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A Tie
I touched a cold plexiglass with my forehead. Only one inch separated me from a vacuum of the space, myriads of stars and six O'Neill stations, shining brightly in the sunlight. Just a thin cable was connecting our station with the ground below, with the Earth, beautiful and unreachable, where my parents disappeared many years ago... And this fragile tie is going to be cut forever today... I must do something. Right now. (31 pages)
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2016
About the author
George Mazurek
23 books238 followersI'm a Czech writer of sci-fi and fantasy books and short stories with 6 books and over 30 stories published in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Also, I'm an avid reader, my favorite authors are Roger Zelazny, Brandon Sanderson, GRRM, JRRT, Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke, etc...
I live near Ostrava and I'm a professor at Silesian University, where I teach maths and statistics.
I live near Ostrava and I'm a professor at Silesian University, where I teach maths and statistics.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 6, 2017
An odd thing happens sometimes. You are made aware of a free story. You get it. Months later you read it but you have little knowledge, by this point, about what the story might be about. You are, in effect, entering blind though with a vague idea that it has something to do with Science Fiction and maybe a space station.
You start reading and . . . the main character is named Calm and he apparently is some kind of member of a primitive tribe (and I'm using that primitive word on purpose) barely scraping by. hmms . . . confused.
And, truly, it was fun to watch things unfold in this kind of dark uninformed way - for the people on the ground are in the dark and uninformed, and the people in the sky are as well. So I'll not get any more specific than I have so far.
Two points of view. One from a person calling themselves 'Calm', and a second from a person calling themselves 'Alice'. There is a bit of thrill attached to the story at certain points. Some excitement. Some confusion.
A good short story.
Rating: 4.88
May 6 2017
You start reading and . . . the main character is named Calm and he apparently is some kind of member of a primitive tribe (and I'm using that primitive word on purpose) barely scraping by. hmms . . . confused.
And, truly, it was fun to watch things unfold in this kind of dark uninformed way - for the people on the ground are in the dark and uninformed, and the people in the sky are as well. So I'll not get any more specific than I have so far.
Two points of view. One from a person calling themselves 'Calm', and a second from a person calling themselves 'Alice'. There is a bit of thrill attached to the story at certain points. Some excitement. Some confusion.
A good short story.
Rating: 4.88
May 6 2017
March 9, 2017
Short but sweet post-apocalyptic scifi story, with the remnants of sentient humanity on board space ships orbiting the Earth, while below on the planet humans have devolved into stone age scavengers and hunters. Neither group is aware of the existence of the other. In space, the authorities are readying themselves to cut the final link with Earth by severing the last “Tie” – a space lift. Nearly twenty years ago a group of scientists had used the lift to return to Earth to investigate the viability of a wholescale return, but nothing was heard of them again. For Alice, cutting the tie means all hope of seeing her parents who had gone planet-side, ever again. For everyone else, it is necessary to conserve resources to keep humanity alive. On the ground, Calm knows he is different to the others around him. He is curious about the myths of the gods in the sky, and wants to learn how to count past 19, but planet-side knowledge has deteriorated so much over the centuries, that he may never find out.
The chapters alternate between Alice and Calm – showing two markedly different sides to what humanity could become. Both their characters are well-developed in the short space available. There are some similarities to the “100” books and TV series, but without the overpowering moral dilemmas and the ubiquitous gun-toting violence that seems to infect most American post-apocalyptic stories. This is a tale that is well worth reading, and would set up a very good set of sequels.
The chapters alternate between Alice and Calm – showing two markedly different sides to what humanity could become. Both their characters are well-developed in the short space available. There are some similarities to the “100” books and TV series, but without the overpowering moral dilemmas and the ubiquitous gun-toting violence that seems to infect most American post-apocalyptic stories. This is a tale that is well worth reading, and would set up a very good set of sequels.
July 24, 2018
A Tie, written by George Mazurek, is a apocalyptic story that crosses over into sci-fi. It is written in first person narrative from two different character’s perspectives separated with headings. The short story starts off with the main character thinking about a reoccurring dream he has about a beautiful woman. She tells him something but he can never recall the words. Calm’s life is harsh… a matter of daily survival. Life is about staying alive. Calm spends most of his time with Little Owl hunting for food for his tribe so that they can live another few days. There are wild animals and worse yet, Scavengers (zombies?) that make survival more challenging. Calm's mind is always active, always thinking and wondering more about the myths and his origin.
Alice is a science teacher who lives above the earth. Her parents had journeyed to earth some 21 years ago and never returned. Drinking a glass of wine from the last bottle, Alice tries to emotionally prepare herself to say goodbye to earth.....and to her family. Her lift/ ship is tethered to the earth while they studied it. Alice is frustrated that her parent’s quest to find a land that could support humans failed with their disappearance.
The short story is about Alice’s preparations to say goodbye to earth and to her family and at the same time features Calm’s struggle to survive. It is a quick read at 40 pages and an enjoyable story.
4.5 Stars for original content. As a short story, it is a quick read but I think it would have been better if written out as a novel with more of Calm and Alice, more of their stories...and what happens next.
Alice is a science teacher who lives above the earth. Her parents had journeyed to earth some 21 years ago and never returned. Drinking a glass of wine from the last bottle, Alice tries to emotionally prepare herself to say goodbye to earth.....and to her family. Her lift/ ship is tethered to the earth while they studied it. Alice is frustrated that her parent’s quest to find a land that could support humans failed with their disappearance.
The short story is about Alice’s preparations to say goodbye to earth and to her family and at the same time features Calm’s struggle to survive. It is a quick read at 40 pages and an enjoyable story.
4.5 Stars for original content. As a short story, it is a quick read but I think it would have been better if written out as a novel with more of Calm and Alice, more of their stories...and what happens next.
September 30, 2018
It could serve as the treatment for a longer story
I had fun with this story. It was short, but the two stories kept me intrigued. I got the ending I expected, and would have liked an epilogue, but I had fun. Ultimately, that's all that matters.
I had fun with this story. It was short, but the two stories kept me intrigued. I got the ending I expected, and would have liked an epilogue, but I had fun. Ultimately, that's all that matters.
March 14, 2019
I purchased this book for free on Amazon and it was a pretty interesting sci-fi book. It left me a little bit confused which leaves me wanting a longer version of this book to explain more. I loved the two different perspectives of Alice and Calm. Despite it being a short book, I felt myself already being attached to Alice's character and wanting her to find Calm in the ship. I wish we could see how they would react to each other and them forming a relationship. This was a pretty interesting book that I recommend reading as it leaves you intrigued and wanting more by the end of it.
October 29, 2018
This was a very pleasant surprise!
Short and with an enjoyable writing we are presented with a good premise that is rather well developed for the little amount of pages that it has.
I was left hopping for a bigger novel. I would love to see more of this future and follow other characters that previously had an important role in this reality.
The only thing that I think would benefit the tale would be if Calm’s passages were written in a more childish way, with some mistakes and less vocabulary like it happens on “Flowers to Algernon”.
But this is now one my favourite little sci-fi stories.
Short and with an enjoyable writing we are presented with a good premise that is rather well developed for the little amount of pages that it has.
I was left hopping for a bigger novel. I would love to see more of this future and follow other characters that previously had an important role in this reality.
The only thing that I think would benefit the tale would be if Calm’s passages were written in a more childish way, with some mistakes and less vocabulary like it happens on “Flowers to Algernon”.
But this is now one my favourite little sci-fi stories.
October 27, 2018
Nice
It is a nice story. It deserves a better title. Post-apocalyptic sci-fi usually does. Some punctuation issues, but nothing too distracting.
It is a nice story. It deserves a better title. Post-apocalyptic sci-fi usually does. Some punctuation issues, but nothing too distracting.
February 7, 2021
I have really been into serious science fiction but this story was really good. Must read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews