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Bright Future: An Anthology
Spaceships, space stations, and distant planets. Stampeding elephants, a talking dog, and a hungover captain without a ship. An ensign far from home, a stowaway, and a pair of runaways. This anthology features stories of a diverse and inclusive future by six up-and-coming indie authors.
Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard
Flo doesn't know what's worse: the case she was just assigned or the new partner she has to work with.
Jurassic Dark by SI CLARKE
There’s something in the dark … but is Lem’s imagination worse than reality?
The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots
While trying to find work, Ellie and Zach come across a shooting competition. However, after a few rounds, they realize that there is more to the competition than meets the eye.
The Arno Manoeuvre by D.M. Pruden
Everyone has bright hopes for Yegor’s future. Everyone, that is, except the XO on the Kirchoff, his first placement out of the Academy.
Endigo by Dave Walsh
All Valencia ever wanted was a ship of her own and a place to belong. Now she’s got her shot, but at what cost?
Impounded by John Wilker
Before Wil Calder can start his epic adventure, he needs to get his ship out of the impound lot.
Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard
Flo doesn't know what's worse: the case she was just assigned or the new partner she has to work with.
Jurassic Dark by SI CLARKE
There’s something in the dark … but is Lem’s imagination worse than reality?
The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots
While trying to find work, Ellie and Zach come across a shooting competition. However, after a few rounds, they realize that there is more to the competition than meets the eye.
The Arno Manoeuvre by D.M. Pruden
Everyone has bright hopes for Yegor’s future. Everyone, that is, except the XO on the Kirchoff, his first placement out of the Academy.
Endigo by Dave Walsh
All Valencia ever wanted was a ship of her own and a place to belong. Now she’s got her shot, but at what cost?
Impounded by John Wilker
Before Wil Calder can start his epic adventure, he needs to get his ship out of the impound lot.
- GenresScience FictionLGBT
238 pages, ebook
Published June 1, 2022
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Various
455k books1,334 followersVarious is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 20, 2022
Teaser-taster collections are very risky reads for me. I am frequently left irked by them, especially when they have excerpts from longer works. A bullet dodged here, then, since these are all tales from established storyverses the authors are working within, with one exception; with another exception, they're the inciting incidents in the series. I'm entirely on board with most of the stories because the authors have high-quality craft chops.
I herewith employ the time-honored tradition of this blog, the Bryce Method, of offering a story-by-story opinion of each piece. My blogged review has links to the authors' various website.
Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard strikes a delightful, amusing tone as it merges the SF and Fantasy strands of SFF in one quite engaging story. I was hugely amused, to the point of laughing out loud, when I read "She pulled out an old tablet—the kind once used in the elementary classrooms of my grandparents or maybe their grandparents." Exactly as I'd feel if someone pulled out a slate! But I think Detective Flo's partner, Ned, who eats spicy cricket tacos, made the whole story of mini-elephants on a space station come alive for me. If this is in a series, can't find it; if it isn't, please make it one. 4 stars
Jurassic Dark by SI CLARKE brings characters from monadnock-of-indie-SF Si Clarke's Starship Teapot series in a suspenseful, eerie tale in homage to Arthur C, Clarke's iconic, A Walk in the Dark, charmingly dramatized by The Black Dog Chronicles here. It really, truly is a delightful homage, too. Spock is a hilarious character, beak and all. Shake it, Spock! 4 stars
The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots is a novella set in a world I don't have any experience with, so I spent the whole read wondering what the heck led these two children...sixteen and eighteen, more or less...to be where they were, to what they decided to do, to the final decision in the story that, frankly, squicked me out. The Kausians, which our sister-and-brother narrators happen to be, were very interesting; because I haven't read the series, I had to be okay with gleanings of their essence. It was, sadly, a read I found unsatisfying. 3 stars all for potentials unrealized.
The Arno Manoeuvre by D.M. Pruden will, I'd bet, spawn follow-on tales...it feels like there's more than enough room for more stories in this setting, part of the author's Shattered Empire series. A main character in the series, Captain Pavlovich, is a mere Ensign on his first assignment in this novella. It takes place in a dark, dreadful time in the storyverse's history, and uses the always effective narrative technique of first-person cinematic viewpoint to follow Ens. Pavlovich as he comes by his ability to command and to control...himself, and his own narrative. Battle scenes aren't for everyone; be aware that they are detailed and contain triggering events for those with PTSD. 5 stars
Endigo: Trystero Origins by Dave Walsh is the set-up novella for his series, Trystero. The way the Trystero gets its name, and its captain, in the series to come is a terrific take on the old plot of the passing of the torch. It's a good tale, well told, and has all the action you'd want to see. 4.5 stars
Impounded by John Wilker, first story in that author's Space Rogues series. It felt like the almost-R-rated version of Star Trek: The Original Series, and I don't mean that in a good way. I disliked Wil Calder, the series' main character, almost as much as I disliked Kirk. Not to my taste; possibly to yours. 3 stars
I herewith employ the time-honored tradition of this blog, the Bryce Method, of offering a story-by-story opinion of each piece. My blogged review has links to the authors' various website.
Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard strikes a delightful, amusing tone as it merges the SF and Fantasy strands of SFF in one quite engaging story. I was hugely amused, to the point of laughing out loud, when I read "She pulled out an old tablet—the kind once used in the elementary classrooms of my grandparents or maybe their grandparents." Exactly as I'd feel if someone pulled out a slate! But I think Detective Flo's partner, Ned, who eats spicy cricket tacos, made the whole story of mini-elephants on a space station come alive for me. If this is in a series, can't find it; if it isn't, please make it one. 4 stars
Jurassic Dark by SI CLARKE brings characters from monadnock-of-indie-SF Si Clarke's Starship Teapot series in a suspenseful, eerie tale in homage to Arthur C, Clarke's iconic, A Walk in the Dark, charmingly dramatized by The Black Dog Chronicles here. It really, truly is a delightful homage, too. Spock is a hilarious character, beak and all. Shake it, Spock! 4 stars
The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots is a novella set in a world I don't have any experience with, so I spent the whole read wondering what the heck led these two children...sixteen and eighteen, more or less...to be where they were, to what they decided to do, to the final decision in the story that, frankly, squicked me out. The Kausians, which our sister-and-brother narrators happen to be, were very interesting; because I haven't read the series, I had to be okay with gleanings of their essence. It was, sadly, a read I found unsatisfying. 3 stars all for potentials unrealized.
The Arno Manoeuvre by D.M. Pruden will, I'd bet, spawn follow-on tales...it feels like there's more than enough room for more stories in this setting, part of the author's Shattered Empire series. A main character in the series, Captain Pavlovich, is a mere Ensign on his first assignment in this novella. It takes place in a dark, dreadful time in the storyverse's history, and uses the always effective narrative technique of first-person cinematic viewpoint to follow Ens. Pavlovich as he comes by his ability to command and to control...himself, and his own narrative. Battle scenes aren't for everyone; be aware that they are detailed and contain triggering events for those with PTSD. 5 stars
Endigo: Trystero Origins by Dave Walsh is the set-up novella for his series, Trystero. The way the Trystero gets its name, and its captain, in the series to come is a terrific take on the old plot of the passing of the torch. It's a good tale, well told, and has all the action you'd want to see. 4.5 stars
Impounded by John Wilker, first story in that author's Space Rogues series. It felt like the almost-R-rated version of Star Trek: The Original Series, and I don't mean that in a good way. I disliked Wil Calder, the series' main character, almost as much as I disliked Kirk. Not to my taste; possibly to yours. 3 stars
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May 21, 2022Not going to rate this one as I have a story in it. But I’m so excited for people to read this amazing collection.
June 2, 2022
Bright Future: An Anthology is a selection of six short stories revolving around science fiction futurism. I have enjoyed the stories by a couple of the authors, so I thought I would give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed.
First up is Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard. I found this story to be a whimsical detective story that merges science and fantasy. Very enjoyable.
Si Clarke’s Jurassic Dark was my favorite in the collection. It’s like one of those stories you tell around a campfire, at night, in the woods. It introduces a couple of the unique characters from her Starship Teapot series, I believe.
Next up is The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots. I believe this story is set in the world of her City of Kaus series. I liked this story the least from the collection because I found the protagonists to be naive, and the story a simplified, cut down version of what might have been a much longer story. In all fairness, there was much more to the story world than could fit within a short story.
I don’t believe that D.M. Pruden ‘s The Arno Manoeuvre is related to any of his current series. I found this one to be an interesting prequel to something else he may be plotting to write.
Endigo by Dave Walsh is an introduction into his Trystero series. I found the characters and action in this story to be a little more stereotypical for my tastes.
Finally, there is John Wilker’s Impounded which is a prequel to his Space Rogues series. I liked this story, and I am looking forward to starting the series. There is a lot of creative worldbuilding so far.
Overall, I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology. It gave me a chance to enjoy the authors I already follow and to discover some new ones. I think that there is something for everyone here. Five of five on Goodreads.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
First up is Case File #7: The One with All the Elephants by Jeannette Bedard. I found this story to be a whimsical detective story that merges science and fantasy. Very enjoyable.
Si Clarke’s Jurassic Dark was my favorite in the collection. It’s like one of those stories you tell around a campfire, at night, in the woods. It introduces a couple of the unique characters from her Starship Teapot series, I believe.
Next up is The Blood of the Forgotten by Dani Hoots. I believe this story is set in the world of her City of Kaus series. I liked this story the least from the collection because I found the protagonists to be naive, and the story a simplified, cut down version of what might have been a much longer story. In all fairness, there was much more to the story world than could fit within a short story.
I don’t believe that D.M. Pruden ‘s The Arno Manoeuvre is related to any of his current series. I found this one to be an interesting prequel to something else he may be plotting to write.
Endigo by Dave Walsh is an introduction into his Trystero series. I found the characters and action in this story to be a little more stereotypical for my tastes.
Finally, there is John Wilker’s Impounded which is a prequel to his Space Rogues series. I liked this story, and I am looking forward to starting the series. There is a lot of creative worldbuilding so far.
Overall, I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology. It gave me a chance to enjoy the authors I already follow and to discover some new ones. I think that there is something for everyone here. Five of five on Goodreads.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 25, 2024
6 strong short stories (which are each long enough to qualify as 'novelettes,' I think) that showcase the writing chops of these authors as well as introducing their universes (series).
All were enjoyable to read and well-edited/polished, mixing scifi/space opera with genres such as Detective, Western, military and sassy noir.
Standouts for my tastes (hit the spot for me and were satisfying reads) were Dave Walsh's Endigo, DM Pruden's The Arno Manoeuvre, and Impounded by John Wilker. For a 0.99 cover charge, any one of these 3 would have been well worth that price.
All were enjoyable to read and well-edited/polished, mixing scifi/space opera with genres such as Detective, Western, military and sassy noir.
Standouts for my tastes (hit the spot for me and were satisfying reads) were Dave Walsh's Endigo, DM Pruden's The Arno Manoeuvre, and Impounded by John Wilker. For a 0.99 cover charge, any one of these 3 would have been well worth that price.
May 29, 2022
Bright Future is an anthology of 6 short science fiction stories. The author that I was most familiar with is S I Clarke who wrote Jurassic Dark which is a short story with the series A Starship Teapot, which I find fantastic. Each of the books is very enjoyable and can be read in one sitting. I also read them out of order which is ok because each is a stand alone. I believe that this is a good collection with very different authors and stories. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
June 13, 2022
I love it!
A great set of short stories, all with gender diverse characters. A mystery, a scary tale, crime and more, all with diverse characters as just characters, not the "gay character" .
Definitely worth reading.
I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
A great set of short stories, all with gender diverse characters. A mystery, a scary tale, crime and more, all with diverse characters as just characters, not the "gay character" .
Definitely worth reading.
I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
June 6, 2022
Great fun & something for everyone! I don’t usually care much for anthologies, but BRIGHT FUTURE is good; I give it 4+ stars.
May 27, 2022
There seems to be so much going on in the world that a short story collection focused on diversity and inclusivity seems like an antidote. There are 6 short stories with links to longer works by the authors.
Case File #7 is a fun story about policing a space station. It’s linked to a trilogy set in the same universe. I would have liked to see more with this protagonist but I’ll definitely try a sample of the first book in the trilogy. Jurassic Dark is by an author I already enjoy and is a bit longer and more of a suspense story. The third story, The Blood of the Forgotten, is not fun but a well-written story of genocide survivors and how what they need to do changes them. This novella is a lead-in to a novel set a couple of years later. The Arno Manoeuvre is the first test of a starship ensign who has doubts about his career choice. This author has an extensive bibliography so if you enjoy this taste, you have lots to keep on with. The final story, Endigo, is a Captain origin story where a cargo delivery goes sideways. The final story, Impounded, is a throwback - think young Han Solo type character, on a mission only because he needs to bail out his spaceship. Fun read.
All the stories are well written and a great introduction to the authors. Not sure the title actually reflects the types of stories, not all are set in a bright future and the diversity is in the style of stories. Still, if you’re looking for new authors to try, this book will introduce you to a range of them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Case File #7 is a fun story about policing a space station. It’s linked to a trilogy set in the same universe. I would have liked to see more with this protagonist but I’ll definitely try a sample of the first book in the trilogy. Jurassic Dark is by an author I already enjoy and is a bit longer and more of a suspense story. The third story, The Blood of the Forgotten, is not fun but a well-written story of genocide survivors and how what they need to do changes them. This novella is a lead-in to a novel set a couple of years later. The Arno Manoeuvre is the first test of a starship ensign who has doubts about his career choice. This author has an extensive bibliography so if you enjoy this taste, you have lots to keep on with. The final story, Endigo, is a Captain origin story where a cargo delivery goes sideways. The final story, Impounded, is a throwback - think young Han Solo type character, on a mission only because he needs to bail out his spaceship. Fun read.
All the stories are well written and a great introduction to the authors. Not sure the title actually reflects the types of stories, not all are set in a bright future and the diversity is in the style of stories. Still, if you’re looking for new authors to try, this book will introduce you to a range of them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 15, 2024
Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC. Normally for anthologies, my star rating is the average of my individual ratings - but this book definitely merits five stars. A great collection of sci-fi shorts, and I have a bunch more stuff to go on my TBR list!
Case File #7:
A cute little story. I liked the characters well enough, though I didn't feel that there was enough narrative to get your teeth into. 3/5
Jurassic Dark:
The fact that this was almost scary was so good. It fitted the characters perfectly. 4.5/5
The Blood of the Forgotten:
I loved this! Having never read anything else by this author, and with no contextual understanding, this was still a really fun little story. 5/5
The Arno Manoeuvre:
This kind of military ship sci-fi is right up my street and I really enjoyed this too. I'd definitely look for other books in this series. 5/5
Endigo:
I liked this, but I also found Valencia irritatingly arrogant. I hope in the following novels, she's grown up a bit, else I may find them hard to read, and I would really like to enjoy them! 3.5/5
Impounded:
This was another entertaining story that I'm planning to look into further - though I think it's a shame that the harassment was laughed off. 4/5
Case File #7:
A cute little story. I liked the characters well enough, though I didn't feel that there was enough narrative to get your teeth into. 3/5
Jurassic Dark:
The fact that this was almost scary was so good. It fitted the characters perfectly. 4.5/5
The Blood of the Forgotten:
I loved this! Having never read anything else by this author, and with no contextual understanding, this was still a really fun little story. 5/5
The Arno Manoeuvre:
This kind of military ship sci-fi is right up my street and I really enjoyed this too. I'd definitely look for other books in this series. 5/5
Endigo:
I liked this, but I also found Valencia irritatingly arrogant. I hope in the following novels, she's grown up a bit, else I may find them hard to read, and I would really like to enjoy them! 3.5/5
Impounded:
This was another entertaining story that I'm planning to look into further - though I think it's a shame that the harassment was laughed off. 4/5
June 17, 2022
Well written space based short stories that could also be classified as prequels. None of them put you on the edge of your seat but all of them were fully edited and easy to read.
October 8, 2022
Wonderful stories!!!! I had read one of the authors previously, and the story here was really nice. All of the stories are very good and I've put the series on my wish list.
June 17, 2022
As is usual, this anthology contains various stories that ranged in their hold on my mind and attention span. Which means there’s a story for almost everyone.
One story grabbed me from the beginning to my tears over the finale which decided me on the four star rating. I enjoyed the collection and hope you will as well.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
One story grabbed me from the beginning to my tears over the finale which decided me on the four star rating. I enjoyed the collection and hope you will as well.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
December 19, 2021
A good kick off for the novel following this. Solid characters in believable settings.
Thank you for the opportunity to read your book
Thank you for the opportunity to read your book
March 9, 2022
Writing wasn’t great, felt very young. Not a fan of the multiple first person POVs. DNF at 36%.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews