Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 20 (December 1998). Illustration: “Coming Out” by Billy Tackett A man as thin and wiry as the rims of his glasses pointed through the window at a mechanical device that resembled the cap on an oil well, "And that," he told his companions, "is the prototype of our geothermal … Continue reading The Manticore Incident, by Mark W. Johnson
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 20 (December 1998). Illustration: “Born Innocent” by Billy Tackett The air was stale and silent in the dark passageway. Cale crept forward slowly, careful to avoid any traps the ancients may have left to greet intruders. The faint light given off by his torch illuminated the strange patterns and … Continue reading Two Heads, by Paul Lukasewych
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 20 (December 1998). Illustration: “Mother-N” by Duncan Long We are at war. I must remind myself of that. As the sun rises I stand at an open window and let the sun soak into me. Spreading what few remaining leaves I have, I close my eyes. For a moment … Continue reading The Green War, by Christopher Clagg
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 20 (December 1998). Illustration: “Jenna’s Forest Discovery” by Romeo Esparrago Stars flared overhead, then vanished like bright pebbles flung into a river. Jenna scooted deeper into her sleeping bag. It smelled of smoke, pitch, pine needles, clean dirt, sweat. It smelled of Drake. Here, where trees stopped growing and … Continue reading Genesis, by Gretchen Brinck
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 20 (December 1998). Illustration: “Anguished Flashbacks” by Romeo Esparrago "Tina! My control!" Panic threatened to overwhelm me as my mouth searched for the joy-stick to my wheelchair. My arms were useless weights lying limply in my lap. The small furry shape of the Capuchin monkey that had been prowling … Continue reading The Cure, by F. Alexander Brejcha
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 19 (September 1998). ...where the True Secrets of the World are revealed! Please enter password (even mentally!): then guess which button to press below! [Archive note: on the original page, a password box and the four buttons above formed a joke "login"; every button led to the page reproduced … Continue reading Gateway to Planet Magazine’s Members Only Page
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 19 (September 1998). Match the Celebrity to the Implant! (It's not as obvious as you think! Answers at bottom of page.) [Archive note: on the original page, the five celebrities were shown as small news photos above their names. The photos are not reproduced here.] Celebrity* 1. Carl Lewis2. … Continue reading Famous Alien Implants, by Andrew G. McCann
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 19 (September 1998). Illustration by Andrew G. McCann Rocket flames dwindlein endless ammonia storms.No more supply ships Haiku & artwork copyright © 1998 Andrew G. McCann ← Back to Planet Magazine No. 19 (contents)
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 19 (September 1998). Illustration by Duncan Long I built me a juggernaut, one meter high,from toys in my box and dreams in my head,to battle the bully who teases and hurts.Who laughs when he sees it, creaking and crawling,then kicks in its belly. Crunch, crunch.But his boots are engulfed … Continue reading Juggernaut, by John Gerner
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 19 (September 1998). Illustration: “Red Giant” by Kelly McLarnon ..... Ah the rarity of the airleft him quite afraidthat he'd find no shadeto protect from the glare There were no tall plantsnot even a row of maize.Under the continuous blazehe quickly shed his pants (His legs already golden brown.)At … Continue reading Excerpt from the Geological Diaries, circa 2021, by R. Garfield
