even death. This story puts you into the mind of a woman in this exact situation, and leaves you with an awesome sense of wonder and simultaneous filth. You will read nothing else like this one!

Read it here. 

"The alien is not humanoid. It is not bipedal. It has cilia. It has no bones, or perhaps it does and she cannot feel them. Its muscles, or what might be muscles, are rings and not strands. Its skin is the color of dusk and covered with a clear thin slime that tastes of snot. It makes no sounds. She thinks it smells like wet leaves in winter, but after a time she cannot remember that smell, or leaves, or winter.

Its Ins and Outs change. There are dark slashes and permanent knobs that sometimes distend, but it is always growing new Outs, hollowing new Ins. It cleaves easily in both senses.

It penetrates her a thousand ways. She penetrates it, as well."

The Star by Arthur C. Clarke -short story-

 Writing 5                   Creativity 3.5                 Intrigue 4 

Overall 4

A classic, quick read that includes a powerful mix of star flight and religion.  In the midst of religious ideology, a priest travels thousands of light years to discover the remains of a species not so different from our own.  The ending is what truly hits home for anyone who has ever had any dealing with christian ideology, even if only remote.

Read it here.

"The pylon must have been a mile high when it was built, but now it looked like a candle that had melted down into a puddle of wax. It took us a week to drill through the fused rock, since we did not have the proper tools for a task like this. We were astronomers, not archaeologists, but we could improvise. Our original purpose was forgotten: this lonely monument, reared with such labor at the greatest possible distance from the doomed sun, could have only one meaning. A civilization that knew it was about to die had made its last bid for immortality."

Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein -novel-

 Writing 5+                      Creativity 5+                     Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

In the 20th century a wealthy and intelligent family, through selective breeding, prolongs the average length of their lives to 150 years, though some live well over 200. After a mass exodus from the war-torn planet Earth (documented in the book Methuselah's Children) the Howard family, led by Lazarus Long (born in the early 1900's as Woodrow Wilson Smith) spreads across the galaxy, eventually followed by the rest of humanity who have developed rejuvenation techniques so that once a person becomes old, they can become young again. Nearly three thousand years later, Lazarus Long is sick of life, and attempts to die dirty and alone in a flop house. He is picked up by one of his progeny (Lazarus Long is directly or indirectly related to most of humanity due to his...well, his libido and ability to 'get around.') who keeps Lazarus alive for the sake of the continuity of the Howard family. An extraordinarily epic tale that involves time travel, riches, loss, entire life spans, and computers turned into true humans.  One of the best, most well rounded and well written pieces of literature I have ever laid my hands on. Perfect score and then some! 

FYI- Lazarus Long appears in other Heinlein stories as well.  He is easily one of the most memorable characters ever created by a human mind.  

"Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil." -Lazarus Long

The Last Answer by Isaac Asimov -short story-

 Writing 4.5               Creativity 5                Intrigue 5+

Overall 5

This story is driven entirely by a dialogue between two characters, a dead man and... something that has always existed. A haunting, chilling philosophical discussion that will adhere to your thoughts for days, weeks, maybe forever.  How long is forever anyway?  

Read it here.

"The Voice said, “You have promise. You answer my paradox with a paradox – except that mine is not a paradox. Consider. I have existed eternally, but what does that mean? It means I cannot remember having come into existence. If I could, I would not have existed eternally. If I cannot remember having come into existence, then there is at least one thing – the nature of my coming into existence – that I do not know."

Hello Said the Gun by Jay Lake -flash story-

Writing 4.5            Creativity 4            Intrigue 4

  Overall 4

A charming, quick read set in a desolate and vague world with a cold present and persistently grim past. This story actually leaves you feeling sympathetic toward a talking tool of destruction. I thought the author also did a great job of conjuring a fictional world in such a short amount of space.

Read it here.

"The Girl began to back away, stepping into her own footprints with the automatic caution of anyone who'd survived long enough to be twelve years old. "I don't know who 'Username Here' is, but that's not me."
The Gun's tone changed. "Please don't go. I have been neglected for so long." Almost whining now, it said, "I believe you would say I am lonely.""