Category: Science Fiction

“Last: an Eventuality Tale” by Brad Andrews

On Bishop-34’s southern hemisphere the wind started to pick up. I could already tell, experience being the best sensor, that this was what I considered a "Classic" storm and as the first of the hydrogen-sleet began to sever land sensors and pelted what remained of my belt armor, I just shut down. No sense in … Continue reading “Last: an Eventuality Tale” by Brad Andrews →

“Death by Strangulation” by Ian Muneshwar

Painted illustration: a young woman with wild brown hair and green glasses rides astride a small propeller glider through a vast domed city, holding a card, toward the dark tunnel of a towering silver gate, with swarms of gliders and a huge alien ship in the sky.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Space Alien” © 2006 by R. Lloyd, has been lost.] Eleanor Wolfsson had a rather bleak outlook on the fate of the world, but for now she was concerned only with taming her unkempt hair. Strands of brown hair escaped from between her fingers as … Continue reading “Death by Strangulation” by Ian Muneshwar →

“Garbage Men” by Andrew Hellard

Painted illustration: a small red robotic salvage drone approaches a bulky derelict satellite in orbit above Earth, with a space station tethered to a thin space-elevator ribbon in the background.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Nuke Moon” © 2006 by Tracy Dilorenzo, has been lost.] Maxwell was in the middle of the first steak he had seen in almost a year when the communicator holstered at his waist began to beep. Maxwell sighed and closed the lid of his magnetized … Continue reading “Garbage Men” by Andrew Hellard →

A Communique from the Alien Commission

The link below provides a progress report on the invasion situation assembled by the Alien Commission (otherwise known as "the editors of Planet Magazine"). Future updates will be publicly transmitted the same way, but encoded and transmitted via broadcast and cable television. Planet readers should remain on high alert, as always, for these hidden messages. … Continue reading A Communique from the Alien Commission →

“The Dying Days of Summer” by Terry Gibbons

Painted illustration: a lone figure in a battered spacesuit stands among half-buried wreckage at the foot of a colossal Martian volcano as a dust storm clears, with a six-wheeled crawler in the distance.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Mars Dig” © 2006 by Patrick Stacy, has been lost.] I know a land where the sun never shines no rain ever falls and man like a grain of sand blows aimless and lost in the wind.... Olympus Mons - Mars 2239 Alex Braxxian knew … Continue reading “The Dying Days of Summer” by Terry Gibbons →

“Famous” by George J. Condon

Painted illustration: a startled young man sitting on the grass beside a stack of books in a sunny park gapes as a cheerful, portly time traveler in shiny silver coveralls and goggles appears in a burst of golden light near a fountain, scattering pigeons.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Penvolver” © 2006 by Andrew G. McCann, has been lost.] As he walked into the park, Howard Teasdale thought about the gun in his pocket. It was a cheap, small-caliber revolver imported from Eastern Europe. A pistol like that would not be much use in … Continue reading “Famous” by George J. Condon →

“Vortex Mirage” by Matthew Lowes

Painted illustration: a lone astronaut walks across the grey lunar surface toward a small domed station with a lit doorway, beneath an enormous swirling vortex of violet and gold light in the starry sky.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Vortex” © 2006 by Matthew Lowes, has been lost.] Perhaps it was created by God, to unify the heavens with a single Word. Perhaps it was created by the ancient ones, to bind civilization together with the sacred language. But who really knows? Who will … Continue reading “Vortex Mirage” by Matthew Lowes →

“Bios-Fear” by Charity VanDeberg

“We ordered a puppy today!” Sheri announced excitedly to her mother. The woman’s pudgy face on the screen wrinkled into a frown, lower lip nearly disappearing into the first of her many chins. Sheri knew telling her mother would be a bad idea. “Well, I hope that goes well for you.” Years of oxygen therapy … Continue reading “Bios-Fear” by Charity VanDeberg →

“I Am” by Thomas Lee Joseph Smith

Painted illustration: two astronomers in a dark observatory lit by red lights stare at a monitor showing a pattern of connected stars beside a giant telescope, with the dome open to the Milky Way and a city and highway glittering below.

[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “EyeAm” © 2005 by Andrew G. McCann, has been lost.] Sam talked while looking through the instrument. "Nothing to get excited about," he said. "Just a mix of individual stars. That red one looks to be a lot closer than the others... but that's because … Continue reading “I Am” by Thomas Lee Joseph Smith →