What do you think?
Rate this book
You, Human: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction
Bram Stoker Award winning editor Michael Bailey brings you a genre-bending anthology of dark science fiction and poetry, with fiction illustrated beautifully throughout by world-renowned artist L.A. Spooner, poetry and spot illustrations by the always-impressive Orion Zangara, and an incredible introduction on humanism by New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson.
430 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2016
386 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Michael Bailey
128 books68 followersMichael Bailey is a recipient and ten-time nominee of the Bram Stoker Award, a five-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and a three-time recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, along with several independent publishing accolades. He has written, edited, and published many books of various genres. His latest is Righting Writing, a nonfiction narrative used as curriculum for aspiring writers, and Silent Nightmares: Haunting Stories to Be Told on the Longest Night of the Year, an anthology co-edited with Chuck Palahniuk to be published by Simon & Schuster in fall of 2026. He is also the screenwriter for Madness and Writers, a creative documentary series about writers, and a producer for numerous film projects. Find him online at nettirw.com, or on social media @nettirw. He is represented by Lane Heymont of the Tobias Literary Agency.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 10, 2021
Twisted Tales and Just A Tad Creepy
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Each one was unique, with just enough to make you want to look up your favourite authors and try their other works out.
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Each one was unique, with just enough to make you want to look up your favourite authors and try their other works out.
February 19, 2019
A pretty good collection, as usual some were better than others.
February 11, 2024
2.5 stars
As with an anthology, I don't expect to like all of the stories as they are written by various authors. Unfortunately in this case there were very few that I enjoyed.
My favorites were:
I am the Doorway - Stephen King
Hopium Den - John Skipp
As with an anthology, I don't expect to like all of the stories as they are written by various authors. Unfortunately in this case there were very few that I enjoyed.
My favorites were:
I am the Doorway - Stephen King
Hopium Den - John Skipp
March 1, 2017
Nice collection of stories about dark science fiction along with an exploration of how humans can (or can not) cope with future situations involving changes to technology and society.
Some of the stories border on the psychological horrors of not knowing if something is real or only taking place in the subjects mind.
Most of the stories are exceptional and well executed with only a few that I would call average with predictable outcomes.
Some of the stories border on the psychological horrors of not knowing if something is real or only taking place in the subjects mind.
Most of the stories are exceptional and well executed with only a few that I would call average with predictable outcomes.
July 31, 2024
What is it to be human? is a question asked for as long as humans have been alive. The tie binding this anthology together is that each story touches on this question. To the anthologist's credit, the author's approaches as well as answers are diverse.
My favorite stories here are the following:
In "The Cosmic Fair," the story takes a character in an interesting situation--a soldier whose job had been to mediate, to represent humans to two other sentient species, and spends most of the story in his head via interiority and a caller with unclear motives.
In "Unity of Affect," the opposite tack is taken. It focuses is on a military contractor developing a game meant to dehumanize and train soldiers. The gradual loss of his humanity and relationships with others also proceeds via a focus on the game development, with some of the text meant to be documents, internal company analysis, for example.
"Hopium Den," my favorite in the book, focuses on a woman who has chosen to remain alive and enjoying a now mostly empty world while most humans settle for fantasy implanted into their brains. The story is at once horrifying and heartbraking.
"Dog at the Look" has, as a protagonist, a woman working as a maid in a hotel where a portal to another universe opens as a crack in the wall. The story flits between dream and reality, asking the question of how much is changeable, how much is fixable, when is it time to give up.
"Executive Functions" plays with the trope of whether the existence we think we are living is real, fulfilling the fantasy of knocking corporate drone types down many pegs.
"The Cause" plays with the classic noir form, but with the ultrawealthy now capable of infinitely extended life. Then, the femme fatale literally accuses the protagonist of playing at being a 1940s detective. An admirable sticking to a form while being in a science fictional situation, and I'm a sucker for noir.
"Ditch Treasures" takes the point of view of the foreman of a crew who picks up garbage along the highway. He comes across the body of an alien. The close POV very much drew me in.
