Home

Out of This World Mini-Challenge

95 Comments

*Updated with Chat Information at End of Post*

It is Friday.

But not just any Friday, no siree! It is the Friday before the Out of This World Mini-Challenge, hosted by yours truly as a part of the tribute challenge (Dewey’s Books Challenge) that Chris and Robin are hosting for our beloved Dewey, community-developing blogger extraordinaire, who passed away in November. The blogging world at large did not know that Dewey was very ill and in a great deal of pain. You wouldn’t have been able to guess by the things she posted and the many and varied community building activities that she hosted through her site. She was an amazing woman, and many of you were very close to her. I am honored to be able to host this mini-challenge as a remembrance of Dewey and most especially for those who feel the loss so strongly. I personally know the strong bonds of friendship that can be formed in this community and how the sudden loss of one of those bonds can be devastating. Whether you knew Dewey or not, I hope you will take a moment as you participate in this fun, science fiction short story challenge over the weekend, to say a prayer for Dewey’s family, who suffered the greatest loss and have the biggest burden–to soldier on in this world without wife and mother to comfort and to hold. This is for you as well.

As this is Friday I did not want to let the opportunity pass without showing some great art, and what greater art is there than the universe itself…or at least the enhanced views of the universe. So, throughout this post you will see out of this world images as well. All images come from the European Homepage for the NASA/ESU Hubble Space Telescope site. This site contains page after page of high definition images already set up for desktop wallpaper.

And now, on with the show!

Short stories are an incredible vehicle for adventure. From a few well constructed paragraphs to several pages of text, short stories can be and often are a wondrous window into another world–one that you can visit and be back in a relatively brief period of time. The very best short stories can and should be revered, for the talent necessary to craft something that can grip your imagination without the benefit of a novel-length page count is quite awe-inspiring.

Short stories are admittedly not something that everyone enjoys. For various and sundry reasons the perception in many circles is that short stories do not get the respect nor attention that they deserve, especially not from the average reader.

It is perfectly okay to not like short stories. Far be it from me to judge. I have to admit though that I do hold the opinion that if you believe you do not like short stories then you simply haven’t read the right short stories. I believe in the existence of short stories within every genre of fiction that are imagination-gripping, emotionally charged, and that can give you one of those ‘holy-crap-this-is-one-of-the-best-things-I-have-ever-read’ experiences.

Science fiction stories are an interesting lot. I think it could be argued that this genre of short stories is perhaps the most difficult to create in, especially when a story leans more towards the ‘science’ aspect of science fiction as opposed to the adventure-in-space aspect. If your reader is not already familiar with those scientific concepts from the start, how do you make them familiar while keeping them engaged and while writing a short story, not a novelette, novella, or novel? I’m not sure how it happens, I am just glad that it does.

Whether they be science focused or adventure focused, well written science fiction stories are certainly incredible to experience. And it is that incredible, out of this world, feeling that I hope you can experience this weekend.

The details of the Out of This World mini-challenge, from a previous post, are as follows:

The Challenge will take place Saturday and Sunday, January 17th and 18th.

All you need to do during this Mini-Challenge is to read at least one science fiction short story and post about it in the comments of this Mini-Challenge post. Prizes will be awarded from a random drawing of all participants during the challenge, and for each short story you read and post about in the comments before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 18th you will get one entry in the contest.

You can read any science fiction short story that you want, as long as it is science fiction. This is not a fantasy mini-challenge so please make sure your story, or stories, fit into the category of science fiction.

If you don’t have an anthology of science fiction stories handy I strongly recommend visiting this excellent website, Best Science Fiction Stories. At Best Science Fiction Stories, Rusty posts mini-reviews of science fiction short stories and includes a link to the place where they can be read online. This is an excellent resource for science fiction short stories. In fact, I so strongly recommend this website that I will put your name in for an extra entry if you read a story from his site and comment on it there. Simply let me know you did so in the comments of this post.

You are welcome to post a review of your short story on your own site but you do not need to in order to qualify for the drawings. Just leave a comment here about the story you read, perhaps a few thoughts on it, and where you read it from.

If I am allowed one recommendation, I would encourage you to read what I consider one of the best short stories I have ever read, in any genre:

The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin

You can find a pdf version of it here (skip past the English lesson part until you see the book title)

or you can find it here.

WARNING!!! If you read this story from the second link, do not, I repeat DO NOT, read that first short paragraph. Don’t even glance at it. The actual story starts with the line “He was not alone.” The editor of the collection that the second link points you to, chose, in true WTF fashion, to reveal the ending of the story in his brief introduction. Don’t ruin the experience for yourself by reading that.

There is a strong possibility that I am going to arrange a short online chat for sometime over the weekend. I am looking into the logistics of that and will have something to report here tomorrow morning. I will update this post and put something in the comments section about it.

As mentioned, I will be giving away some prizes this weekend. These separate prizes are:

The Planets by Dava Sobel. I became a fan of Sobel’s work with the incredible biography, Galileo’s Daughter. If I had a list of books that I think everyone should read, Galileo’s Daughter would be on it. The Planets is a collection of essays about the universe. Some are better than others but overall this is a beautifully designed nonfiction collection with essays that will inspire you to take another look at the night sky. I reviewed it in 2006 here.


Fast Forward 2 is a recently released collection of short stories that were collected by editor Lou Anders. Anders has a great reputation in the science fiction community and it is not odd to run across his insightful comments on various science fiction blogs. This collection, which I haven’t read but ordered a copy for myself as well as the prize copy, seemed to be on everyone’s lips during the ‘Best of’ talk at the end of 2008. Fast Forward 2 has recently been announced to be a finalist for the Philip K. Dick award. Congrats Lou!!!

And last year’s foray into the revival of space opera, The New Space Opera edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan. Featuring a great cover by Stephan Martiniere and 18 stories by some of today’s top speculative fiction authors. This was a must have for me as soon as I saw the cover. The second edition comes out in June and I cannot wait to see the cover image for that one.

I will award prizes randomly at the end of the challenge. Remember to leave a comment with your story/stories here and a brief sentence or two (or feel free to do more) about what you liked or disliked. If you choose stories from Best Science Fiction Site to read (and comment about them over there) you’ll get your name entered twice in the drawings. Just make sure you point out to me that you read a story from Rusty’s site and commented over there.

I hope everyone has a wonderful time basking in the glow of good short science fiction this weekend and I hope to see many of you online.

*UPDATE:

Okay, so I’m pretty inept at all this chat stuff. It is a feature I’ve never really used online except for fantasy football drafts a few years back. I am embedding this Chatback Badge so that you can see when I am online. My understanding is that this will allow people to chat irregardless of whether or not they have a Google Talk account. If you see me on at all over the weekend feel free to jump in. As far as scheduling times, I am reasonable sure that I will have an internet connection when I am babysitting my niece tonight, so lets try to hook up for awhile at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time today and I’ll set another one for 2 p.m. Central Standard Time on Sunday. Sound good?

I would encourage everyone to actually take the time to sign up for Google Talk though so it actually has your name, and not “Guest” when we chat. It will be hard to tell people apart that way. If you need my gmail account to add me to your friends list, it is:

poegeek (at) gmail (dot) com

95 thoughts on “Out of This World Mini-Challenge”

  1. The images just blow my mind. How beautiful and how awe inspiring. I just read “The Illustrated Man” by Ray Bradbury. Does that count for an entry?

  2. The images are great, aren’t they Yoli? Unfortunately the challenge is specifically for Saturday and Sunday so no stories read prior to midnight tonight will count.

  3. I checked the Norton Anthology of Science Fiction out of the library today for the challenge and looking at the list of contributors is so exciting! Gene Wolfe, John Crowley, Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, etc. I’ll also keep online stories in mind, of course.

    Thanks for doing this, Carl. I look forward to updates on the chat. We used Google Talk for the Read-a-thon and it worked just fine.

    Also, gorgeous images!

  4. Carl,

    I just read the Cold Equations (from the second link) and enjoyed it a lot. I’m not sure I agree with Eric Flints Afterword. What do you think?

  5. I’ve been reading shorts from the Electric Velocipede periodical found here, and enjoying them tremendously. There was a really great one about cloning that I read a few days ago called “Sashenka Redux” by Jennifer Pelland. Sashenka’s entire purpose is to find a cure for an alien virus created by the original Sashenka. Very sci-fi and very creepy.

    I also listen weekly to the Escape Pod (Sci-Fi podcast, feed can be found here.

    Thanks again for the challenges!

  7. Stacey: I have a few issues of Electric Velocipede that I really need to get read! Thanks for the link, I’ll be checking it out as well.

    Janet: Isn’t it though?

    Stuart: I do not agree with Flint’s comments in the end at all. He must have been in a crotchety mood that day or something. He seems to completely miss the point of the story.

    Nymeth: That does sound like a fantastic collection of authors. I hope the stories are terrific. I’ll check out Google Talk then and make some plans for a chat.

  8. Pingback: It’s Time For The Out of This World Mini Challenge! « Dewey’s Books

  10. I’m so excited to get started! I have Eclipse One and Starry Rift sitting beside my chair just waiting for me. But I think first up will be The Menace from Earth (did I get that title correct?) that you reviewed the other day. Thanks for hosting this, Carl! And enjoy your weekend!

  11. I’m in love with those photos! They’re gorgeous. Definitely going to be a wallpaper of mine. Really looking forward to the mini-challenge Carl!! Thanks again for hosting it. It’s going to be great. And Planets looks fantastic!! That’s definitely going on my wishlist.

  12. Chris: Hey, you might just win it and then you won’t have to worry about it! Yes, the photos are great. Glad that site decided to do these pics up right with the high def treatment.

    Debi: Yes, that’s the one. I think you’ll enjoy it and, if its appropriate, I think Annie would as well. I have Starry Rift out as well.

    Lynda: I should have just started it tonight!

  13. Well, I wish I had seen this post before I went to the second hand bookstore. They had Galileo’s Daughter and I glanced at it, but didn’t get it! Now, I wish I had… Anyway, I actually totally forgot that this challenge was this weekend, so great that you reminded. lol I have the worst memory, it’s scary! I look forward to some sci-fi tomorrow. 🙂 And, like Chris, The Planets is now on my wish list! (Nevermind, it already is… The memory thing again. Actually, another book you talked about the other day was the exact same thing, I already had it on my wish list.)

  14. Gorgeous photos! I’m A-OK to go and ready for blast-off in the morning! (I know, that’s so hokey, but, oh well…)

  15. Just read Firstborn from Brandon Sanderson (available at tor.com). Very fun story with a couple of very interesting twists.

  16. First story down. (But it wasn’t The Menace from Earth–that will be up next–as I didn’t want to eat my breakfast at the computer.) Anyway, I read “Orange” by Neil Gaiman. (From The Starry Rift.) It’s not like anal-retentive me to read stories in an anthology out of order, but I saw his name and well, you understand. Anyway, the story. I really enjoyed it. Quite original. Not in subject matter, with a person being “taken over” and beings from outer space. But definitely original in the way it was written, as answers to a questionaire or interview, but without the questions given. So the reader is left to fill in the questions themselves. Great start to the challenge.

  17. I’m so in on this challenge. I started reading George RR Martin’s ” Sandkings ” at 12:22 am. Thanks for hosting!

  18. Jeff: Way to go, diving in right at the beginning! 🙂

    Debi: I forgot there was a Gaiman story in Starry Rift! Woo-hoo, I’ll be reading that over the weekend.

    Julio: I’m not sure if I’ve read anything by Sanderson as far as short stories go. And I always forget about Tor.com. Thanks for the reminder.

    Robin: Not hokey at all! We are a punning group here in my area, so you fit right in!

    Kailana/Chris: I would definitely try to pick up Planets used if you don’t win it just because it is a very back and forth book. I really enjoyed some of the essays a lot and others are very so-so. It does make you want to go outside and dream amongst the stars…it did me anyway…so that is something. Galileo’s Daughter, on the other hand, is incredible!!!

  21. Just finished up “Ass-Hat Magic Spider” by Scott Westerfeld. Again from The Starry Rift. I absolutely LOVED it! Anyone who loves books, and who the hell doesn’t, should read this story!

  22. I’ve read 3 so far: “High Weir” by Samuel R. Delany is about Mars and aliens and holograms and madness, and I enjoyed it a lot.

    “Nine Hundred Grandmothers” by R.A. Lafferty is strange in the best sense of the word: it’s about an alien race whose elders never die, just shrink and sleep a lot as they get older and older. The protagonist is a guy who becomes obsessed with finding the very first generation and asking them how everything began.

    Finally, my favourite so far is “Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler. It’s set in the future, and a virus has impaired most of humankind’s ability to speak. The protagonist is a woman who still speaks, but who learned it’s a good idea to pretend she doesn’t. This is such a great story…moving and sad and wonderfully written and ultimately hopeful.

  24. I read A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum, from the Best Science Fiction Stories site.

    I’m not usually a fan of stories that are woven around Martian/alien lifeforms, since in real life Mars is a pretty barren planet.

    I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would because the descriptions of and interactions with various Martian lifeforms was very interesting and well written.

    My favorite parts were those dealing with language and communication with the Martian lifeforms. I have a degree in Linguistics, so this really appealed to me.

    I loved the ending!

  27. Debi – I just love that name ” Ass-Hat Magic Spider “. With a name like that I just have to check it out. 🙂 Your the second person I seen online that loved that story as well. It looks like as if I’m going to have to add The Starry Rift to my wishlist. Plus I really need to get it as well for the Gaiman story, too.

  28. Jeff S.: I love that name as well. Can’t wait to see what the story is like just because of the name!!!

    Lynda: Great, I’ll check it out.

    Maria: Ted Chiang is a name I’ve heard a lot and I really want to give some of his stories a try sometime soon as well. I think he’s been up for and possibly won some awards?

    Alyce: That sounds fascinating. I’m opposite in that I love stories of life on Mars, particularly the ones from the early part of the 20th century when, possibly…not that up on my scientific history…people didn’t know what was out there. I love the nostalgia of them. I’ll definitely be checking this one out, especially after you said you loved the ending.

    Lynda: How cool that you and Alyce posted back to back and read the same story.

    Nymeth: Reading these comments backwards as I respond is fun, especially since I see a real Mars theme developing here!!! All three of those stories sound just great.

    Debi: I’ll be glad to read that story as all of Westerfield’s books have always been tempting to me and yet I’ve never read any. It will be great to sample his work.

    Lynda (again): Whoa, you really have the Mars thing going. That’s great!

  30. Pingback: Out of This World Mini-Challenge (Saturday) : Bart’s Bookshelf

  32. Finally got the kids off the computer for long enough to finish “The Menace From Earth”! This one sort of caught me off-guard, very different from the others I’ve read so far. Not different in a bad way, I really did like it. And you’re right, I think Annie will love it!

    I’m anxious to hear what you think of Ass-Hat Magic Spider…I can’t help but think you’ll enjoy it!

  33. Carl,

    Ted Chiang seems to specialize in short stories. He’s got several Hugo and Nebula awards. I very strongly recommend picking up Stories of Your Life and Others. It’s a collection of his stories and many of them are absolutely superb.

