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What If...? Amazing Stories
Fantastical stories to spur the imagination.
What if? It’s a question that is the beginning of endless possibilities. When science fiction writer Monica Hughes posed this question to a group of science fiction and fantasy writers, the result was this incredible collection of stories.
Covering the galaxy in setting and every possible emotion, these tales pose some interesting questions. What if the moon was haunted by a beautiful maiden? What if noise was forbidden and music was a crime? What if famous people were cloned over and over again? What if only you could save the world and you don’t know how?
Contents:
Star-seeing night / Alice Major --
The stranger / Monica Hughes --
Eternity leave / Tim Wynne-Jones --
The tunnel / Sarah Ellis --
Moon maiden / Alison Baird --
A wish named Arnold / Charles de Lint --
Muffin explains teleology to the world at large / James Alan Gardner --
The road to Shambhala / Eileen Kernaghan --
The good mother / Pricilla Galloway --
The mask / Joan Clark --
Paper / Marcel Gagne --
Frosty / Jason Kapalka --
Lukas 19 / Jean-Louis Trudel --
The book of days / Lesley Choyce --
The water trader's dream / Robert Priest.
What if? It’s a question that is the beginning of endless possibilities. When science fiction writer Monica Hughes posed this question to a group of science fiction and fantasy writers, the result was this incredible collection of stories.
Covering the galaxy in setting and every possible emotion, these tales pose some interesting questions. What if the moon was haunted by a beautiful maiden? What if noise was forbidden and music was a crime? What if famous people were cloned over and over again? What if only you could save the world and you don’t know how?
Contents:
Star-seeing night / Alice Major --
The stranger / Monica Hughes --
Eternity leave / Tim Wynne-Jones --
The tunnel / Sarah Ellis --
Moon maiden / Alison Baird --
A wish named Arnold / Charles de Lint --
Muffin explains teleology to the world at large / James Alan Gardner --
The road to Shambhala / Eileen Kernaghan --
The good mother / Pricilla Galloway --
The mask / Joan Clark --
Paper / Marcel Gagne --
Frosty / Jason Kapalka --
Lukas 19 / Jean-Louis Trudel --
The book of days / Lesley Choyce --
The water trader's dream / Robert Priest.
199 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 1998
2 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Monica Hughes
581 books120 followersMonica Hughes was a very popular writer for young people, and has won numerous prizes. Her books have been published in the United States, Poland, Spain, Japan, France, Scandinavia, England, and Germany. She has twice received the Canada Council Prize for Children's Literature, and was runner-up for the Guardian Award.
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, which also received a Certificate of Honor from the International Board on Books for Young People; Hunter in the Dark, also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Sandwriter, among many other titles.
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, which also received a Certificate of Honor from the International Board on Books for Young People; Hunter in the Dark, also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Sandwriter, among many other titles.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 6, 2025
Good collection of thought-provoking speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, and a bit of light horror) very short stories. Better for the target audience of young teens, though. I found none that are sticking with me, and I've not discovered any new authors
February 16, 2025
‘what if…’ by monica hughes is a collection of short stories, each written by a different canadian author. they share the common thread of being sci-fi and/or fantasy in varying degrees.
i normally recoil from sci-fi and hardcore fantasy due to the jargon and sometimes hard-to-follow plots. but i’m glad i gave this one a read because it is not intimidating or hard to read at all! instead, i found that the stories manipulated my heart with ease and were incredibly easy to read.
i really love the stories that were chosen and the order in which they appeared. it was hard to put down, and never began to feel mundane or repetitive in any way. each story had a unique voice and plot. i found immense value and beautiful writing in every single one. yet, i cannot say i loved each story equally.
‘eternity leave’ is a strange, mysterious story about an older sci-fi author and her young neighbourhood friend. i always love reading about authors, and this was no exception. ‘moon maiden’ takes place in a futuristic world where it is normal and commonplace to go visit the moon. i adored being immersed in this weird reality and its storyline.
‘the mask’ has a strong philosophical note that i really enjoyed. it was thought-provoking and interesting. ‘the stone scepter’ is games-of-thrones-esque, which was entirely alright with me because i adore those books. unlike game of thrones, this ending dazzled. as for ‘frosty’, the best way i can describe it is: insanely cool concept. it took an admirable imagination to think up this story.
‘lukas 19’ brings about a great philosophical point about nature vs. nurture. it also made me question my stance on whether or not some people are just born gifted in something, genetically. and i don’t mean physical things like sports; i mean mental things like math or music. this story, despite having the heaviest sci-fi jargon of them all, really stood out to me.
although this is classified as a sci-fi compilation, you absolutely do not need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy most, if not all, of these stories. the fact that they were written for a younger audience makes them highly accessible.
rating: 10/10
recommendable for:
fans of short, mind-altering pieces of fiction; those searching for classic stories
the person who is dearest and closest to my heart told me that their childhood was formulated around the finding of this book at their library. i completely get that sentiment, because that is how i feel about series like ‘harry potter’ and ‘his dark materials’. since i read those books when i was extremely young, they played a large role in my thoughts, creativity, and development.
to read the book that another loves is to be in their mind for a while. i loved that aspect of finally getting around to reading this collection of short stories. i know this all sounds like i’d be quite biased, but i gave this book the fairest and most deserved rating possible.
i have always been captivated by the power of short stories. in just a few pages, they sometimes pack a punch like an entire novel can. to me, that’s magic.
if you love magic, sci-fi, or fantasy, there will be something for you to appreciate in this short story collection.
i normally recoil from sci-fi and hardcore fantasy due to the jargon and sometimes hard-to-follow plots. but i’m glad i gave this one a read because it is not intimidating or hard to read at all! instead, i found that the stories manipulated my heart with ease and were incredibly easy to read.
i really love the stories that were chosen and the order in which they appeared. it was hard to put down, and never began to feel mundane or repetitive in any way. each story had a unique voice and plot. i found immense value and beautiful writing in every single one. yet, i cannot say i loved each story equally.
‘eternity leave’ is a strange, mysterious story about an older sci-fi author and her young neighbourhood friend. i always love reading about authors, and this was no exception. ‘moon maiden’ takes place in a futuristic world where it is normal and commonplace to go visit the moon. i adored being immersed in this weird reality and its storyline.
‘the mask’ has a strong philosophical note that i really enjoyed. it was thought-provoking and interesting. ‘the stone scepter’ is games-of-thrones-esque, which was entirely alright with me because i adore those books. unlike game of thrones, this ending dazzled. as for ‘frosty’, the best way i can describe it is: insanely cool concept. it took an admirable imagination to think up this story.
‘lukas 19’ brings about a great philosophical point about nature vs. nurture. it also made me question my stance on whether or not some people are just born gifted in something, genetically. and i don’t mean physical things like sports; i mean mental things like math or music. this story, despite having the heaviest sci-fi jargon of them all, really stood out to me.
although this is classified as a sci-fi compilation, you absolutely do not need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy most, if not all, of these stories. the fact that they were written for a younger audience makes them highly accessible.
rating: 10/10
recommendable for:
fans of short, mind-altering pieces of fiction; those searching for classic stories
the person who is dearest and closest to my heart told me that their childhood was formulated around the finding of this book at their library. i completely get that sentiment, because that is how i feel about series like ‘harry potter’ and ‘his dark materials’. since i read those books when i was extremely young, they played a large role in my thoughts, creativity, and development.
to read the book that another loves is to be in their mind for a while. i loved that aspect of finally getting around to reading this collection of short stories. i know this all sounds like i’d be quite biased, but i gave this book the fairest and most deserved rating possible.
i have always been captivated by the power of short stories. in just a few pages, they sometimes pack a punch like an entire novel can. to me, that’s magic.
if you love magic, sci-fi, or fantasy, there will be something for you to appreciate in this short story collection.
Read
June 20, 2009What If...?: Amazing Stories by James Alan Gardner (1998)
October 2, 2011
Loved it! possibly the best selection of short stories ever chosen
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews