Barnacle

by Kate Elliott

An older medic with scant resources fights to support her community as they survive life behind the company wall.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2025

About the author

As a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. She currently lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer.

Reviews

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 52 Book Club Challenge : Climate fiction

absolutely lovely solarpunk hopeful futuristic piece. read it for free at reactor mag's site : https://reactormag.com/barnacle-kate-...

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elliott builds this near future world as a pay as you go society…utterly terrifying to think about! I can see why so many say world building is Kate Elliott’s speciality. She’s able to build a world without much info dumping or having the character explain everything within dialogue. How she managed to do that in less than 50 pages has got to be a feat! I greatly enjoyed how the characters were hopeful despite living in such a bleak world. I selfishly want way more of this story, or even just this world. This won’t be my last Kate Elliott!

[Zachary Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

A very engaging novelette set in a near future setting which I always appreciate. Elliott renders the world building very well in the story. This will not be the last story I read from Elliot! I think I’ll be trying out the Jaran books next!

[Katrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Be patient. Be a barnacle.”
“What’s a barnacle?”
“A creature that holds on over the years, even in erosive settings.”

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This idea of an auotmated pay-for-everything future isn't so far fetched anymore and that scares me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a war that ended in an armistice, in a drowned city, Rose ended up on the wrong side of the border. The people there are worked hard, with very little resources, food, medicines, or education, and paying for the little they get with their labor. Those who remember a better life hold out hope that one day they will find a way to ask for asylum in the Neutral Zone, and work towards that hope every day. I found it a very bleak story, but with a ray of hope to carry Rose, her grandsons, friends and townspeople through their terrible existence.

[Thia Reads A Lot]

4.0*

Rose is a nurse working in a clinic in a "pay-as-you-go" enclave controlled by the Company. She is one of the only medical staff and has implants that the company never found out about. Her grandsons live with her. After being woken at night by a gunshot, they find a way to communicate with the world outside and ask for asylum. The supervisor tells them to get back to work, but a non-company vehicle approaches.

One of my favourite stories from Reactor 2025.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense novelette, dystopia with a hopeful ending.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/barnacle-kate-...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need 400 more pages of this story

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting worldbuilding, I was left wanting to know more about what was going on. Really good concept.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great dystopian near-future sci-fi about people in a refugee camp run by corporations - kind of depressing, actually, but well-written . . .

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

[Ken Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Elliott imagines a 'pay-as-you-go' world, chanelling Company Towns of the past and future US of A. A warning and a modicum of hope.

You can read it here https://reactormag.com/barnacle-kate-...