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High-concept sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comedy, and alien short stories for the modern reader, developed by screenwriter Timothy Michael Cooper. Illustrated with A.I.-generated art Original stories | Short story ideas with a twist | Sci-fi writing prompts
- “Born of Man and Woman” by Richard Matheson
- “The Good Food” by Michael Ezell
- “A Dream of Waking” by Sam Best
- “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr.
- “A Walk in The Dark” by Arthur C. Clarke
- “Cargo” by E. Michael Lewis
- “Don’t Go There” by Tracy Cross
- “Click-Clack The Rattlebag” by Neil Gaiman
- “The Travellers Stay” by Ray Cluley
- “Butterfly Island” by C. J. Tudor
An unidentified narrator, a child, tells their story through diary entries. The child is chained up in the basement, and has to keep out of sight or be beaten. Read “Born of Man and Woman” (first story in Amazon preview)
Jensen’s ship touches down on a jungle world, a planet that was terraformed two hundred years prior. It’s been decades since anyone visited. He’s accompanied by Roy, a dog that’s been enhanced to allow some communication. He’s also assisted by his ship’s AI system, Moira. Jensen’s been sent to collect some samples due to an anomaly that was detecte...
A waking cycle begins and Jacob hears the screams. He can tell there’s light, even though his eyes are sewn shut. He’s disoriented at first, but then the details come back to him. He’s lying in an enclosed half-cylinder with tubing in his skull. This story can be read in the preview of The Future Chronicles. (22% in)
In isolated Antarctica, researchers find an alien ship buried in the ice. While attempting to thaw the ship, they retrieve a frozen alien. When it thaws, it revives. The alien has shape-shifting abilities that make it a major threat. Some of this story can be read in the preview of Things from Outer Space. (Novella)
Robert was at Camp IV preparing to leave for Port Sanderson. His tractor broke down, and now he has to walk. He’s covered about two miles, and now his flashlight has gone out. He has four miles to cover and four hours before the Canopus, the last ship for a month, takes off. It’s difficult traveling in the dark. The planet’s moons are tiny, and the...
Tech Sergeant Davis, a Loadmaster, is assigned to a crew headed for Jonestown to evacuate Americans. They’ll be taking a C-141 StarLifter, the largest freighter and troop carrier in the military. As Loadmaster, his job is to secure the cargo. There’s a last-minute change of plans—the Med crew won’t be accompanying them. When they arrive at the airp...
At bedtime, a little girl tells the babysitter not to go into the basement. Her dad keeps the door locked because monsters live down there. The girl wants her room checked out before she goes to sleep. This story can be read in the preview of Midnight & Indigo: Twenty-Two Speculative Stories by Black Women Writers. (27% in)
A young boy asks a visitor, his sister’s boyfriend, to tell him a bedtime story. They start the long walk upstairs. The boy talks about Click-Clack the Rattlebag. The boyfriend isn’t familiar with this and asks him a bit about it. (Summary)
A couple, Matt and Ann, along with Ann’s teenage son, John, arrive at the Travellers Stay, a run-down motel. A woman sits on the porch, smoking and drinking. She helps them get a room, but her attitude is unusual. Everyone is stressed, and Ann and John in particular aren’t pleased with the accommodations. This story can be read in the preview of Bo...
A motley group of survivors hang out at a beach bar. Bill wants to go to Butterfly Island, a nature preserve from the old world that was owned by a rich inventor. It used to be heavily guarded, but with the way things are now, it can’t be. They get a group of thirteen people together and take two boats. This story can be read in the preview of Afte...
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Read the best sci-fi short stories for free on Reedsy Prompts. Be it space opera or dystopian science fiction stories; our collection includes them all. Choose now from 6560+ short science fiction stories and start reading online!
- Carrion Comfort. by Dan Simmons – 1989. Caught behind the lines of Hitler’s Final Solution, Saul Laski is one of the multitudes destined to die in the notorious Chelmno extermination camp.
- World War Z. by Max Brooks – 2006. Yes, it’s about zombies, but the book reads more like highly technical and thoughtful science fiction than a splatterfest.
- The Tommyknockers. by Stephen King – 1987. The Tommyknockers is another #1 bestselling book by Stephen King, although he doesn’t hold it in very high esteem.
- The War of the Worlds. by H. G. Wells – 1897. The granddaddy of alien invasion stories, The War of the Worlds was classified as “scientific romance,” as was Wells’s earlier book, The Time Machine.
Below, we introduce ten short science fiction stories which offer the perfect way in to the imaginative wonders of science fiction.
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3 days ago · Alan Moore, The Great WhenBloomsbury, October 1. When a fictional book out of an Arthur Machen story ends up in a used bookstore in post-WWII London, a young man’s entire sense of the universe is turned upside down. It’s a rollicking adventure, the first in an apparent series.
