30 Second Sci Fi

by Philip Trippenbach

30 Second Sci Fi is a mind-bending collection of nanofiction - three hundred and sixty-five short stories, each designed to be read in 30 seconds or less. Every story is a vivid glimpse into worlds unimagined, full of truly strange aliens, impossible romance, post-apocalyptic heroism and unexpected first contact. Guaranteed to burrow its way right into your brain.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

778 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2014

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Bite-sized sci-fi, not one the same. Although short, they were thoughtful, presenting a view of the future that was imaginative. They made for a great read at night. Some of these would be even better expanded into a longer story or even a novella. At last, some sci-fi that doesn't go over my head.

[Sam Ingrams · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn’ is a famous example of a story in only 6 words, often erroneously credited to Hemingway. However, while it is self-evident that a story of only 6 words does work, this short of a piece would be extortionately difficult to accomplish within certain genres, including sci-fi. Science Fiction is difficult to write. It involves an ability to create entire worlds within only a limited amount of space, somehow the writer must instil on their audience some sense of the scale of their new world with all its facets, often wildly different from our own.

Philip Trippenbach has therefore undertaken a Herculean task in trying to write 30 Second Sci Fi, which consists of a different sci-fi story of no longer than 250 words on every day of a year. What is all the more impressive is that he seems to have managed it. His stories are mostly dialogue with very little exposition, but I found myself filling in the blanks- the universes he creates are compelling enough as basic ideas for the reader to be able to visualise in full their own version of Trippenbach’s world. Never does he repeat himself, either: obviously, a certain amount of repetition within sci-fi tropes is acceptable, but each story is about a unique aspect, a unique speculative angle on the future.

I feel however that there is a certain law of averages in play with this book. The majority of the stories in it simply washed over me- whilst being technically good, they often lacked anything that would stay in mind for more than a couple of seconds after reading them. Where it worked, it worked; then again an infinite number of monkeys can write Shakespeare given enough attempts. Is 30 Second Sci Fi a good read? Not particularly, it’s more the results of a writing exercise. However, I think it is definitely worth a look-through for fans of the genre. It’s not quite Clarke, though.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

30 Second Sci Fi by Philip Trippenbach is described as "three hundred and sixty-five stories of a science-fictional nature". It's essentially a book compiled of really short stories. The characters and plot lines vary from story to story, as do the sub genres. Some stories contain robots, others aliens, space travel, etc, etc.

It is an immense collection of stories and I found many to be somewhat intriguing. However, the problem is that many are too short. That's the point of them, obviously. My point here is that the fact that they're short is their downfall. The short format works for some which only have the goal of being quirky with a snappy ending. However, some obviously don't work with the short format and, essentially, aren't properly explained. Many leave the majority of the work up to the readers' imagination. In some ways, that's a good thing, but here it just seems lazy. In other ways, many of the stories seem kind of repetitive, being that some of the plot lines or essentials get repeated, even if the characters or settings have changed. Others seem quite original. There are several that just don't seem like science fiction, just short stories that don't have a genre but have been stuck in the book anyway...

Overall, I think some of them were pretty interesting stories. The majority just seemed a little bit dull. Some too short to find a proper enjoyable portion of the story. I think it's deserving of three stars. I'm not particularly impressed by the book, but I didn't think it was horrible either.

[Grace Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these "three hundred and sixty five stories of a science-fictional nature", all designed to be read in 30 seconds (it actually took me about a minute to read each one, but this is not grounds for complaint!) The stories were all intended (I believe) to be stand alone stories, but in some ways there were links between them and they all fitted very nicely together. I love science fiction, and in this collection was a little bit of everything you'd expect. The stories were very well-written, with (like most science fiction) some cutting edge commentary hidden in there about the times we live in now. I really recommend these stories - they don't take long to read, but somehow, once you start reading, you can't stop.

[Book Monitor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series of very short "stories". Some are very good, clever witty and complete little stories, many are more like a brief glimpse of a story that could and often should have been longer. Some are almost a synopsis like those on the back of paperback, rather than the actual tale. However there are some very good ideas and concepts and a great deal of imagination and ingenuity within this book. I read one or two, most nights before going to sleep, as this seemed a good way to savour them.
This is not going to suit everyone, but it was a pleasant way to while away a few tired moments last thing at night.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of great, thought-provoking and amusing little gems in this one. While I doubt they all will appeal to any one person, I think there's something for every sci-fi fan. Some great story-starters that I hope the author might continue one day. Many were a lot less flash-fiction as in a complete story (which is very hard to do - flash fiction in general is hard to do "right") than something that might be the first chapter or first page or two of a longer story, but that's fine with me.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when you challenge yourself to write a piece of flash science fiction every day for a year? This easy to read but chunky collection.

It's difficult to tell a really meaty story in so few words, and a lot of the pieces are slight, or geared towards a jokey payoff, but some are thought-provoking, intriguing, or shudder-making.

There are a few repeated themes and elements, but I'm going to be generous and call them motifs. There are some lovely descriptions, too: an unmade bed like a smashed wasps' nest, a 'medallion' of blood in the snow.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supremely satisfying. Over and over.

Nearly every tiny story contains a book-worthy concept. Many of them have a final twist that made me smile with admiration for both its cleverness and the fact that I didn't see it coming. I was dismayed to learn that this is Trippenbach's first book. I want more. He knows how to tell a story, how to move you, how to entertain. What else could you ask for in an author?

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun to read. I hope the author follows up on a few of his ideas!