    Lynda,

    Glad to hear you liked the story 🙂 I am checking out your reviews.

  35. Hi Carl! I stumbled onto this challenge! I read The Home Team by Greg Wickenhofer. It was recommended by Rusty and I posted a comment on his site too.
    This was a really quick, fun read. You can just FEEL the frustration!
    Thanks for a chance to win that includes a challenge!

  36. I remember reading Latitude, by Sobel a few years ago and really liking it.

    Anyway, just posted my thoughts on the three short stories I’ve read today, here.

    But I’ll leave a comment on one of them here.

    Through Thy Bounty by Lucy A Snyder

    I stare down at the naked body of the boy on the butcher block, as my mother’s nightmare washes through me.

    Human prisoner and talented chef must prepare delicious meals for her captors the Jagaren. The more delicious the meal, the more comfortable her cell for the night. Only one problem, each meal feature one main ingredient, other humans.

    My Thoughts:

    Gruesome, really gruesome. But also very entertaining, with a killer ending. 4/5

    (Also commented over at Best Science Fiction Stories.)

  37. Two more: “Homelanding” by Margaret Atwood is short and sweet. It’s about someone describing life on their home planet, and it’s written in a way that makes the reader has to stop and think before they recognize what’s being described (this is not a spoiler, since the story pretty much doesn’t have a plot). I loved it!

    “Strange Wine” by Harlan Ellison: Unfortunately I can’t say much about this one without spoilers, so I’ll just say read it! It’s too bad it’s not available online. I’d so love to discuss it with others.

    I’ve been posting my thoughts here and editing the post as I go along.

  38. I just finished ” Sandkings ” by George RR Martin. It was 40 pages. Orgrinally published in Omni magazine in 1979. It has been reprinted numerous times; most recently in Dreamsongs Vol. 1 published in 2007. The story won both Hugo and Nebula awards in 1979.

    The story is a combination of Scfi and Horror with more of a horror element to it. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Very creepy. Even though you can can guess where ultimately this story is going in the end the author’s handling of unfolding events keeps you hooked until the end. I would give it a 4 out of 5. If your interested in it and can’t get to it during the Scifi experience I would say it qualifies as RIP story quite nicely.

    Off to my next read. A Star Trek short story. Yes. I a big Trek geek. 🙂

  39. If anyone wants to chat…and don’t feel obligated since this is all about the reading…fire up Google Talk and shoot me a message. poegeek (at) gmail (dot) com

  41. Maria: Not a time machine, just my silliness in finally realizing that I never changed my time when daylight savings time kicked in last year and when I changed it some of the posts got all funky.

    Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate is one of his latest award winners if I’m not mistaken. That is the one specifically that I really want to check out. Thanks for the link.

  43. Pingback: Out of This World Weekend « Stuff as Dreams are Made on

  45. Chris: Great! Look forward to reading them!

    Just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow at 2 p.m. I am hosting a live chat. It will be on Google Talk and my sign on is poegeek (at) gmail (dot) com. If you want to send me your google info I’ll invite you.

  46. Carl, I received a copy of the anthology Isaac Asimov’s Mars (1991), edited by Gardner Dozois, for Christmas, so I decided to go with the existing Mars thread above (Landis, Weinbaum) by reading “All the Beer on Mars” by Gregory Benford.

    Essentially, the story is about an international team of scientists who hunt for life on Mars. Their findings are encouraging until they stumble across the wreckage of a 1971 Soviet spacecraft. The title is a reference to the team’s consumption of small quantities of beer, which they brew to improve the taste of their recycled water. It probably has some deeper meaning, but I haven’t thought that much about it yet.

    “All the Beer on Mars” is full of wonderful hard science, but some of the dialog is a bit rough. Overall, a solid story worth reading.

  47. I read two very strong and very different stories in Interzone 220 – Monetized by Jason Stoddard, a cynical and realistic look at web profiteering, and (deep breath) “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest: Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” by Eugie Foster, a surreal story of people living in a beehive society and changing their identity and personality each day with the masks they wear – while it starts like an X-rated, medieval re-imagining of Mr. Benn, it opens out into something powerful and moving and while there are obvious parallels with the Matrix and other works there’s also a great deal of originality including a deliciously dark ending.

  48. Sci-Fi Gene: I’ve got to track down a copy of that issue of Interzone. I saw the cover on SF Signal and knew I had to have it. And the stories inside sound interesting too! I see Interzone occasionally in Barnes and Noble or Borders. I’m going to have to take a look (and have to have Jeff S. take a look for me at the Borders near his house as well).

    Paul: Love the name of that story. Sounds very interesting. As does the anthology itself.

  49. I finally read the original “Enders Game” short story. Interesting to compare it to the novel length. I like the novel better….not surprising I guess, as I like the extra details. But interesting to read the short story and see what the essence of the original idea was.

  50. Ruth Ann: I bet it really would be interesting to read that. The novel is so amazing, in my opinion, and it is not often the case that a really good short story can be expanded into a really worthwhile novel.

  51. Today, I read “Elevator” by Nancy Kress, published in the anthology Eclipse 2 (2007) edited by Jonathan Strahan. My reviewlette:

    In “Elevator” by Nancy Kress, a stuck hospital elevator leads to some soul searching for Ian when an elderly woman’s ramblings hit close to home for all the passengers. With this story, reminiscent of Twilight Zone, Kress shows that good stories are about people, not the events to which they are exposed. 3.5/5

  52. John D: How coincidental, I just read that same story about an hour ago. I liked it a bit more than you did, giving it about a point higher. The end was ever so slightly weak, at least in as far as that last encounter with the nurse. However, I was really caught up in it while it lasted and I am always impressed when I can read a story and sort of ‘come to’ after it is over, realizing that I’ve been completely unaware of everything else around me *but* the story.

  53. Well everyone, Day One of the challenge is nearly over. I managed to get 5 stories in. Which isn’t bad considering I went to a movie this morning, went out to eat, finally took down the inside Christmas decorations and helped babysit my niece. Not bad at all. I expect to get many more done tonight. My list is posted in my short stories read page above.

    Don’t forget if you want to stop by and say ‘hey’, log on to Google Talk around 2 p.m. CST Sunday and shoot me a message to poegeek (at) gmail (dot) come and I’ll invite you into the chat room.

    Happy Day Two reading everyone!

  55. Pingback: Out of This World Mini-Challenge « Bride of the Book God
  57. Pingback: Out of This World Mini-Challenge « A Striped Armchair

  58. Hi Carl! What a fun mini-challenge; thanks for hosting it. 🙂

    I’ve read 12 sci-fi short stories this weekend: “Darwin’s Suitcase” by Elizabeth Malartre, “For Solo Cello, op. 12″ by Mary Robinette Kowal, “Lambing Season” by Molly Glass, “Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe” by Ramsey Shehadeh, “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clarke, “The Fluted Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi, “It’s a Good Life” by Jerome Bixby, The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang, “The Egan Thief” by Gord Seller, “The Menace From Earth” by Robert Heinlein, “The Father Thing” by Philip K. Dick, and “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin. I review them all in this post.

  59. Better late than never! Thanks so much to Eva for her post, otherwise I might have missed this mini-challenge! About to read some from Ted Chiang’s collection, will be back shortly to say which. I’m in love with all your photos. Did I tell you I once wanted to be an astronomer, desperately, because of Isaac Asimov? Except I couldn’t do the math AT ALL. Back shortly!

  60. So, I went to read The Cold Equations with the link you thoughtfully provided,and spent the last 20 minutes crying while I read it. Short stories pierce to the heart of the matter, and this one captures everything important about space exploration and people. Wonderful. Thanks for making me cry this Sunday morning, Carl!! And that new Space Opera book looks really good, I’ve seen it reviewed in Locus too but don’t have it yet (big hint here, lol!!)…

  61. Pingback: Out of This World Mini Challenge [Sunday] : Bart’s Bookshelf

  62. Yesterday I read four stories from Starry Rift, Lost Continent by Greg Egan, Incomers by Paul McAuley, Post-Ironic Stress Syndrome by Tricia Sullivan and Infestation by Garth Nix.

    I enjoyed most of what I read. Lost Continent was an interesting take on emigration/immigration. And it was a bit scary on portraying human nature. Then again, a lot of sci fi is like that 🙂 I thought Incomers was an okay story. Post-Ironic Stress Syndrome had its moments, but it gave a few smirks as well. Infestation was a weird but mainly pleasant twist on vampires.

  64. Susan: Sorry to make you cry. It is a good story that way though. I’m glad you enjoyed it and look forward to popping over and reading your review. That is really cool that you were inspired enough by Asimov to want to be an astronomer. I regret not reading him as a young man, but I’ve certainly become a great fan since reading the Foundation trilogy last year.

    Becky: I’ve read the first two stories from Starry Rift and really enjoyed them both. Next up is Orange by Gaiman which I look forward to getting to today.

    Eva: So glad you are joining in. 12 Stories!!! Wow, and the weekend is still young! They all look like great ones, I’ll be over later to check out your reviews.

    Bride and pussreboots: I’ll be over to check out yours as well.

  65. So, I managed to read Paying It Forward by Michael A. Burstein. This was more of a thinking and feel-good story, not lots of action. However I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, and found the story to be quite pleasant. Basically it’s about a man who carries on an email conversation with a recently dead science fiction author. The execution of the idea was great, and the ending tied things up nicely.
    You can read a free version of this story at Apex Book Company or you can read my own review of it on my website.

  66. Yay! I finally read my first story… (You know me and short stories…) Anyway, I took your recommendation and read The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin. You’re right, it is one of the best short stories I have ever read. I think I might be willing to read more by him. I will have to check on what’s available. 🙂

  67. Kailana: In the book that I have that has Cold Equations in it they mention his short novel, The Survivors, as his other great work. I’ll be checking it out at some point and you might want to as well.

    If you can get a copy of Starry Rift from the library or somewhere I think you’d really enjoy the first short story, Ass-Hat Magic Spider simply because you are a reader and in some ways it is a real love letter to the pleasures of reading.

    Rusty: That sounds great. I’ll be checking that one out on your site.

  68. Thanks, Carl. I added Starry Rift to my wish list because of Chris and, I think, Debi, so hopefully I will get a copy at some point! I will also add The Survivors to my wish list. It is really about time I got around to reading more science-fiction!

    I just read Paying it Forward by Michael A. Burstein. Did you read that one? It is on the web site that you provided. I actually ended up really enjoying that one, too, so I think I will have to read a couple more… Hopefully the good reads will continue!

  69. I’m going to read it soon. Make sure that you leave a comment over there on Rusty’s site and you can get yourself a double entry into the drawings.

  71. Okay, I commented on his site now. I forgot before! I also just read The Cauldron by Rocky Keele. A bit long, a novella, not a short story, but once I got reading it I really liked it. Especially when the aliens see a spider… that was a good scene! Oh, and there is a dog. Not a cat, but I have a thing for animals lately. Trying to decide if I should carry on or take a break… 🙂

  74. A few more down. “The Home Team” by Greg Wickenhofer. “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. And “Cheats” by Ann Halam. The Bradbury was my favorite of the three, but it was Bradbury so I’m hardly surprised. 🙂

  76. Kailana: I’ll be checking out your thoughts. I’m blogging my short stories for a post for tomorrow, along with the prize winner announcements.

    Debi: I read Cheats last night and really enjoyed it. The Home Team is great, isn’t it?

  77. Hey Carl. Got two more read from Starry Rift. Wasn’t nuts about one of them unfortunately. It could also be the fact that I was reading them with no sleep though :p I read Repair Kit by Stephen Baxter which was a really good homage to classic sci-fi with a ship going faster than light with an imminent disaster and then I read The Dismantled Invention of Fate by Jeffrey Ford. This one wasn’t so good, though I have to say that the world he created was quite beautiful and different from anything else I’ve read. just wish the story would’ve made more sense/been easier to follow. Hopefully I can get around to reviewing them today, but if not, my grand total for the weekend is a whopping 6 stories :/

  78. Oh, and I wanted to tell you. I started Old Man’s War last night and couldn’t put it down! It’s amazing!!

  79. I’ve only read Ass-Hat and Cheats from Starry Rift so far, thoroughly enjoyed them both.

    So glad you are as hooked into Old Man’s War as I was when I first read it. Scalzi is one of the great ones.

  80. I’m still reading, but I’ve started posting here. I’ll edit and add more as I finish reading other stories. This is a great idea for a mini-challenge! 🙂

  81. Thanks Jessi, I’ve been doing the same thing, edited my wrap up post as I’m reading stuff. I’ll check yours out!

  83. I just finished ” The Nine Billion Names of God ” by Arthur C. Clarke. I read it in online through a link over at Rusty’s wonderful Best Science Fiction Stories site. I posted a comment there as well. I really enjoyed the story and would give it 4 out of 5 stars. Quick read ( less than 8 pages ) with an intersting ending which made me smile.

  84. Okay, I’m going to have to just quit putting it off and get over there to read it now. So many people enjoyed this one today and I can no longer resist!!!

  85. I read “The Fluted Girl” by Paolo Bacigulupi. I thought it was incredible! (Though not one I’ll be letting Annie read any time soon.) Finally left a comment over at Rusty’s. His site really is a treasure trove, isn’t it?

    Not sure if I’ll get any more stories in tonight. But either way, let me just say a huge THANK YOU!!! I knew that this was going to be fun, but I honestly didn’t realize just how much fun!!! I saw you mentioned to Chris that you might do this during OUaT…oh yes, please, please, please!!! And then for RIP!!! 🙂

  86. Debi: I will be reading Fluted Girl soon as I am making my way through Bacigalupi’s anthology, Pump Six.

    Yes, Rusty’s site is great. Could easily spend days there!!! I’m glad you visited and left a comment.

    It really was fun. A lot of fun. I’m sure I’ll be doing this for OUaT and RIP also, hopefully in conjunction with Dewey’s Challenge again.

  87. Thanks for hosting this challenge, I have really enjoyed getting the encouragement to read some short stories. I posted here about which stories I read. I did get some great ideas from BestScienceFictionStories.com, and I’ve got it bookmarked so I remember to go back soon! I did comment on the ones I read.

  88. Thanks again, Carl, for hosting this fun mini-challenge AND for tying it to the Dewey’s Books challenge! Although it turned out to be a very busy Sunday for me, I was able to read 3 stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, and loved them. I read “The First Contact with the Gorgonids,” “Newton’s Sleep,” and “The Ascent of the North Face.” She’s terrific!

  89. Hey Carl, I read The Menace from Earth. Thanks for the recommendation! I did really like it! Now I want to fly, of course! So, that makes seven stories. Not bad for me who doesn’t like sci-fi!

  90. Not bad at all! Wasn’t that a great description of ‘flying’. Man, I wish we had something like that to do now!

  91. I just finished up the last short story in Starry Rift: Pinocchio by Walter Jon Williams. I really enjoyed this one–not as much as the Westerfeld mind you–but it was a really great story that I connected to.

  93. Pingback: Fiction News : gordsellar.com

  94. I read Ass Hat Magic Spider and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation.

  95. I’m glad you enjoyed it, I thought you would. We should talk about it more tonight.

Comments are closed.