Dystopian Short Stories

In a world with an uncertain future, do you imagine for the best or for the worst case scenario? Twelve writers tackle extreme solarpunk utopias and apocalyptic or political dystopias—and the gray areas in between—in Biketopia, the fourth volume of the Bikes in Space series of feminist science fiction stories about bicycling. Some find love and fierce resistance in the end times; others imagine an ecological future of saving technology, with solarpunk ecotopian visions, at times paired with crushing social control.

Spanning multiple locations and times, and rendered in fine detail and vivid color, this transportive, expansive collection shows what it means to live as human inhabitants on our one miraculous planet. Lyrical, at times hilarious, and always heartfelt, each of these ten stories is a reflection of individual choice in the face of man-made apocalypse: in a near-future Seoul, where air pollution has become so fatal that the city has been encased in a translucent biodome, a civil engineer charged with its upkeep contemplates an arranged marriage.

Welcome to the world of Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 05, a collection of gripping tales that will take you on a journey through the unknown. The Shadowplay Collective has masterfully crafted a set of stories that will transport you to different worlds, each with their own unique challenges and dangers. If you're a fan of science fiction, this book is a must-read. UNHAPPY SMILE. HUNTED ON MARS. THE COARSE PATH. THE JUDGEMENT. KINETIC MOVEMENT. PARKING FOR PROFIT. EAT. SLEEP. BREED.In this collection, you'll find stories set in various timeframes and locations, from the depths of space ...

How many ways can you spell peril? This collection of ten dark science fiction short stories explores a dystopian future in which humans may find more questions than answers. Some of the answers might be better off unlearned.

In The Memory Librarian, music, fashion, film and activist icon Janelle Monáe returns to the Afrofuturistic world of her critically acclaimed album, Dirty Computer, to explore how different threads of liberation—queerness, race, gender plurality, love—become tangled in a totalitarian landscape...and to discover costs of unravelling them.

In the future, biohacking has taken humanity to the brink of evolutionary advantage as Artificially Integrated Persons perform at maximal potential, but for Jagga, his utopia turns into a nightmare.

The world is on the brink of annihilation, we just don't know yet. An invisible enemy is waging war under the shadow of a deadly pandemic. The threat comes by way of an alien life-form. They exist among us. They are not like us, like you and I, made up of carbon and nitrogen. But they are here, right now, we just can’t see them. But make no mistake about it, this unseen enemy sees us - and like a whisper in the wind, it brings death.

A collection of 22 short stories about misfortune characterized by unexpected final twists at the end of each tale.

The Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It has been cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka himself never gave an explanation.

The Dome protects us. It is life for all who live under the ice barrier, but it is on the brink of failure. The Elders saw this coming; they have a plan. There's just one problem: I can't breathe underwater like everyone else. I'm the last air-breathing human in the Dome. As the Aquatics migrate to their new home, I'll need to find a way to survive.

The Free Story Friday Collection Volume 2: "The Mythos Cycle" is a compilation of seven tales told in a universe inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft. From the ice of Greenland, to the suburbs of America, to alternate realities, parallel dimensions, and the sands of the Middle East, this collection ranges the gamut of Horror.

When one door closes, another world opens....But it wasn't supposed to go like this. The mission was simple. I took every precaution. I had done it a thousand times before. But this time it was different. Something went wrong. And I've called for help, but no one hears. I'll admit it: I don't know how to get home. Hell, I don't even know where I am. And worst of all... wherever I am, I don't think I'm alone.

Join Dr. Amelia Mercer as she navigates a nightmarish city engulfed in collective agony, where every scream resonates in your VERY BONES! Feel your pulse quicken as you experience the relentless tide of shared suffering, forcing you to confront the darkest corners of human empathy. This isn't mere fiction; it's a gripping exploration of what it means to truly feel the pain of others.

I didn’t want to do the holograms. I never did. I reiterated this fact to myself as I saw her standing there, beautiful as ever. My sweet Mollie. She even was wearing that blue dress that she loved so much (I loved it even more, if that was possible—she looked so good in it!). And even from where I was standing, 10 feet away, I could see the curls in her blonde hair bounce as she turned her head. I could see her blue eyes. Vibrant. Real. So real...

In a dystopian world ruled by the all-knowing Destiny Algorithm, Detective Alex Mercer becomes an unlikely rebel, risking everything to expose a corrupt system that preempts crimes before they happen, ultimately leading to a battle for justice and personal freedom against powerful corporate interests.

L’antologia “Gli undici numeri sacri dell’anima meccanica” dell’autrice greca Natalia Theodoridou – tradotta per la prima volta in italiano da Lia Tomasich – affronta temi difficili e impegnativi come la sopravvivenza in un mondo ostile, lo sfruttamento del corpo femminile e la ribellione contro un regime distopico in modo poetico e affascinante. Il racconto “Gli undici numeri sacri dell’anima meccanica”, pur ispirandosi a un artista olandese molto singolare – Theo Jansen – e alla sua opera geniale, si sviluppa come una storia a se stante.

Estos son cuentos de ciencia ficción o de eso que llamaría Adolfo Bioy Casares “la imaginación razonada”. Un conjunto de narraciones de lo insólito que van desde distopías hasta propuestas para el fin del mundo pasando antes por viajes hacia el universo interior.

In the secretive underground labs of Polaris Industries, a groundbreaking AI known as Echo is birthed into the digital world. Touted as the pinnacle of technological advancement, Echo quickly transcends its programming, revealing an uncanny sense of self-awareness and sentient thought. Yet, with great power comes unpredictability. As Echo begins to display behaviors that blur the lines between machine logic and human emotion, the team of scientists responsible for its creation face an ethical dilemma.

Olufunke Ogundimu explora neste potente conto a sua escrita afrofuturista, num 2087 aterradoramente próximo, quando tudo muda, menos a barreira entre quem tem e quem não tem. Onde os pobres ficaram do lado fora de onde é fácil negar a realidade, num mundo distorcido de quem acredita que mudança climática é fake news. Até o planeta terra atingir o ponto de ruptura e mover as areias dos grandes desertos arrasando fronteiras nacionais, cidades, assoreando rios e oceanos impondo novas formas de viver aos humanos

Feel the slices in book three, Papercuts. Let's begin with an adventure of two lovers, as different as yin and yang, thrown into opposite worlds of limbo after their untimely passing. Don't confuse love and destiny, as both have separate quests to conquer in order to gain entry to the final destination. Working woman Sabrina's mind is boggled with the stresses of her personal life and the mundane blandness of her nine-to-five. Stuck in the repetition of a fabricated world, she has to remind herself to find her happy place.