The short story is the perfect form for sci-fi. It allows a writer to explore a big idea in a very small space. Each of the stories below imagines a world that’s different from our own in some brilliant or terrible way – with relatively few aliens or spaceships in sight!
Better yet, each of these stories is completely free to read online, thanks to the excellent literary magazines and podcasts which publish them!
“Sublet” by Ian Kappos
Ian Kappos is brilliant when it comes to an unsettling atmosphere, a creeping sense of horror, and imagery that will haunt you for days after reading. We should know, since we published one of his short stories in issue 32 of Neon Literary Magazine. “Sublet” is another brilliant piece by him that you can listen to for free, thanks to the Strange Horizons podcast series.
“Cocoons” by Nancy Kress
If you’re not a fan of spiders, “Cocoons” might not be the short story for you. This fabulous tale introduces us to some invasive alien creepy crawlies who weave their victims into cocoons. When the victims emerge (if they emerge) they are changed beyond recognition.
Author Nancy Cress uses this conceit to ask us to challenge what we think of as human, and what we consider alien.
“All Votes Will Be Counted (We Promise)” by Paul Crenshaw
Paul Crenshaw’s dread-inducing short story “All Votes Will Be Counted (We Promise)” describes a world that sounds painfully ordinary, even mundane. But it’s not. Like some of the best sci-fi he takes a familiar world and warps one part of it, then lets a scenario play out to its terrifying conclusion. A savage but timely story.
“Arthur” by Christopher Mowder
An intelligent robot named Arthur recites Romeo and Juliet to an ailing, elderly woman. It’s a tender scene, and one which appears benign. But something is amiss. The relationship between robot and human is not as it should be.
“Arthur” by Christopher Mowder is almost brief enough to be flash fiction, but it packs the same punch as a much longer tale.
“Blonde” by Priya Sharma
Natural blondes are on the brink of extinction, and the world which Priya Sharma conjures in this short story is a dangerous place for the few who remain.
This piece of sci-fi echoes a classic fairytale, but uses its dystopian setting to weave a story that is both unexpected and inspiring. You can read “Blonde” online, or listen to it being read aloud.