What do you think?
Rate this book
Arena
This book has DirectLink Technology built into the formatting. This means that we have made it easy for you to navigate the various chapters of this book. Some other versions of this book may not have the DirectLink technology built into them. We can guarantee that if you buy this version of the book it will be formatted perfectly on your Kindle.
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1944
235 people want to read
About the author
Fredric Brown
807 books354 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 15, 2020
4.5 stars - my favorite of the 1944 stories nominated for Retro Hugo awards! You can read "Arena" free online here or here. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature, together with reviews for ALL of the current Retro Hugo novelette and short story nominees. Seriously, this FanLit column took me HOURS to put together, even though I didn't write all of the reviews in it, so please scoot over there and take a quick look and let me know if my efforts paid off. Feel free to add a comment to the thread there. :)
So, "Arena":
Two huge space fleets near Pluto are about to engage in a battle to the death: Humans and the aliens they call the Outsiders. Bob Carson, a young human in an individual scout ship, is about to engage with his Outsider counterpart in another scouter when he suddenly blacks out, only to awaken under a dome on a planet in another dimension. Across from him is a large red ball with retractable tentacles that turns out to be the Outsider scout, and the two are separated by an invisible barrier.
A disembodied voice informs Carson that if the space battle ensues, one side will be wholly exterminated, but that “winner” will be so damaged that it will “retrogress and never fulfill its destiny, but decay and return to mindless dust.” So this powerful entity has plucked Carson and the Outsider out of the two fleets to fight a one-on-one duel to the death. This being will destroy the entire spacefleet of the loser, allowing the winning species to continue to progress. But given the invisible barrier between the two, it will be a battle of brains as much as physical strength.
I first came across "Arena" at about age 13 in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964, a book that was instrumental in shaping my love and tastes for SF. "Arena" was one of the most compelling and memorable stories in the collection, and rereading it now, a few decades later, I’m impressed with how well this novelette has withstood the test of time. Compared to some of the other Retro Hugo nominees from this year, it’s an outstanding piece of storytelling, and there’s a nice note of irony to the ending.
"Arena" was used at least partially as inspiration for a famous Star Trek episode in 1967 (also called Arena), which has a quite different ending. Many prefer the Star Trek ending, and I can't really argue with that, but considering that this was written during WWII, when the mood for righteous war was at its peak, it’s impressive that Brown actually took the time to show that Carson does attempt to make peace with the Outsider, which responds with a wave of hatred so strong that it physically weakens him.
"Arena" may be somewhat lacking in depth and nuance, but as a suspenseful, well-told SF action tale from this era, it’s hard to beat.
So, "Arena":
Two huge space fleets near Pluto are about to engage in a battle to the death: Humans and the aliens they call the Outsiders. Bob Carson, a young human in an individual scout ship, is about to engage with his Outsider counterpart in another scouter when he suddenly blacks out, only to awaken under a dome on a planet in another dimension. Across from him is a large red ball with retractable tentacles that turns out to be the Outsider scout, and the two are separated by an invisible barrier.
A disembodied voice informs Carson that if the space battle ensues, one side will be wholly exterminated, but that “winner” will be so damaged that it will “retrogress and never fulfill its destiny, but decay and return to mindless dust.” So this powerful entity has plucked Carson and the Outsider out of the two fleets to fight a one-on-one duel to the death. This being will destroy the entire spacefleet of the loser, allowing the winning species to continue to progress. But given the invisible barrier between the two, it will be a battle of brains as much as physical strength.
I first came across "Arena" at about age 13 in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964, a book that was instrumental in shaping my love and tastes for SF. "Arena" was one of the most compelling and memorable stories in the collection, and rereading it now, a few decades later, I’m impressed with how well this novelette has withstood the test of time. Compared to some of the other Retro Hugo nominees from this year, it’s an outstanding piece of storytelling, and there’s a nice note of irony to the ending.
"Arena" was used at least partially as inspiration for a famous Star Trek episode in 1967 (also called Arena), which has a quite different ending. Many prefer the Star Trek ending, and I can't really argue with that, but considering that this was written during WWII, when the mood for righteous war was at its peak, it’s impressive that Brown actually took the time to show that Carson does attempt to make peace with the Outsider, which responds with a wave of hatred so strong that it physically weakens him.
"Arena" may be somewhat lacking in depth and nuance, but as a suspenseful, well-told SF action tale from this era, it’s hard to beat.
July 16, 2020
Wow. Powerful. My heart is pounding, that was intense! I’m going to go with 5 stars. Man tried peace first, woot! Review for Arena by Fredric Brown
November 28, 2022
Pitted Against Each Other …
… are not only two civilizations, the one of Terra and that of the Outsiders, who have started to infringe on Terran space, so much so that an Armageddon of a space battle is pending – but also two individuals, namely Carson and the anonymous, mysterious Red Roller who (or which?) is a representative of the Outsiders.
These two individuals find themselves, all of a sudden, in a nightmarish arena where they have to fight to the death – not only the death of their opponent but also the death of the civilization their opponent stands for. This was settled by a powerful Entity who watched the encounter of the two vying civilizations with interest but decided that an epic battle between these two is to be avoided as it will not only wipe one of them off the face of the universe – a result the Entity is not too worried about – but prove a Pyrrhic victory for the other civilization, which would find itself utterly devastated and unable to carry on its, undoubtedly valuable, civilizational mission. Now, the Entity won’t have that: Progress does mean survival of the fittest, and the survivor must not languish under such a severe penalty. There is, by the way, a similar Star Trek episode but here Kirk and his reptile antagonist are made to fight because they brought warfare into an otherwise peaceful sphere of the universe, whose inhabitants meant to teach them a lesson.
Frederic Brown’s short story Arena was first published in 1944, when the U.S. fought the Second World War against Nazi Germany, and perhaps this circumstance may account for the rather warlike, unconciliatory keynote of the tale that might make it dubious in the eyes of many a modern reader. In fact, Carson, “our man”, at first tries to establish contact with his opponent and to convince him to bury the hatchet, but he is met with such a wave of nauseating hatred that he soon discovers that this is a war that must be fought to the end, and there is nothing at all likeable about the alien life form, which even takes cold delight in ripping the legs off a harmless lizard and then tossing it at Carson. The limitation to Carson’s perspective and the concentration on the protagonist’s effort to overcome the challenges of his new environment and get the better of his devilish opponent make this a very suspenseful story but also keep it very simple and void of surprise or insight. In short, this is not what I usually connect with the style of Fredric Brown but then, as I said, this may be explained by the historical background of the time it was written in. After all, there are conflicts in which compromise is impossible and in which good is pitted against evil – the only problem is that they usually don’t make very interesting stories.
… are not only two civilizations, the one of Terra and that of the Outsiders, who have started to infringe on Terran space, so much so that an Armageddon of a space battle is pending – but also two individuals, namely Carson and the anonymous, mysterious Red Roller who (or which?) is a representative of the Outsiders.
These two individuals find themselves, all of a sudden, in a nightmarish arena where they have to fight to the death – not only the death of their opponent but also the death of the civilization their opponent stands for. This was settled by a powerful Entity who watched the encounter of the two vying civilizations with interest but decided that an epic battle between these two is to be avoided as it will not only wipe one of them off the face of the universe – a result the Entity is not too worried about – but prove a Pyrrhic victory for the other civilization, which would find itself utterly devastated and unable to carry on its, undoubtedly valuable, civilizational mission. Now, the Entity won’t have that: Progress does mean survival of the fittest, and the survivor must not languish under such a severe penalty. There is, by the way, a similar Star Trek episode but here Kirk and his reptile antagonist are made to fight because they brought warfare into an otherwise peaceful sphere of the universe, whose inhabitants meant to teach them a lesson.
Frederic Brown’s short story Arena was first published in 1944, when the U.S. fought the Second World War against Nazi Germany, and perhaps this circumstance may account for the rather warlike, unconciliatory keynote of the tale that might make it dubious in the eyes of many a modern reader. In fact, Carson, “our man”, at first tries to establish contact with his opponent and to convince him to bury the hatchet, but he is met with such a wave of nauseating hatred that he soon discovers that this is a war that must be fought to the end, and there is nothing at all likeable about the alien life form, which even takes cold delight in ripping the legs off a harmless lizard and then tossing it at Carson. The limitation to Carson’s perspective and the concentration on the protagonist’s effort to overcome the challenges of his new environment and get the better of his devilish opponent make this a very suspenseful story but also keep it very simple and void of surprise or insight. In short, this is not what I usually connect with the style of Fredric Brown but then, as I said, this may be explained by the historical background of the time it was written in. After all, there are conflicts in which compromise is impossible and in which good is pitted against evil – the only problem is that they usually don’t make very interesting stories.
April 2, 2022
Adattato più volte in più media, questo racconto di Brown si lascia leggere, o ascoltare come nel mio caso, decisamente bene. Ricordo ancora la prima volta che ne sentii parlare, nei titoli di coda della serie originale di Star Trek, nella puntata dallo stesso titolo (in italiano). Che è, in buona misura, una fedele trasposizione del racconto.
Certo, l'idea dello scontro tra alieni deciso da due campioni, o come in questo caso, da due individui presi a caso, affonda le sue radici nell'antichità umana. Ricordo il rito dell'ordalia altomedievale, o anche certi aspetti del gioco della palla tra i maya e gli aztechi, la stessa Iliade e per certi versi persino l'incontro-scontro tra Gilgamesh ed Enkidu.
Ovviamente oggi non possiamo fare a meno di notare un certo sciovinismo in questo racconto, ma l'autore lo ribalterà comunque nel suo La Sentinella La sentinella e altri racconti di fantascienza dove in una singola, memorabile pagina, scriverà il più incisivo racconto breve di SF.
4 stelle. Sarebbero 3, ma l'influenza multimediale di questo racconto non va sottovalutata.
Certo, l'idea dello scontro tra alieni deciso da due campioni, o come in questo caso, da due individui presi a caso, affonda le sue radici nell'antichità umana. Ricordo il rito dell'ordalia altomedievale, o anche certi aspetti del gioco della palla tra i maya e gli aztechi, la stessa Iliade e per certi versi persino l'incontro-scontro tra Gilgamesh ed Enkidu.
Ovviamente oggi non possiamo fare a meno di notare un certo sciovinismo in questo racconto, ma l'autore lo ribalterà comunque nel suo La Sentinella La sentinella e altri racconti di fantascienza dove in una singola, memorabile pagina, scriverà il più incisivo racconto breve di SF.
4 stelle. Sarebbero 3, ma l'influenza multimediale di questo racconto non va sottovalutata.
November 19, 2025
"Мортал Комбат", где спасение человечества реально что-то значит.
October 5, 2018
High stakes, mano e mano, human vs alien combat to the death! I can see how this inspired the well known Arena episode of Star Trek TOS, but there's a lot of awesome, creative elements here that do not appear in the episode. Short, action packed and well worth a read!
June 22, 2021
-Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One-
Well written, tense, action packed story of man’s conflict with an alien species. Humanity has encountered another lifeform of equal power in space. They have an insatiable lust for power and control of the universe, just like us! A mysterious arbiter must step in to settle the dispute, as otherwise both forces would be destroyed in the ensuing conflict: enter story title. I did find the writing of the others as nearly pure evil to be convenient and a bit weak, but an enjoyable story nonetheless.
Well written, tense, action packed story of man’s conflict with an alien species. Humanity has encountered another lifeform of equal power in space. They have an insatiable lust for power and control of the universe, just like us! A mysterious arbiter must step in to settle the dispute, as otherwise both forces would be destroyed in the ensuing conflict: enter story title. I did find the writing of the others as nearly pure evil to be convenient and a bit weak, but an enjoyable story nonetheless.
December 8, 2023
Read this science fiction classic in college, as part of a course.
The basis for TOS StarTrek episode of the same name.
I liked if fine but it hasn't stuck with me the way some stories of that era have, like Cordwainer Smith's " Game of Rat and Dragon" or Clarke's " The Sentinel " to name but two.
The basis for TOS StarTrek episode of the same name.
I liked if fine but it hasn't stuck with me the way some stories of that era have, like Cordwainer Smith's " Game of Rat and Dragon" or Clarke's " The Sentinel " to name but two.
October 3, 2024
Rating: 3.5/5 I liked it 😊
Format: ebook
Very interesting and unique
Format: ebook
Very interesting and unique
September 11, 2020
Read this because it was nominated for a retro Hugo award, so I was reading quite a few works from the same year in a short period of time.
This is one I’ve read before, and it is still as weird and powerful as it was previously. One human, one alien, in an arena set aside by a stronger alien to decide the outcome of the whole war. Bloodthirsty, but not irrationally so.
This is one I’ve read before, and it is still as weird and powerful as it was previously. One human, one alien, in an arena set aside by a stronger alien to decide the outcome of the whole war. Bloodthirsty, but not irrationally so.
March 1, 2025
This short story has won numerous awards and was an exciting read start to finish. It's about a man transported by a member of an advanced race into a makeshift world in order to fight a member of a hostile species to man. The fight is to the death. The stakes are survival of the entire species each of these two individual members represents.
August 29, 2017
Online copy (may be temporary, for a class I think):
http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~jjl5766...
Background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_(...
http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~jjl5766...
Background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_(...
December 5, 2024
SF hall of Fame episode recording soon on this one.
November 18, 2025
A short, crisp and engaging short story. It’s a satisfying puzzle box reminiscent of other classics from the same period: Uncommon Sense by Clement and First Contact by Leinster, but better written.
January 15, 2019
Expanded review by myself & cohosts on the Sanctum Secorum podcast, episode #42.
July 14, 2018
A solid 1944 space opera, published in Astounding Science Fiction, by a competent writer. It has one big idea - that the destiny of the universe will be decided by a creature-to-creature fight between an alien invader and a human space pilot arranged by a somewhat cruel god-like arbiter.
It works well within its frame of reference and is well written but, like so much science fiction, it has necessarily become dated. One twist that no human will ever know of this (other than the pilot) when it is all over might remind you of Ligotti's theme in the very much later 'The Mystics of Meulenberg'.
August 30, 2016
So, I picked this story up because it was an assigned reading for my class. I went in with low expectations and I was gladly surprised. I haven't read a story this well put together since, Angelfall by Susan Ee(I LOVE this book!). The writing is incredibly vivid and perfectly paced. As for the plot, it was fantastic! The plot held me in suspence and I read the entire story in one sitting. I can continue to speak highly of this story, but I'll let you read this story for yourself and experience how great it is.
I Highly reccommend Arena to everyone, especially if you're in a reading slump.
I Highly reccommend Arena to everyone, especially if you're in a reading slump.
June 30, 2013
This is one of the best SF short stories ever - the seminal book of human-alien conflict...on a very personal level. Part action, part mystery, part psychology. Hard to top. Anyone who rated this book less than a four shouldn't be allowed to read or reproduce.
September 18, 2021
‘You and your opponent are here pitted against one another, naked and unarmed, under conditions equally unfamiliar to you both, equally unpleasant to you both."
Amid escalating conflict between Earth and mysterious alien Outsiders, massive armadas from both sides are set to meet in what looks to be an evenly matched battle. Bob Carson, the pilot of a small one-man scout ship blacks out while engaging with an Outsider counterpart. When he awakens, he finds himself naked in a small enclosed, circular area with his alien counterpart. A voice identifying itself as a supreme intelligence tells the two that upcoming war between their two civilisations would end in mutual destruction and so it has intervened by placing one individual from each species to fight in single combat. The loser will doom its kind to instant extinction. Carson tries to communicate with his alien counterpart to see if a compromise is possible, but receives only a message of unremitting hatred. With only an invisible barrier between the two that only inanimate object can cross the two battle it out for the survival of their respected worlds.
Published in 1944 this short story is a classic troupe that’s seen in many science fiction stories, the battle to the death with an alien entity where all one must use all wits and cunning to survive. It was interesting to read, we read from the perspective of the human and how he through trial and error creates new and inventive ways to murder his opponent, all the while knowing the alien is doing the same. It definitely keeps you hooked and the tension on, awakening naked alone and unarmed facing of against your mortal enemy who is hell bent on killing you with the added pressure of if you die your whole race dies with you. I can see the connotations with the building conflict in WW2 that it was unlike any war fought before and that your whole way of life was in the balance. It is a enjoyable little read!
Amid escalating conflict between Earth and mysterious alien Outsiders, massive armadas from both sides are set to meet in what looks to be an evenly matched battle. Bob Carson, the pilot of a small one-man scout ship blacks out while engaging with an Outsider counterpart. When he awakens, he finds himself naked in a small enclosed, circular area with his alien counterpart. A voice identifying itself as a supreme intelligence tells the two that upcoming war between their two civilisations would end in mutual destruction and so it has intervened by placing one individual from each species to fight in single combat. The loser will doom its kind to instant extinction. Carson tries to communicate with his alien counterpart to see if a compromise is possible, but receives only a message of unremitting hatred. With only an invisible barrier between the two that only inanimate object can cross the two battle it out for the survival of their respected worlds.
Published in 1944 this short story is a classic troupe that’s seen in many science fiction stories, the battle to the death with an alien entity where all one must use all wits and cunning to survive. It was interesting to read, we read from the perspective of the human and how he through trial and error creates new and inventive ways to murder his opponent, all the while knowing the alien is doing the same. It definitely keeps you hooked and the tension on, awakening naked alone and unarmed facing of against your mortal enemy who is hell bent on killing you with the added pressure of if you die your whole race dies with you. I can see the connotations with the building conflict in WW2 that it was unlike any war fought before and that your whole way of life was in the balance. It is a enjoyable little read!
May 26, 2019
For someone else, I’m sure this would have been an interesting science fiction story. Sadly, it just was not that for me. In the least. I could not have cared less about anything that was going on and even though an alien battle between a single human and the enemy, with the winner determining the survival of their respective race, sounds riveting, the execution of it was anything but. Rather than a fascinating look into these two mortal enemies combat and perhaps understanding of one another, or possibly even an action packed battle to the death, we readers get very little of this. Instead, we witness a sad man’s mental degradation due to being thrown into this maddening situation, him doing his best to stave off his opponent, and him having a mild breakdown due to a talking lizard. Which, personally, I found less than intriguing.
Overall, an interesting concept I feel could have been done better. Also, poor lizard. I wish I had not read that part.
Overall, an interesting concept I feel could have been done better. Also, poor lizard. I wish I had not read that part.
March 6, 2024
Right from the foundation of time, man has battled the elements and has competed against each other in close combat. This contains some logic, purely from an evolutionary standpoint, as those who perfected these abilities were more probable to subsist when faced with a real-world skirmish. In the same vein we could conclude that the viewing of combat sports is an extension of that pattern, with every bit of the excitement but none of the individual peril. This story is the ultimate potboiler of a clash between humans and aliens, with a higher and more evolved ‘Alpha alien’ as the referee. As a spaceman wakes up unclothed in an alien Colosseum he finds that he has got to play a gladiatorial bout with an alien – a prizefight that shall decide the fate of humanity. This story is an entertainer containing nuggets of insight and a very very nourishing conclusion. No wonder we have a penchant for thrills – this tale penned in the 40’s seems every bit tempting even to this very day.
July 8, 2023
Arena
Fredric Brown
Read July 2023
In The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One 1929-1964
Interesting story. Engaging in the way it is asking the reading to figure out a solution. I don’t see the need to have so much at stake. Him just fighting for his own life would have been good too. Also the super entity could easily have annihilated all weapons. The first solution that came to me was very different:
Fredric Brown
Read July 2023
In The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One 1929-1964
Interesting story. Engaging in the way it is asking the reading to figure out a solution. I don’t see the need to have so much at stake. Him just fighting for his own life would have been good too. Also the super entity could easily have annihilated all weapons. The first solution that came to me was very different:
February 3, 2025
Σύγκρουση δύο πολιτισμών στο διάστημα. Τα διαστημόπλοια έχουν έρθει αντιμέτωπα μέχρι που... ένα μέλος από κάθε στόλο μεταφέρεται σε μια κλειστή "αρένα" και πρέπει να μονομαχήσει γυμνό με τον αντίπαλο: διακύβευμα, ο ίδιος ο πόλεμος. Ο ηττημένος θα καταστραφεί ολοσχερώς ως πολιτισμός. Ανάμεσά τους υπάρχει ένα φράγμα, που δεν επιτρέπει σε ζωντανά όντα να περάσουν... Κάπου εκεί γύρω κινείται και μια σαύρα... Ο άνθρωπος πρέπει να αντιπαρέλθει την απώλεια της τεχνολογίας με την οποία είναι εξοικειωμένος για να κερδίσει τον εξωγήινο με γυμνά χέρια. Το ίδιο όμως πρέπει να κάνει και ο αντίπαλός του.
Από τα διηγήματα Ε.Φ. που τα θυμάσαι ολοζώντανα, ακόμη και 30+ χρόνια μετά την πρώτη ανάγνωση...
Από τα διηγήματα Ε.Φ. που τα θυμάσαι ολοζώντανα, ακόμη και 30+ χρόνια μετά την πρώτη ανάγνωση...
July 18, 2019
This story is credited as the basis for the Star Trek Original Series episode
Arena
; so I read it with that in mind and only learned later that the episode was intended as original and they sought adaption rights after a producer noticed the similarity of the stories. So I was very impressed with the divergences of this from the story of the episode (although it did lack a lizard man in a shiny miniskirt)
June 23, 2020
Solid adventure story. An entity freezes time and casts one human and one member of an alien race into an arena right before their two fleets meet in battle. If you die, your entire race dies. The human outwits his opponent thanks in part to the help of some talking lizards. The invisible barrier between the two combatants will let not only dead things, but also unconscious living things to cross. Written in 1944 others have built on this concept including Star Trek.
January 4, 2021
Written in 1944, this short story holds up well with a only a few spots of overly dramatic phasing, flat characterization, and scientific errors due to ignorance at that time. It was the seed for the Star Trek Original Series episode of the same name. The short story sees a more militant protagonist than Capt Kirk and a plot less redeeming than the television show — possibly because of the Roddenberry filter placed on the series.
June 6, 2021
Original historia de un duelo a muerte entre dos formas de vida muy diferentes, en una arena muy peculiar. No digo especies porque no tienen el mismo origen biológico, uno es humano y la otra es una extraña forma de vida extraterrestre, esférica con tentáculos retráctiles. Al final vence el ingenio de una de ellas sobre la otra. No precisamente basado en ciencia dura, pero una idea muy interesante.
November 19, 2023
Unlike most science fiction from the Golden Age, Brown's incredibly original story of man versus alien in a bizarre hell-like arena holds up beautifully even today. The protagonist, even as he is dying from exhaustion and thirst, is able to maintain focus while simultaneously maintaining his humanity even though he knows what must be done. Highly, highly recommended. Sidebar: Yes, Brown was credited with writing the Star Trek episode of the same name, but the two stories are not very much alike. Both are good, just... different.
June 21, 2022
A mysterious encounter with “The Outsiders” alien armada is intercepted by a more powerful entity who creates a new battlefield. This could have been a dull and predictable story but instead it’s very compelling and intense.
November 13, 2017
This short story is a strange attractor: as soon as you start reading it, you’re doomed to continue and follow the weird path of that ethereal world. Brilliant, powerful, vividly Alien Blue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews