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Overmorrow: Stories of Our Bright Future
News feed getting you down? Spending too much time hate-reading and doom-scrolling?
Grab a collection of science fiction, cast your eyes starward, and put the current moment in perspective.
'An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!'
- Abraham Lincoln
"OVERMORROW: Stories of our Bright Future" is an anthology of science fiction short stories set in an optimistic future. From classic Golden Age style science fiction to wicked satire, from solarpunk to parody. Colony ships bound for distant solar systems, humans (and chickens) on Mars, Transhumanism and medical revolutions.
This collection will transport you out of the present day to the bright future of the day-after-tomorrow.
Grab a collection of science fiction, cast your eyes starward, and put the current moment in perspective.
'An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!'
- Abraham Lincoln
"OVERMORROW: Stories of our Bright Future" is an anthology of science fiction short stories set in an optimistic future. From classic Golden Age style science fiction to wicked satire, from solarpunk to parody. Colony ships bound for distant solar systems, humans (and chickens) on Mars, Transhumanism and medical revolutions.
This collection will transport you out of the present day to the bright future of the day-after-tomorrow.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2020
7 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 24, 2020
ENGLISH: Rather uneven collection of science fiction short stories. Some of the stories are weak, for things happen without the reader getting an explanation, which the author doesn't bother to offer.
The editors say the stories are "optimistic", but some predictions of the consequences of transhumanism are truly gruesome. I would rather call these stories pessimistic.
Pessimistic science fiction is not just prediction of nuclear wars, super-population and the like. It can predict scientific breakthroughs whose consequences are harmful. But perhaps the editors believe that any scientific development must be optimistic, regardless of its consequences. That's not what I think.
The story I liked most was "Perspectives," which is clearly optimistic, but at the same time presents a post-apocalyptic situation. Most interesting is the description of two different but complementary ways of life, each seen from the point of view of a member of the other group.
Other stories I liked were "Working on Cloud-Nine" by John M. Olsen, which tells about the sabotage of a space station by the chief of the crew, and "Being Tamika" by Lyssa Chiavari, about the first brain transplant and its effect on the recipient. I talked about this in two of my blog posts:
http://populscience.blogspot.com/2017... and http://populscience.blogspot.com/2017...
ESPAÑOL: Colección bastante desigual de relatos cortos de ciencia-ficción. Alguna historia es bastante floja, pues las cosas ocurren sin que el lector pueda explicárselas: el autor no se molesta en proponer explicaciones.
Los editores dicen que las historias son "optimistas", pero los cuentos que predicen las consecuencias del transhumanismo son horripilantes. Yo más bien los llamaría pesimistas.
La ciencia-ficción pesimista no es sólo la que predice guerras nucleares, super-población, y cosas así. Puede predecir avances científicos cuyas consecuencias sean nocivas. ¿O quizá los editores creen que cualquier desarrollo científico tiene que ser optimista, cualesquiera que sean sus consecuencias? Yo no lo creo así.
La historia que más me gustó fue "Perspectives", que sí es claramente optimista, pero al mismo tiempo presenta una situación post-apocalíptica. Lo más interesante es la descripción de dos modos de vida diferentes pero complementarios, cada uno de ellos visto desde el punto de vista de un miembro del otro grupo.
Otras historias que me gustaron fueron "Working on Cloud-Nine" de John M. Olsen, que relata el sabotaje de una estación espacial por el jefe de su tripulación, y "Being Tamika" de Lyssa Chiavari, sobre el primer trasplante de cerebro y su efecto sobre la persona receptora. Hablé de esto en dos artículos de mi blog:
https://divulciencia.blogspot.com/201... y https://divulciencia.blogspot.com/201...
The editors say the stories are "optimistic", but some predictions of the consequences of transhumanism are truly gruesome. I would rather call these stories pessimistic.
Pessimistic science fiction is not just prediction of nuclear wars, super-population and the like. It can predict scientific breakthroughs whose consequences are harmful. But perhaps the editors believe that any scientific development must be optimistic, regardless of its consequences. That's not what I think.
The story I liked most was "Perspectives," which is clearly optimistic, but at the same time presents a post-apocalyptic situation. Most interesting is the description of two different but complementary ways of life, each seen from the point of view of a member of the other group.
Other stories I liked were "Working on Cloud-Nine" by John M. Olsen, which tells about the sabotage of a space station by the chief of the crew, and "Being Tamika" by Lyssa Chiavari, about the first brain transplant and its effect on the recipient. I talked about this in two of my blog posts:
http://populscience.blogspot.com/2017... and http://populscience.blogspot.com/2017...
ESPAÑOL: Colección bastante desigual de relatos cortos de ciencia-ficción. Alguna historia es bastante floja, pues las cosas ocurren sin que el lector pueda explicárselas: el autor no se molesta en proponer explicaciones.
Los editores dicen que las historias son "optimistas", pero los cuentos que predicen las consecuencias del transhumanismo son horripilantes. Yo más bien los llamaría pesimistas.
La ciencia-ficción pesimista no es sólo la que predice guerras nucleares, super-población, y cosas así. Puede predecir avances científicos cuyas consecuencias sean nocivas. ¿O quizá los editores creen que cualquier desarrollo científico tiene que ser optimista, cualesquiera que sean sus consecuencias? Yo no lo creo así.
La historia que más me gustó fue "Perspectives", que sí es claramente optimista, pero al mismo tiempo presenta una situación post-apocalíptica. Lo más interesante es la descripción de dos modos de vida diferentes pero complementarios, cada uno de ellos visto desde el punto de vista de un miembro del otro grupo.
Otras historias que me gustaron fueron "Working on Cloud-Nine" de John M. Olsen, que relata el sabotaje de una estación espacial por el jefe de su tripulación, y "Being Tamika" de Lyssa Chiavari, sobre el primer trasplante de cerebro y su efecto sobre la persona receptora. Hablé de esto en dos artículos de mi blog:
https://divulciencia.blogspot.com/201... y https://divulciencia.blogspot.com/201...
October 3, 2020
I love reading anthologies. In part because I love short stories. The skill and talent required to craft great short stories is very different than writing novels, and especially authoring series. But I have found that from each anthology I read I typically find an author or two who really impress me, and I often goon to read everything they have published. And I was intrigued by both the title of this anthology and by some of the contributors. I had recently read another anthology, Cracked An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, that had contributions from three overlapping authors. So, I was very inclined to give this collection a try. The description of the volume is:
“News feed getting you down? Spending too much time hate-reading and doom-scrolling? Grab a collection of science fiction, cast your eyes starward, and put the current moment in perspective.' An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!' - Abraham Lincoln "OVERMORROW: Stories of our Bright Future" is an anthology of science fiction short stories set in an optimistic future. From classic Golden Age style science fiction to wicked satire, from solarpunk to parody. Colony ships bound for distant solar systems, humans (and chickens) on Mars, Transhumanism and medical revolutions. This collection will transport you out of the present day to the bright future of the day-after-tomorrow.”
The contributors are:
Allen Baird
Bokerah Brumley
Lyssa Chiavari
Glenn Damato
Curtis Edmonds
Karina Fabian
CW Hawes
Lela Markham
John M. Olsen
Mike Pauly
David Walls-Kaufman
NB Williams
The stories are:
The Sun is a Distant Star
Martian Chicken Man
Theseus’ Guy
Working On Cloud Nine
The Multicoloured Plain
Detour
Doall’s Brain
Perspectives
Courage to Care
Family Buffalo
Freedom and Luck Always Go Together
Being Tamika
The only story in the collection I have read before was Martian Chicken Man by Bokerah Brumley, and I did read it again to see if there were any differences. None that I note on a single pass. Of note neither of the editors contributed pieces to this collection. Typically when I read an anthology there is a story or two that are more meh? That was not the case this time. This is a wonderful collection of 12 stories.
One of my favorites is Karina Fabian’s Doall’s Brian, this story a parody of Star Trek The Original Series episode is sublime. The Courage to Care is the story that impressed me most. And my favorite was Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari. And I would love to know what happens next after the events of The Sun is a Distant Star by CW Hawes, what happens a years out 5, 10 …
What I loved about this collection is they are stories of hope, stories of new beginnings, and stories of change. The editors in the forward state:
“Overmorrow is an archaic word meaning ‘the day after tomorrow.’ The stories to come are positive visions of the brighter future that is waiting for us then.”
And what is waiting for you is wonderful collection of stories. If you give the collection a try, I am certain there are many you will enjoy and a few you will love.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books and anthologies.
“News feed getting you down? Spending too much time hate-reading and doom-scrolling? Grab a collection of science fiction, cast your eyes starward, and put the current moment in perspective.' An Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!' - Abraham Lincoln "OVERMORROW: Stories of our Bright Future" is an anthology of science fiction short stories set in an optimistic future. From classic Golden Age style science fiction to wicked satire, from solarpunk to parody. Colony ships bound for distant solar systems, humans (and chickens) on Mars, Transhumanism and medical revolutions. This collection will transport you out of the present day to the bright future of the day-after-tomorrow.”
The contributors are:
Allen Baird
Bokerah Brumley
Lyssa Chiavari
Glenn Damato
Curtis Edmonds
Karina Fabian
CW Hawes
Lela Markham
John M. Olsen
Mike Pauly
David Walls-Kaufman
NB Williams
The stories are:
The Sun is a Distant Star
Martian Chicken Man
Theseus’ Guy
Working On Cloud Nine
The Multicoloured Plain
Detour
Doall’s Brain
Perspectives
Courage to Care
Family Buffalo
Freedom and Luck Always Go Together
Being Tamika
The only story in the collection I have read before was Martian Chicken Man by Bokerah Brumley, and I did read it again to see if there were any differences. None that I note on a single pass. Of note neither of the editors contributed pieces to this collection. Typically when I read an anthology there is a story or two that are more meh? That was not the case this time. This is a wonderful collection of 12 stories.
One of my favorites is Karina Fabian’s Doall’s Brian, this story a parody of Star Trek The Original Series episode is sublime. The Courage to Care is the story that impressed me most. And my favorite was Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari. And I would love to know what happens next after the events of The Sun is a Distant Star by CW Hawes, what happens a years out 5, 10 …
What I loved about this collection is they are stories of hope, stories of new beginnings, and stories of change. The editors in the forward state:
“Overmorrow is an archaic word meaning ‘the day after tomorrow.’ The stories to come are positive visions of the brighter future that is waiting for us then.”
And what is waiting for you is wonderful collection of stories. If you give the collection a try, I am certain there are many you will enjoy and a few you will love.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books and anthologies.
September 17, 2020
Why does society seem to be sliding to dystopia? I’ve written elsewhere that immersing kids in dystopian science fiction, from young adults rebelling against an oppressive system to disastrous climate literature, is contributing to the public malaise. Others choose to read fantasy books, because they are more likely to have a happy ending than most science fiction works. “Overmorrow” seeks to bring back optimistic science fiction.
“The Sun Is a Distant Star” by CW Hawes presents a colony ship that arrives at its destination. The problem is that the world is already inhabited, and its culture is very different from that of the Buddhist-Amish type colonists. (It is unusual in presenting an anarchist society that works because it is bound by religious principles.) The high-tech colonists have to decide: do they join the locals, move on to their second choice or settle an uninhabited island on this world and risk eventual conflict?
“Martian Chicken Man” by Bokerah Brumley is, as the name implies, set on Mars. The main character is in the agricultural group, raising chickens and planning the future of the Martian colony.
“Theseus’s Guy” stars a forever young 100-something planning his last day on a very over-crowded Earth. All he needed to do was replace the last part, his brain, with a synthetic one. And then we learn about a revenge plot by his ex-wife that is certainly novel.
“Working on Cloud Nine” is set on a prototype space station orbiting Earth. The main character is a botanist and biologist seeking to expand fruit and vegetable production on the Cloud Nine station. Then a potential terrorist threatens it all.
“The Multicolored Plain” features a world where we linked color-blindness to depression, and artificial eyes to fill in that gap become a drug of sorts. And then it becomes worldwide and world-changing.
“Detour” starts with a crewman assigned to act as the attorney for second shift, second generation crew woman brought up on mutiny charges. And he fights for her civil rights, because the alternative is the end of her life.
“Doall’s Brain” is a short story in the “Space Traipse: Hold My Beer” series by Karina Fabian. I’ve kept up with her stories on the HMS Impulsive for at least two years and read the first book based on her blog. This Star Trek parody is based on the Star Trek original series episode “Spock’s Brain”. Replace Doctor McCoy with a female holographic doctor capable of PG-rated BDSM.
“Perspectives” is set in a world where a biowarfare strain leaves teenaged boys at risk of a disabling auto-immune disorder. Uniting to try to treat and deal with an eighth of the population disabled helps to reunite the world as it rebuilds. A young woman commits to go groundside, leaving the civilization of the clean space stations, to try to save him.
“Courage to Care” tells the story of a Carer in a much hotter world. They live sustainably under the domes, and the world has begun to heal. Yet he’s ill, and no one can figure out why. Acantha may have the answer, if she can face it.
“Buffalo Safari” shows us that a world with immersive virtual reality and technologically enabled telepathy can still contain family strife, because technology doesn’t alter fundamental human nature. And it all comes out when they go on a buffalo safari.
“Freedom and Luck Always Go Together” is set in the same universe as Glen Damato’s book “The Far Shore”, something I’ve both read and reviewed. Christina is head of a grace meal with the children, celebrating the first time they were able to eat fresh food grown on Mars.
“Being Tamika” features a woman who has left her old body for a pain-free one. She expected to be in an android body, but she instead ends up in Tamika’s body, a young woman who died of an aneurysm.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“The Sun Is a Distant Star” by CW Hawes presents a colony ship that arrives at its destination. The problem is that the world is already inhabited, and its culture is very different from that of the Buddhist-Amish type colonists. (It is unusual in presenting an anarchist society that works because it is bound by religious principles.) The high-tech colonists have to decide: do they join the locals, move on to their second choice or settle an uninhabited island on this world and risk eventual conflict?
“Martian Chicken Man” by Bokerah Brumley is, as the name implies, set on Mars. The main character is in the agricultural group, raising chickens and planning the future of the Martian colony.
“Theseus’s Guy” stars a forever young 100-something planning his last day on a very over-crowded Earth. All he needed to do was replace the last part, his brain, with a synthetic one. And then we learn about a revenge plot by his ex-wife that is certainly novel.
“Working on Cloud Nine” is set on a prototype space station orbiting Earth. The main character is a botanist and biologist seeking to expand fruit and vegetable production on the Cloud Nine station. Then a potential terrorist threatens it all.
“The Multicolored Plain” features a world where we linked color-blindness to depression, and artificial eyes to fill in that gap become a drug of sorts. And then it becomes worldwide and world-changing.
“Detour” starts with a crewman assigned to act as the attorney for second shift, second generation crew woman brought up on mutiny charges. And he fights for her civil rights, because the alternative is the end of her life.
“Doall’s Brain” is a short story in the “Space Traipse: Hold My Beer” series by Karina Fabian. I’ve kept up with her stories on the HMS Impulsive for at least two years and read the first book based on her blog. This Star Trek parody is based on the Star Trek original series episode “Spock’s Brain”. Replace Doctor McCoy with a female holographic doctor capable of PG-rated BDSM.
“Perspectives” is set in a world where a biowarfare strain leaves teenaged boys at risk of a disabling auto-immune disorder. Uniting to try to treat and deal with an eighth of the population disabled helps to reunite the world as it rebuilds. A young woman commits to go groundside, leaving the civilization of the clean space stations, to try to save him.
“Courage to Care” tells the story of a Carer in a much hotter world. They live sustainably under the domes, and the world has begun to heal. Yet he’s ill, and no one can figure out why. Acantha may have the answer, if she can face it.
“Buffalo Safari” shows us that a world with immersive virtual reality and technologically enabled telepathy can still contain family strife, because technology doesn’t alter fundamental human nature. And it all comes out when they go on a buffalo safari.
“Freedom and Luck Always Go Together” is set in the same universe as Glen Damato’s book “The Far Shore”, something I’ve both read and reviewed. Christina is head of a grace meal with the children, celebrating the first time they were able to eat fresh food grown on Mars.
“Being Tamika” features a woman who has left her old body for a pain-free one. She expected to be in an android body, but she instead ends up in Tamika’s body, a young woman who died of an aneurysm.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 4, 2020
Each Story was so great that I reviewed each one, They were all so varies with great imagery and characters. I liked Buffalo Family Safari the best and they are all so very very good. - Bettina Stap
Family Buffalo Safari by David Walls-Kaufman
Imagine camping out in the middle of a massive herd of buffalo in the prairies of Wichita! This writer has an uncanny ability to write so descriptively juicily that you feel, taste, sense and smell, you are accompanying the Aras family, Ginger, Milton and Jason, their teenage son and Robot Tech on this safari vacation. This story is character-driven as well as artificial intelligently Tech-centered. From flight to the Safari camp, Tech is in control. And If you’ve been in a relationship or marriage for 16 years or so, you will definitely relate to this story on an emotional and practical level. Things are so intense, though, so be prepared for a suspenseful, unexpected and unpredictable outcome. Family Buffalo Safari is a wild ride by the author, David Walls-Kaufman, of intrigue about a futuristic Technocracy. If you like sci-fi adventure with unlimited possibilities and having your blood course through your veins at warp speed with fear, exhilaration and passion and holding your breath throughout, read this! Every word counts and I hope there is more to come.
The Multicoloured Plain by Allen R Baird
Have you ever heard that color blindedness was a cause of depression? This fact was written in a 2024 article in The Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Studies. Out of this article, in 2031, a supercolor cornea was developed and in 2033, rich youth wore them as fashion accessories. This story, The Multicoloured Plain, by Allen R Baird delves into his so-called Glimmer Eye Movement or Glimms for short. The glimms made people feel good. The story made me feel good that youth and everyone were no longer hunched over their cell phones but were looking up and out at the world at all times. Much better for longevity and good posture. Look at all the people going to the chiropractor in 2020 with subluxations and reverse neck curves. There are so many good things that Baird attests to Glimms and this story is so well written as a unique eye-witness to trendy but effective future technology. My favorite part of the story is when Fergel Franks is born in 2056 and what happens next. Unconventional sci-fi reading at it’s inventive primetime. –Bettina Stap
Martian Chicken Man by Bokerah Brumley
Sallie Reyes, Mission Specialist; Aashi Das, Educator Mission Specialist. The year 2075, in a Mars Test Colony with 10 other crew members and 12 colonists. Sallie Reyes, a spaceman with a great sense of humor, and whose craft days in kindergarten were his best memories, thus defining the manure mulch from NASA’s supply shipment and the ferrous dust on Mars, “Shit Glitter”. He also spoofed NASA with an airbnb listing for a Martian yurt with spectacular views which was unappreciated. He is the Martian Chicken Man himself. The theme here is love in tight quarters and tragedy when least expected and author Brokerah Brumley’s humorous way of describing life in the Martian settlement. You get to know the protagonist profoundly, Sallie, and there are great descriptive details about the life for folks in Habitation Module 21.5 by an immensely talented technically astute sci-fi writer Brokerah. Tragedy hits the Harmony Settlement when a relief valve fails. An engaging read up to this point...shit not only glitters, it happens.
Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari
This is a well-crafted, introspective story, Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari, about a dying teenager, Zaylah Santana, of a degenerative disease. The disease would have killed her before she turned 18, had she not had a transplant. I read a lot of young adult sci-fi genre books and this is a phenomenal thought-provoking story for the teenager in all of us. This story kept me guessing what was going on with Zaylah’s vivid memories (that she didn’t really remember) such as the cat named Penny napping in her dresser drawer. What I loved about the story was that Zaylah was given a whole new life and she was totally healed but she couldn’t accept her new life. She wanted to die. How often do we get what we wish for and then regret things we gave up? It’s great science fiction but surely possible in the future, eh?
Freedom & Luck Always Go Together by Glenn Damato
Are you interested in finding out what it’s like to live on the cold red planet? Glen Damato, the author of Freedom & Luck Always Go Together has a roundabout the story style that sucks you in to this fantastic futuristic legend of the Originals who left earth to be free. The protagonist, Christina, is my favorite character because she tells the story within the story. So you gotta love it – the account of the past beginning days told to the great grandchildren of today. Glenn has a way of submerging you into Christina and the others so you can try them on for size. My favorite part of this story is Christina’s total faith in facing immense problems and relinquishing all fear and insisting that whatever happens, it can be handled. It’s a gripping sci-fi story in deep space that keeps you turning the pages. A great read for the thoughtful analytical type and interplanetary traveler.
Detour by Curtis Edmonds
This story Detour by Curtis Edmonds is an enigmatic account about Lieutenant Steve Barrett and his orders to represent a “two-gee” at a court martial aboard the Susquehanna, a Conestoga-class colony ship ten years into its seventy year voyage to an exoplanet called New Sylvania. I’m reporting this background because two-gee stands for Second Generation Crew Project replacements for crew member suicides and were printed using a 3-D printer to create flesh, bone and brain. So why would such a person be court-martialed? Why is the Captain acting so weird about it? Tune in to this imaginative story and help recreate the future for Ensign Boyd, the two-gee, and Lieutenant Barrett, her appointed defense.
Doall’s Brain by Karen Fabian
Doall’s Brain is a charming parody of a SpaceTrek adventure in which Captain Tiberius has to chase down the bad guys and retrieve his Operations Officer, Lieutenant Ellie Doall’s brain. The bad lady-thief teleported to the HMB Impulsive, knocked everybody out and stole Ellie’s brain. It’s a great story with lotsa laughs and serious tones as well. The prime directive is at odds here because in order to save Ellie’s brain and bring it back they must interfere and change the course of action which is using one of their own to enable a social structure to continue. My favorite character is Captain Jeb Tiberius whom Karen Fabian modeled after a prominent Captain we all know. It’s a must-read and so comedically clever it will have you in stitches! The cast of characters are wonderfully illustrated in detailed descriptions, my favorite being Doc Sorcha, (Emergency Medical Photonic Technology) a hologram. Can she save the day as a dominatrix? It is a far out story and so funny!
The Sun Is but a Morning Star by CW Hawes
On Planet Earth everyone is different and yet people distrust difference. Why do some people distrust other humans? What sets it off? Is it a character trait? This outer space story, by author CW Hawes, revolves around what to DO, for the Captain, Randy Fields, crew and 1000 colonists on the interstellar colony ship called New Beginnings who arrive at their new planet home, to discover it’s already inhabited. They are welcomed by the natives, though, to settle there and learn the path of wisdom which results in happiness. There is a huge mistrust of the natives by the head of security, Tolman Chang, who’s convinced this utopia is a trap. Is this a good and evil theme? And if so, who will you take sides with? This is an inventive sci-fi story that will tell you to change your life NOW.
Perspectives by Lela Markham
This is a story about the future in the Towers of Denver and the Protocol they use to treat the dread disease KCEM which stands for Kletti-Ceylon’s Encephalomyelitis and the Jericho Protocols of JAZ which stands for Jericho Autonomous Zone in what was Kansas in the city of Emmaus, the central town of JAZ. Both zones are committed to coming up with a cure and opening their Protocols to anyone who needs them. The disease affects teenage boys and they loose control of their nervous systems. The story surrounds the lives of Amber Jensen and her ill brother Ian and their journey to JAZ since Denver protocols didn’t cure Ian. In Emmaus Amber meets Jessa and learns about spontaneity in everyday living and Jessa learns from Amber about the amazing technology of the Denver Towers. They even switch where they live for awhile. It is a wonderful story of hope and healing in the future while sharing technology between two cultures and the world. Read the story to find out what happens to Amber’s brother Ian.
Working on Cloud Nine by John M. Olsen
As the story opens, communications systems are down on Cloud Nine, a prototype space station managed by Phil and manned by Roger, Loralee and Pen. The whole station was a prototype for the other eight geosynchronous satellites of the cloud network in the Clarke Belt. Loralee knew Phil was up to something. She’s pursuing unauthorized research growing fruit trees and found some of her seeds in Phil’s exercise bag. She doesn’t want her research to be discovered by Cloud One who sees that their comm is down and are coming to investigate. What is going on? The story unfolds with intrigue and amazement as one reads and discovers that even in outer space bad people and things can proliferate. Terror abounds as Loralee fights to save the lives of her team when it’s discovered that there is hidden destruction and booby traps aboard the station. John M. Olsen vividly illustrates with striking precision the hardware and life support systems that operate the station and how easily they can be terminated along with lives. If you love intrigue and evil read it.
Theseus’s Guy by Mike Pauly
It’s a creative satire and comment on marriage relationships intended to be lifelong. The author Mike Pauley uses superb descriptions of the technology of the day in what used to be the lower Bronx. Just when you think you’ve finally got it made, doesn’t something always reach up and put your knickers in a twist? These are the very things we need to somehow predict before they happen. In this futuristic society, the main character, Paul Martino, is rejuvenated as needed with replacement organs, flesh and hair by Terrodyne Corp. and other competitors, a common thing for the wealthy in this day and age. Theseus’s Guy is a reference to Theseus’s Ship where the ship is his ex-wife’s guy. Now on his Last Day, Paul was finally getting to graduate to the best synth organs and bones replacements and live off-planet. BUT this story opens with Paul’s fears of his ex-wife ruining his Last Day celebration. This story is funny and creative, serious and challenging to we whom are stuck in a marriage in ways that are unending. You will laugh and worry and love this bit of sci-fi sarcasm even if it just keeps you more aware to beware that somebody thinks they own you.
The Courage to Care by NB Williams
Ever wonder what it would be like after global warming? The Courage to Care by NB Williams, is a deeply thoughtful story about the protagonist Acantha, a young woman, and her sidekick Coulter, a sick young man, living in a post-global warming, post air pollution earth in Domes with filtered air and a civilization of ordered care for one another via lifelong assigned tasks. “But is life more exciting outside the dome?”, wonders Acantha. The story is beautifully written and if you cry your eyes out like me, by this button-pushing sci-fi author, you might be identifying yourself with Acantha. And wondering if you have the Courage to Care about something important to you. A story for the tender-hearted.
Get the Book! It's A M A Z I N G ! You won't be able to put it down 'til you are done.–Bettina Stap
Family Buffalo Safari by David Walls-Kaufman
Imagine camping out in the middle of a massive herd of buffalo in the prairies of Wichita! This writer has an uncanny ability to write so descriptively juicily that you feel, taste, sense and smell, you are accompanying the Aras family, Ginger, Milton and Jason, their teenage son and Robot Tech on this safari vacation. This story is character-driven as well as artificial intelligently Tech-centered. From flight to the Safari camp, Tech is in control. And If you’ve been in a relationship or marriage for 16 years or so, you will definitely relate to this story on an emotional and practical level. Things are so intense, though, so be prepared for a suspenseful, unexpected and unpredictable outcome. Family Buffalo Safari is a wild ride by the author, David Walls-Kaufman, of intrigue about a futuristic Technocracy. If you like sci-fi adventure with unlimited possibilities and having your blood course through your veins at warp speed with fear, exhilaration and passion and holding your breath throughout, read this! Every word counts and I hope there is more to come.
The Multicoloured Plain by Allen R Baird
Have you ever heard that color blindedness was a cause of depression? This fact was written in a 2024 article in The Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Studies. Out of this article, in 2031, a supercolor cornea was developed and in 2033, rich youth wore them as fashion accessories. This story, The Multicoloured Plain, by Allen R Baird delves into his so-called Glimmer Eye Movement or Glimms for short. The glimms made people feel good. The story made me feel good that youth and everyone were no longer hunched over their cell phones but were looking up and out at the world at all times. Much better for longevity and good posture. Look at all the people going to the chiropractor in 2020 with subluxations and reverse neck curves. There are so many good things that Baird attests to Glimms and this story is so well written as a unique eye-witness to trendy but effective future technology. My favorite part of the story is when Fergel Franks is born in 2056 and what happens next. Unconventional sci-fi reading at it’s inventive primetime. –Bettina Stap
Martian Chicken Man by Bokerah Brumley
Sallie Reyes, Mission Specialist; Aashi Das, Educator Mission Specialist. The year 2075, in a Mars Test Colony with 10 other crew members and 12 colonists. Sallie Reyes, a spaceman with a great sense of humor, and whose craft days in kindergarten were his best memories, thus defining the manure mulch from NASA’s supply shipment and the ferrous dust on Mars, “Shit Glitter”. He also spoofed NASA with an airbnb listing for a Martian yurt with spectacular views which was unappreciated. He is the Martian Chicken Man himself. The theme here is love in tight quarters and tragedy when least expected and author Brokerah Brumley’s humorous way of describing life in the Martian settlement. You get to know the protagonist profoundly, Sallie, and there are great descriptive details about the life for folks in Habitation Module 21.5 by an immensely talented technically astute sci-fi writer Brokerah. Tragedy hits the Harmony Settlement when a relief valve fails. An engaging read up to this point...shit not only glitters, it happens.
Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari
This is a well-crafted, introspective story, Being Tamika by Lyssa Chiavari, about a dying teenager, Zaylah Santana, of a degenerative disease. The disease would have killed her before she turned 18, had she not had a transplant. I read a lot of young adult sci-fi genre books and this is a phenomenal thought-provoking story for the teenager in all of us. This story kept me guessing what was going on with Zaylah’s vivid memories (that she didn’t really remember) such as the cat named Penny napping in her dresser drawer. What I loved about the story was that Zaylah was given a whole new life and she was totally healed but she couldn’t accept her new life. She wanted to die. How often do we get what we wish for and then regret things we gave up? It’s great science fiction but surely possible in the future, eh?
Freedom & Luck Always Go Together by Glenn Damato
Are you interested in finding out what it’s like to live on the cold red planet? Glen Damato, the author of Freedom & Luck Always Go Together has a roundabout the story style that sucks you in to this fantastic futuristic legend of the Originals who left earth to be free. The protagonist, Christina, is my favorite character because she tells the story within the story. So you gotta love it – the account of the past beginning days told to the great grandchildren of today. Glenn has a way of submerging you into Christina and the others so you can try them on for size. My favorite part of this story is Christina’s total faith in facing immense problems and relinquishing all fear and insisting that whatever happens, it can be handled. It’s a gripping sci-fi story in deep space that keeps you turning the pages. A great read for the thoughtful analytical type and interplanetary traveler.
Detour by Curtis Edmonds
This story Detour by Curtis Edmonds is an enigmatic account about Lieutenant Steve Barrett and his orders to represent a “two-gee” at a court martial aboard the Susquehanna, a Conestoga-class colony ship ten years into its seventy year voyage to an exoplanet called New Sylvania. I’m reporting this background because two-gee stands for Second Generation Crew Project replacements for crew member suicides and were printed using a 3-D printer to create flesh, bone and brain. So why would such a person be court-martialed? Why is the Captain acting so weird about it? Tune in to this imaginative story and help recreate the future for Ensign Boyd, the two-gee, and Lieutenant Barrett, her appointed defense.
Doall’s Brain by Karen Fabian
Doall’s Brain is a charming parody of a SpaceTrek adventure in which Captain Tiberius has to chase down the bad guys and retrieve his Operations Officer, Lieutenant Ellie Doall’s brain. The bad lady-thief teleported to the HMB Impulsive, knocked everybody out and stole Ellie’s brain. It’s a great story with lotsa laughs and serious tones as well. The prime directive is at odds here because in order to save Ellie’s brain and bring it back they must interfere and change the course of action which is using one of their own to enable a social structure to continue. My favorite character is Captain Jeb Tiberius whom Karen Fabian modeled after a prominent Captain we all know. It’s a must-read and so comedically clever it will have you in stitches! The cast of characters are wonderfully illustrated in detailed descriptions, my favorite being Doc Sorcha, (Emergency Medical Photonic Technology) a hologram. Can she save the day as a dominatrix? It is a far out story and so funny!
The Sun Is but a Morning Star by CW Hawes
On Planet Earth everyone is different and yet people distrust difference. Why do some people distrust other humans? What sets it off? Is it a character trait? This outer space story, by author CW Hawes, revolves around what to DO, for the Captain, Randy Fields, crew and 1000 colonists on the interstellar colony ship called New Beginnings who arrive at their new planet home, to discover it’s already inhabited. They are welcomed by the natives, though, to settle there and learn the path of wisdom which results in happiness. There is a huge mistrust of the natives by the head of security, Tolman Chang, who’s convinced this utopia is a trap. Is this a good and evil theme? And if so, who will you take sides with? This is an inventive sci-fi story that will tell you to change your life NOW.
Perspectives by Lela Markham
This is a story about the future in the Towers of Denver and the Protocol they use to treat the dread disease KCEM which stands for Kletti-Ceylon’s Encephalomyelitis and the Jericho Protocols of JAZ which stands for Jericho Autonomous Zone in what was Kansas in the city of Emmaus, the central town of JAZ. Both zones are committed to coming up with a cure and opening their Protocols to anyone who needs them. The disease affects teenage boys and they loose control of their nervous systems. The story surrounds the lives of Amber Jensen and her ill brother Ian and their journey to JAZ since Denver protocols didn’t cure Ian. In Emmaus Amber meets Jessa and learns about spontaneity in everyday living and Jessa learns from Amber about the amazing technology of the Denver Towers. They even switch where they live for awhile. It is a wonderful story of hope and healing in the future while sharing technology between two cultures and the world. Read the story to find out what happens to Amber’s brother Ian.
Working on Cloud Nine by John M. Olsen
As the story opens, communications systems are down on Cloud Nine, a prototype space station managed by Phil and manned by Roger, Loralee and Pen. The whole station was a prototype for the other eight geosynchronous satellites of the cloud network in the Clarke Belt. Loralee knew Phil was up to something. She’s pursuing unauthorized research growing fruit trees and found some of her seeds in Phil’s exercise bag. She doesn’t want her research to be discovered by Cloud One who sees that their comm is down and are coming to investigate. What is going on? The story unfolds with intrigue and amazement as one reads and discovers that even in outer space bad people and things can proliferate. Terror abounds as Loralee fights to save the lives of her team when it’s discovered that there is hidden destruction and booby traps aboard the station. John M. Olsen vividly illustrates with striking precision the hardware and life support systems that operate the station and how easily they can be terminated along with lives. If you love intrigue and evil read it.
Theseus’s Guy by Mike Pauly
It’s a creative satire and comment on marriage relationships intended to be lifelong. The author Mike Pauley uses superb descriptions of the technology of the day in what used to be the lower Bronx. Just when you think you’ve finally got it made, doesn’t something always reach up and put your knickers in a twist? These are the very things we need to somehow predict before they happen. In this futuristic society, the main character, Paul Martino, is rejuvenated as needed with replacement organs, flesh and hair by Terrodyne Corp. and other competitors, a common thing for the wealthy in this day and age. Theseus’s Guy is a reference to Theseus’s Ship where the ship is his ex-wife’s guy. Now on his Last Day, Paul was finally getting to graduate to the best synth organs and bones replacements and live off-planet. BUT this story opens with Paul’s fears of his ex-wife ruining his Last Day celebration. This story is funny and creative, serious and challenging to we whom are stuck in a marriage in ways that are unending. You will laugh and worry and love this bit of sci-fi sarcasm even if it just keeps you more aware to beware that somebody thinks they own you.
The Courage to Care by NB Williams
Ever wonder what it would be like after global warming? The Courage to Care by NB Williams, is a deeply thoughtful story about the protagonist Acantha, a young woman, and her sidekick Coulter, a sick young man, living in a post-global warming, post air pollution earth in Domes with filtered air and a civilization of ordered care for one another via lifelong assigned tasks. “But is life more exciting outside the dome?”, wonders Acantha. The story is beautifully written and if you cry your eyes out like me, by this button-pushing sci-fi author, you might be identifying yourself with Acantha. And wondering if you have the Courage to Care about something important to you. A story for the tender-hearted.
Get the Book! It's A M A Z I N G ! You won't be able to put it down 'til you are done.–Bettina Stap
December 31, 2020
Some great gems here. One of the stories has stayed in my mind for several weeks now.
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