Bright Mirror: A Utopian Science Fiction Anthology

by Jacob Jones-Goldstein, Nicholas Leamy (Editor), J Patrick Conlon (Editor)

Genres: Science Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2025

About the author

Jacob is an author of short fiction, mostly horror. He lives in Delaware with some cats, his wife, and maybe a couple of ghosts.

He loves basketball, comics, scary movies, and traveling to weird places.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The anthology Bright Mirror features a collection of sci-fi stories with optimistic futures, pushing back against all the dystopia that is flooding the market.

Little Ghosts by Esos Ridley – Glenn Dungan

The story is written as an interview with an old botanist who crossed over from human to machine, and yet she very much holds on to her soul. A perfect examination of why BOTH art and science are important.

To Eliza – Alice Avoy

In a positive, funny, funhouse mirror to The Last of Us, a botanist writes a series of letters home to her wife about her explorations on a planet far from home, hoping to make new discoveries that will feed humans everywhere. Things get worse before they get better, but what a wonderful message at the end of love and friendship being stronger than words!

An Essay in Favor of the Destruction of Mars One - Kara Race-Moore

I wrote this!

This was a fun examination of the future through the lens of history. My main character is a teenage student forced to go on what he considers the most boring field trip ever and then – even worse – write an academic essay about it as homework.

I had a blast coming up with both the academic sources as well as the strained teacher’s comments – and hope you enjoy reading them! (Also – I almost titled the story ‘Love Amongst the Ruins’ – you’ll see why at the end!)

Isaac Geary’s Instant Utopia – Phil Giunta

Her, technology versus terrorists plays out on battlefields across the galaxy as, on one side, people want to use advanced terraforming technology to make utopian homes for everyone, and on the other side, there is the desire to turn every kind of technology, no matter’s intended use, into a weapon. The descriptions of the terraforming are beautiful, and these are characters easy to root for as they doggedly continue their mission to bring paradise to everyone.

Little House on the Ecliptic – Zachary Taylor Branch

The frontier of the future may have very different technology, but it is, as always, about people re-creating home-away-from-home with family, friendship, and making new foods into familiar comfort dishes. Loved the combo here of the familiar with some very cool ideas about mind-melding-with-machinery.

Nahib – Paul Weissman

This story starts with “Once upon a time” like all fairy tales. Then we get into life on a spaceship, where a little girl, Carly, has spent her whole life. In this touching story of a Chosen One, we see what parents will do for their children, as well as why hope can’t ever be stamped out.

The Green Flare – Randall Hayes

A pub quiz night based on the theme of the works of Jules Verne is a perfect way to introduce this eclectic group of characters, all tied together by a love of both science and science fiction. Loved the characterization of everyone, all clear individuals but also meshing together very well as they seek out new horizons in science.

The First Smile on Ogma 5 - Nicholas Leamy

Hazel is told that she and her family are moving to a whole new planet, and while the technology of punchships and hypersleep may be futuristic, she still has the same mixed feelings about moving away from her friends and everything familiar as any kid any time, any where. Loved the new friend she makes at the end!

To Bend or to Break – Eric Remington

A surveyor is on a new planet, going about his job of cataloging the flora and fauna of uninhabited planets of the galactic frontier for his corporate bosses. The latest assignment turns out to be not so uninhabited, creating quite the moral quandary. There are strict rules – rules he’s already bending, if not outright breaking – so what’s one more rule broken?

Star Angel – Rose Strickman

Two old friends at a retirement home on a lovely, low gravity space station reminisce about their very old – and very odd – friendship, strong enough to have overcome difficulties from difference in culture, communication, and even matter itself.

At the Top of the Martian World – Mary Jo Rabe

Yes! Olympus Mons for the win! My favorite mountain in the solar system! Rabe nails it on both the topic of best views AND the awful persist issue of dust on Mars. This story reminded me strongly – in the best possible way – of the beginnings of the commercialization of Mount Everest, when just a couple of crazy young mountaineers wanted to give everyone a chance to see the top of the world.

The Legend of the Elgrull – Murray Eiland

A grandfather tells his granddaughter her favorite bedtime story – a story of just how bright the future could be, with a determination to focus on learning above all else. A wonderful story of how humanity could be better.

Launch Day – Brian Gibson

After almost going extinct through war and climate change, humanity has finally gotten its act together and is branching out. FTL engines look to be within humans grasp – but – like any launch of new technology, it’s a nail-biting morning as mission control waits to see if things will work. I’m guessing very much inspired by the docu-drama 7 Minutes of Terror, the story is all about the nerves and excitement of possible beginnings.

Galaxy Music – Jay T. Levy

Two humans and an AI program are flying a spaceship to the edges of the solar system to explore what’s Out There, but, unlike 2001, this is a group very much working in harmony – and harmony is what they find as they explore the mysteries of the galaxy.

The Pale Red Dot - J. Patrick Conlon

Success comes after many, many failures, as any scientist or engineer can tell you. A small group on Mars are studying the Red Planet, in hopes of finding the key to help our own Pale Blue Dot.

At ‘Plane Sight’ – Diana Parrilla Hernández

One minute Stephanie is in a plane on its way to crashing, the next, she has been whisked “behind the curtain” learning the truth about life, death and the Moon landing. I got a chuckle out of the idea of Earth being on “lockdown” – a wise precaution!

To Perceive and Be Perceived – Owen Townend

The story is written as interviews from two test subjects of “Project Glimpse”, an experiment to create a bridge between brains, present and future, in order to see the future through another’s eyes. The test subjects end up learning more about themselves and the importance of perspective – and leaving the reader wondering how much of “Project Glimpse” was actually about the future.

The Biodecks – Erin Cullen

Jaden is sulking over the fact he has to go on a field trip to the bio-decks, the levels of the spaceship that mimic natural environments back on the Earth he never saw, surprised to find out how good it is to take a break from technology and just feel.

A Bear In Winter – Jacob Jones-Goldstein

A man and a bear form a friendship based on some old school music, as the man reminisces on what lead him to make Earth his home.