"I Am The Doorway" is a reprint of a Stephen King story that was published first in a girlie magazine and then appeared in his first collection. I'd read the collection when I was thirteen. This was the only story from it I could still have told you the plot of without this reminder. It's creepy. I'm not a big fan of King, but I'd always liked this story.
"Key to the City" revels in it's constructed language and focuses on hillbillies who were kept out of the futuristic city and forced to live in the dying remains of the planet.
"The Pretty Puppets" uses surrealism effectively to portray a situation in which the protagonists is interrogated in a way he doesn't understand by aliens whose motives don't make sense to him.
"The Universe is Dying" is a very inventive take on the multiverse, at first appearing like a movie to the protagonist.
"Fallen Faces By the Wayside" is one of the only other reprints in this collection. It does a great job of gradually explaining a world that seems to be what it is not. I loved the ending.
"Gumi-Bear" initially appears to merely a story of a housewife and mother who isn't happy with her lot, but the horror is so unexpected that is incredibly effective. Loved this.
Overall, as a collection, the editor seems to like everyman (or everywoman) protagonists who are somehow playing a role not expected of someone of their station. He seems to like a fight against authority, often in rigged games, where the protagonist is at a disadvantage. He likes stories that play with memory, or perception, or understanding that is manipulated. To those who these leitmotifs appeal (as they did to me), I'd recommend this collection.
My favorite stories here are the following:
In "The Cosmic Fair," the story takes a character in an interesting situation--a soldier whose job had been to mediate, to represent humans to two other sentient species, and spends most of the story in his head via interiority and a caller with unclear motives.
In "Unity of Affect," the opposite tack is taken. It focuses is on a military contractor developing a game meant to dehumanize and train soldiers. The gradual loss of his humanity and relationships with others also proceeds via a focus on the game development, with some of the text meant to be documents, internal company analysis, for example.
"Hopium Den," my favorite in the book, focuses on a woman who has chosen to remain alive and enjoying a now mostly empty world while most humans settle for fantasy implanted into their brains. The story is at once horrifying and heartbraking.
"Dog at the Look" has, as a protagonist, a woman working as a maid in a hotel where a portal to another universe opens as a crack in the wall. The story flits between dream and reality, asking the question of how much is changeable, how much is fixable, when is it time to give up.
"Executive Functions" plays with the trope of whether the existence we think we are living is real, fulfilling the fantasy of knocking corporate drone types down many pegs.
"The Cause" plays with the classic noir form, but with the ultrawealthy now capable of infinitely extended life. Then, the femme fatale literally accuses the protagonist of playing at being a 1940s detective. An admirable sticking to a form while being in a science fictional situation, and I'm a sucker for noir.
"Ditch Treasures" takes the point of view of the foreman of a crew who picks up garbage along the highway. He comes across the body of an alien. The close POV very much drew me in.
"I Am The Doorway" is a reprint of a Stephen King story that was published first in a girlie magazine and then appeared in his first collection. I'd read the collection when I was thirteen. This was the only story from it I could still have told you the plot of without this reminder. It's creepy. I'm not a big fan of King, but I'd always liked this story.
"Key to the City" revels in it's constructed language and focuses on hillbillies who were kept out of the futuristic city and forced to live in the dying remains of the planet.
"The Pretty Puppets" uses surrealism effectively to portray a situation in which the protagonists is interrogated in a way he doesn't understand by aliens whose motives don't make sense to him.
"The Universe is Dying" is a very inventive take on the multiverse, at first appearing like a movie to the protagonist.
"Fallen Faces By the Wayside" is one of the only other reprints in this collection. It does a great job of gradually explaining a world that seems to be what it is not. I loved the ending.
"Gumi-Bear" initially appears to merely a story of a housewife and mother who isn't happy with her lot, but the horror is so unexpected that is incredibly effective. Loved this.
Overall, as a collection, the editor seems to like everyman (or everywoman) protagonists who are somehow playing a role not expected of someone of their station. He seems to like a fight against authority, often in rigged games, where the protagonist is at a disadvantage. He likes stories that play with memory, or perception, or understanding that is manipulated. To those who these leitmotifs appeal (as they did to me), I'd recommend this collection.
September 30, 2025
A good variety
This anthology contained a wide variety of stories, some of which I found to be incredibly depressing. For me it was a book of two halves as I enjoyed the later stories much more than those at the start.
Worth a read for anyone who likes futuristic speculation fiction.
This anthology contained a wide variety of stories, some of which I found to be incredibly depressing. For me it was a book of two halves as I enjoyed the later stories much more than those at the start.
Worth a read for anyone who likes futuristic speculation fiction.
March 4, 2023
There were some hits and misses, but I enjoyed most of these crazy stories. My favorite was Stephen King’s, of course.
February 12, 2024
Enjoyed this!
Some of the stories I enjoyed while others were so so. Nothing against the authors but I don't always like some Sci-fi stories.
Some of the stories I enjoyed while others were so so. Nothing against the authors but I don't always like some Sci-fi stories.
April 5, 2024
Intriguing premise, but overall a somewhat disappointing anthology that proved to be not very engaging after first several stories.
Read
May 18, 2024Not worth reading
January 19, 2025
The more memorable ones were by well-known authors. There’s some other interesting ones in here but nothing that would make me want to keep this book.
October 30, 2019
Some stories are better then others, some are just plain weird.
It took me a while to get back into this as some of the tales are just long and boring.
It took me a while to get back into this as some of the tales are just long and boring.
Currently reading
May 26, 2024"The Goldilocks Zone" by John R. Little - Darrell leaves Earth to visit another planet and strikes up a relationship with Elli believing Barb will be long dead when he returns. Darrell is shocked upon returning to discover Barb waiting for him because she volunteered for a new stasis technology. He breaks his relationship off with Elli but then he notices Barb aging rapidly. He demands she stop lying to him and tell him the truth. Barb is only forty but the flawed early version of stasis will age her many years inside of a month. Darrell is disgusted and tries to get back with Elli but she hates him now. Now that Barb has been abandoned she swims out into the ocean and drowns.
"Keepsakes" by Hal Bodner - Matthew is a pleasure bot that retains some memories of his companions even after the client's lease is up and he goes through a scrubbing process. He keeps some mementos and is eventually discovered. The technicians believe they have discovered the problem and can correct it. As Matthew lies on the scrubbing table he wonders if none of his mementos will mean anything to him anymore will he still be himself.
05-04-2017
"Keepsakes" by Hal Bodner - Matthew is a pleasure bot that retains some memories of his companions even after the client's lease is up and he goes through a scrubbing process. He keeps some mementos and is eventually discovered. The technicians believe they have discovered the problem and can correct it. As Matthew lies on the scrubbing table he wonders if none of his mementos will mean anything to him anymore will he still be himself.
05-04-2017
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2025
The writing is good and as the title says, it's dark science fiction. In fact, it's so dark that I didn't finish the book. I do not recommend this book...
June 29, 2023
Most of the entries are captivating, some are downright tragic, some disturbing, some highlight the reality of what it is to be othered; all speak to the essence of what it is to be human.
"The Universe is Dying" deserves mention for tackling the weight of restrained grief on the soul. However, my favourite is "Keepsakes", which is beautiful and heartbreaking. I was blinking away tears by the final word... I think that one will be on my mind for some time.
"The Universe is Dying" deserves mention for tackling the weight of restrained grief on the soul. However, my favourite is "Keepsakes", which is beautiful and heartbreaking. I was blinking away tears by the final word... I think that one will be on my mind for some time.
December 29, 2018
A decent anthology
Good subject matter, great authors, and some fantastic stories. There are a few clunkers, but overall I would totally recommend this book.
Good subject matter, great authors, and some fantastic stories. There are a few clunkers, but overall I would totally recommend this book.
Read
September 1, 2019A bunch of assorted short stories that I got during my disappointing experiment with Kindle Unlimited. I'm not entirely sure when I finished it but my Kindle says that I did.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews