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Barhopping for Astronauts: Cosmic Horror, Late Stage Capitalism, and Other Light Reading
The Future is weird ... bring a drink.
An influencer lets the internet puppet his brand-new cyber-limbs.Door-to-door sales-things arrive with a television that watches you.Two YouTubers livestream a dinosaur attack — for the clout, of course.Welcome to a dive bar at the edge of the multiverse, where every cocktail is spiked with existential dread. In these darkly satirical shorts, Leo X. Robertson skewers the absurdity of modern life through warped futures that feel unsettlingly familiar. Identity, surveillance, grief, pleasure — even the apocalypse — collapse into each other, often in the same paragraph.
These are the dreams of the doomed and the coping mechanisms of the barely functional — but also the love stories and inside jokes that bubble up as the world glitches around us. So if you’ve ever wanted to simulate the rest of your life as someone else, or found comfort in a soothing blue screen of death, pull up a barstool … the last round of reality is on the house.
Table of Contents
PovcastSnapShotsKilling TimeThe Hundred-Year StormWE TOUCHED A REAL DINOSAUR! (NOT CLICKBAIT)Bar Hopping for AstronautsLevels for Sustainable LivingErsatz Gym RatsThe Headphones of DamoclesWhat Would Marina Abramović Do?InfluencersA Plot of Trauma Versus DistanceLove You to DeathThe GlowBoth Bunny and NotPraise for Leo X Robertson
“Brutal, bloody and haunting. Unfortunates slithers beneath your skin, weaves through your veins, and settles into the shadowy corners of your brain where it’s not easily forgotten.” — Renee Miller
“I believe Leo X Robertson is one of the most flavourful and exciting ingredients of the transgressive fiction new wave. To be uttered in the same breath as Stokoe and held in the same reverence as Thomas Moore or Chris Zeischegg — ‘Unfortunates’ is proof in the proverbial black pudding. A skilfully-realised, blackly funny slice of offal.” — Chris Kelso, author of the DREGS trilogy
“As carefully crafted as it is imaginatively conceived, Leo X Robertson's aptly titled fiction collection UNFORTUNATES is engaging, nicely written, and often as thought-provoking and challenging as it is entertaining. One of the better up-and-coming talents I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in recent years, Robertson’s work is not to be missed.” — Greg F Gifune, author of The Bleeding Season
“Much like seeing the aftermath of a car accident, Leo X Robertson writes the kind of horrifying, all-too-human stories that keep your eyes clearly affixed to the beautifully written prose no matter how grotesque or emotionally scarring they are. And I always want more.” — Sam Richard (Sabbath of the Fox-Devils, To Wallow in Ash & Other Sorrows)
An influencer lets the internet puppet his brand-new cyber-limbs.Door-to-door sales-things arrive with a television that watches you.Two YouTubers livestream a dinosaur attack — for the clout, of course.Welcome to a dive bar at the edge of the multiverse, where every cocktail is spiked with existential dread. In these darkly satirical shorts, Leo X. Robertson skewers the absurdity of modern life through warped futures that feel unsettlingly familiar. Identity, surveillance, grief, pleasure — even the apocalypse — collapse into each other, often in the same paragraph.
These are the dreams of the doomed and the coping mechanisms of the barely functional — but also the love stories and inside jokes that bubble up as the world glitches around us. So if you’ve ever wanted to simulate the rest of your life as someone else, or found comfort in a soothing blue screen of death, pull up a barstool … the last round of reality is on the house.
Table of Contents
PovcastSnapShotsKilling TimeThe Hundred-Year StormWE TOUCHED A REAL DINOSAUR! (NOT CLICKBAIT)Bar Hopping for AstronautsLevels for Sustainable LivingErsatz Gym RatsThe Headphones of DamoclesWhat Would Marina Abramović Do?InfluencersA Plot of Trauma Versus DistanceLove You to DeathThe GlowBoth Bunny and NotPraise for Leo X Robertson
“Brutal, bloody and haunting. Unfortunates slithers beneath your skin, weaves through your veins, and settles into the shadowy corners of your brain where it’s not easily forgotten.” — Renee Miller
“I believe Leo X Robertson is one of the most flavourful and exciting ingredients of the transgressive fiction new wave. To be uttered in the same breath as Stokoe and held in the same reverence as Thomas Moore or Chris Zeischegg — ‘Unfortunates’ is proof in the proverbial black pudding. A skilfully-realised, blackly funny slice of offal.” — Chris Kelso, author of the DREGS trilogy
“As carefully crafted as it is imaginatively conceived, Leo X Robertson's aptly titled fiction collection UNFORTUNATES is engaging, nicely written, and often as thought-provoking and challenging as it is entertaining. One of the better up-and-coming talents I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in recent years, Robertson’s work is not to be missed.” — Greg F Gifune, author of The Bleeding Season
“Much like seeing the aftermath of a car accident, Leo X Robertson writes the kind of horrifying, all-too-human stories that keep your eyes clearly affixed to the beautifully written prose no matter how grotesque or emotionally scarring they are. And I always want more.” — Sam Richard (Sabbath of the Fox-Devils, To Wallow in Ash & Other Sorrows)
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 8, 2026
4.5 Stars Rounded
This is a great collection of Sci-fi stories, that steeps itself in a number of current social trends and evolves them to their potential next level, with hustle culture, corporate work life balance and internet socials being a couple of examples of themes that are explored.
Like any short story collection, some landed better than others, but the ones that didn't land here were the exception, and the standard of writing and unflinching exploration of themes was consistent throughout the collection. It's also worth noticing that some of the stories in here were a lot longer than others, so not every tale gets the same time to breathe and a couple did feel like they needed a few more pages to fully land
For me were Influencer (I do YouTube so makes sense), Ersatz Gym Rats, A Plot of Trauma versus Distance and Barhopping for Astronauts were the stand outs in what was a very strong line-up.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I feel like this is one I will be adding a physical edition of to my shelf soon.
This is a great collection of Sci-fi stories, that steeps itself in a number of current social trends and evolves them to their potential next level, with hustle culture, corporate work life balance and internet socials being a couple of examples of themes that are explored.
Like any short story collection, some landed better than others, but the ones that didn't land here were the exception, and the standard of writing and unflinching exploration of themes was consistent throughout the collection. It's also worth noticing that some of the stories in here were a lot longer than others, so not every tale gets the same time to breathe and a couple did feel like they needed a few more pages to fully land
For me were Influencer (I do YouTube so makes sense), Ersatz Gym Rats, A Plot of Trauma versus Distance and Barhopping for Astronauts were the stand outs in what was a very strong line-up.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I feel like this is one I will be adding a physical edition of to my shelf soon.
February 22, 2026
This is a very rich, highly-varied, brilliant short story collection..
Sci-fi is a genre that I've always found intimidating to read and difficult to understand (which isn't much of a problem when I'm watching it on the big screen. Go figure.), but I've always wanted to get into it; I just haven't found a book that will override my intimidation, until now.
There's a lot of big concepts that will take me multiple readings to fully grasp the true meaning of. However, I will say that these stories are very human, and they shine a very bright light on what the concept of humanity is becoming and will become, even when some of the characters aren't even one.
A longer review is to come.
BookSirens provided me with an ARC for free. I'm happily leaving my honest review!
Sci-fi is a genre that I've always found intimidating to read and difficult to understand (which isn't much of a problem when I'm watching it on the big screen. Go figure.), but I've always wanted to get into it; I just haven't found a book that will override my intimidation, until now.
There's a lot of big concepts that will take me multiple readings to fully grasp the true meaning of. However, I will say that these stories are very human, and they shine a very bright light on what the concept of humanity is becoming and will become, even when some of the characters aren't even one.
A longer review is to come.
BookSirens provided me with an ARC for free. I'm happily leaving my honest review!
September 26, 2025
I received a digital ARC from the author, in exchange for an open and honest review.
-
To be alive, aware and online (some of us more than others), is to be painfully conscious of "all of the everything going on". What's so wonderful about Speculative Fiction, is that it allows us space to process the successive waves of troubling factoids, fantastic discoveries, and nightmarish developments. It gives a moment to pause, breath, observe the crumbling edifice of "Late Stage Capitalism", and ask ourselves "ok, well what's next?". Author Leo X. Robertson, seems to have a grasp on this idea. His forthcoming collection "Barhopping for Astronauts" is evidence of what happens when we allow ourselves, to process what goes on around, to consider how things may play out, for our planet, for our species. Robertson's stories are exactly what readers should expect from quality Speculative Fiction. The ability to face the fear of the unknown, to consider "what could be?".
The tone and flavor of the included stories are diverse, engrossing and thought provoking. If you'll take a moment and observe this flow chart [image doesn't really exist, just use your imagination]
You'll see that the further I read, the stranger the stories became. Cover to Cover this I think of some late masters of the medium, Harlan Ellison or Rod Serling, for instance would appreciate this book.
In my opinion, one the true tests of a good collection of spec-fiction is to leave the reader taking in the book as a whole, but also mentally pondering the individual tales. To leave the reader with something to roll around in your brain. Clearly Robertson's book passes that test, and I look forward to reading more of what this writes in the future.
-
To be alive, aware and online (some of us more than others), is to be painfully conscious of "all of the everything going on". What's so wonderful about Speculative Fiction, is that it allows us space to process the successive waves of troubling factoids, fantastic discoveries, and nightmarish developments. It gives a moment to pause, breath, observe the crumbling edifice of "Late Stage Capitalism", and ask ourselves "ok, well what's next?". Author Leo X. Robertson, seems to have a grasp on this idea. His forthcoming collection "Barhopping for Astronauts" is evidence of what happens when we allow ourselves, to process what goes on around, to consider how things may play out, for our planet, for our species. Robertson's stories are exactly what readers should expect from quality Speculative Fiction. The ability to face the fear of the unknown, to consider "what could be?".
The tone and flavor of the included stories are diverse, engrossing and thought provoking. If you'll take a moment and observe this flow chart [image doesn't really exist, just use your imagination]
You'll see that the further I read, the stranger the stories became. Cover to Cover this I think of some late masters of the medium, Harlan Ellison or Rod Serling, for instance would appreciate this book.
In my opinion, one the true tests of a good collection of spec-fiction is to leave the reader taking in the book as a whole, but also mentally pondering the individual tales. To leave the reader with something to roll around in your brain. Clearly Robertson's book passes that test, and I look forward to reading more of what this writes in the future.
November 30, 2025
I had no expectations going into this short story collection, and what I found within the pages delighted me. The author was previously unfamiliar to me, but the title lured me in with the promise of something new and interesting. The stories are varied, and all with some degree of dystopian tonality that makes them feel distinctly relevant for a contemporary reader. The world (or worlds) in which these stories take place is fun, inventive, absurd, and bleak in turns and the range of emotions I experienced while reading cycled through an equally varied repertoire. At times bright and hopeful, at times desolate and disturbing, the characters and circumstances make a very human impact (even when the characters in question are not themselves human). All told, I had a great time reading this one and highly recommend it.
This is an unpaid and honest review, willingly provided in kind for access to an ebook review copy of this title.
This is an unpaid and honest review, willingly provided in kind for access to an ebook review copy of this title.
December 2, 2025
I enjoyed every single one of these stories. Even the short ones made me feel so immersed in that world. A lot of the writing reminded me a lot of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. Some were as with a lot of sci-fi, ideas too close to what is happening now and what could feasibly be in the very near future and this is what makes it terrifying. This especially came to mind in the “Influencers” story.
Some stories were short and shocking where others were longer, emotional and really dug into complex issues.
I know the author wanted to try something really difficult which creating these completely different worlds and situations were and he pulled it off perfectly! Glad to know it isn’t just me that struggles with this genre when trying to keep up with world building, characters and so forth!
Some stories were short and shocking where others were longer, emotional and really dug into complex issues.
I know the author wanted to try something really difficult which creating these completely different worlds and situations were and he pulled it off perfectly! Glad to know it isn’t just me that struggles with this genre when trying to keep up with world building, characters and so forth!
March 2, 2026
If you're a fan of short stories and especially sci-fi, this book is worth picking up. What I love about short stories is, if one of them doesn't quite 'hit' for you, there's always plenty more. I think every sci-fi lover will find at least a few stories in this collection that they will enjoy. This experience was reminiscent of reading one of the short story collections of Philip K Dick for me.
Did I love every story? No. Some of them are well-tread ground in sci-fi and go about as you'd expect. But for every one I felt this way about there were a few that really blew me away.
For the number of short stories you get in this volume, it's a good value to grab it and give a peak through. I'd say if you enjoy horror, this is also a good book to pick up--some of the endings are quite chilling.
Did I love every story? No. Some of them are well-tread ground in sci-fi and go about as you'd expect. But for every one I felt this way about there were a few that really blew me away.
For the number of short stories you get in this volume, it's a good value to grab it and give a peak through. I'd say if you enjoy horror, this is also a good book to pick up--some of the endings are quite chilling.
February 21, 2026
There is an uncanny and very human quality to Leo's stories that is unlike anyone else's work. You can see the spotlight being shone on the particular needs of his characters, or the way society is making them desperate, and how the strange but realistic science fiction around them amplifies those needs. Turn to any story in this collection and you'll discover something very special.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews