Dystopian Short Stories

Orphaned. Alone. Starving. The land is dying. As resources dwindle, the population is placed at the mercy of a secretive government, which operates on its own agenda. Critical top-level scientists researching the ecological disaster have gone missing, their disappearance a cold case file that haunts the local constabulary. Desperate for answers, the police captain hatches a plan to recover a critical key to the land’s survival. What they need is an experienced thief, and they know just the girl. Avalon is not just any burglar; she is an uncommonly good one. Caught in the act of stealing, ...

In the Shadow of the Towers compiles nearly 20 works of speculative fiction responding to and inspired by the events of 9/11, from writers seeking to confront, rebuild, and carry on, even in the face of overwhelming emotion.

"How do you stop yourself from growing up?" Unlock the continuing mind-bending possibilities of ethical and moral dilemmas with "After Dinner Conversation - Season Five," the next installment of the must-read collection of the best short stories from the critically acclaimed After Dinner Conversation magazine series. Spanning all genres, from science-fiction to historical fiction and everything in between, each story is guaranteed to captivate you and leave you questioning your own beliefs. Perfect for philosophy students and fiction lovers alike, each story comes with five suggested ...

Alien invaders take one of America’s most contentious issues, Gun Control, and use it for their interest.

Safe Haven has grown too powerful to be ignored. The remaining government wants all survivors secured for their own use or eliminated, and they couldn't have chosen a better time to reemerge from their dystopian holes. Safe Haven has a new leader and a long list of challenges to overcome in their fight for survival. Adrian's condition is critical, the camp isn't ready to accept magic, Mother Nature still has them in her crosshairs, and they are low on food, water, and fuel. The next eight weeks will be the hardest they've gone through yet. Can they bring the pieces together in time?

This 1911 collection of thirty-three stories, selected and revised by the author from amongst his huge output of short fiction, includes tales of comedy, horror, monsters, and strange worlds. In his Introduction, Wells writes that the book brings together, “All the short stories by me that I care for any one to read again,” and that, “No short story of mine of the slightest merit is excluded from this volume.”

Need to Feed Another year. Another massacre looming. When the sun rises on the Old West town of Saltwater Junction, its residents will come face to face with two fierce predators. Vampires who stalk you in the sunlight and werewolves that transform with the sunrise. This story rewrites the legends and all you've ever known about these creatures of the night. A Vampire at Christmas A Vampire uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season. It Sleeps at Dawn A Vampire stalks the Appalachian Mountains. A traditional Vampire who uses fangs instead ...

After surviving a nearly insurmountable peril, a starship captain returns to Earth with his badly distressed ship and remaining crew and passengers in hyper sleep over three hundred years after they were believed to be destroyed and finds his most perilous trial. In humanity’s drive towards individuality by being like everyone else, due to genetic manipulation there are only 33 standard female and male models and he and his crew will be made beautiful like everyone else unless he can figure out a way to stop it.

Into the darkness within; or else the light.... When Margaret Atwood wrote these words, she left open the possibility that even our darkest tales may harbor a glimmer of hope. In Or Else the Light, the third and final entry in the Dystopia Triptych, more than a dozen of the best minds in science fiction conclude their stories with a descent into darkness, or perhaps a ray of light.

A fast-paced fifty-page short story book about two budding astronauts, a space hound named Chewie and a rather pissed off creature in the form of a Kraken. Contains epic storytelling, dark humor and general silliness.

The first collection by writer Matthew Hughes, and the perfect companion to his acclaimed novel Black Brillion, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories features nine stories taking place in the universe of The Archonate, as well as four non-series stories. The stories of Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth's "foremost freelance discriminator", combine mystery and science fantasy while simultaneously recalling the arch irony of Gene Wolfe and the sly fancies of Jack Vance.

Each story will plunge you into a whirlpool of TERROR, leaving you gasping for breath and begging for more! Your perceptions will shift, and every moment will crackle with suspense. So, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, plug in your headphones, and let the madness envelop you. But Remember! Once you dive in, there’s NO ESCAPE from the nightmares that await!

Brace yourself. The earth is hungry, and you're on the menu. "The Abyssal Hunger: A Short Horror Story" isn't just an audiobook—it's a descent into madness that'll hijack your senses and haunt your dreams. Feel your heart pound as ancient horrors awaken. Gasp as reality warps around you. Shudder as the ground beneath your feet comes alive with ravenous intent. Every shadow will become a threat. Every tremor, a warning of impending doom.

Step into the decaying halls of Grimwood and feel your grip on reality slip away. Every whisper, every shadow, every creaking floorboard will set your nerves on fire! A sweet warning: This psychological thrill ride will shatter your perceptions and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew! Is it real? Is it delusion? You won't know until it's far too late! Face the horrors lurking in the depths of your own mind! But remember - in Grimwood, escape is just another cruel illusion. So are you brave enough to lose your mind?

The title of this book means ‘broken door’ in Latin, and within these pages you’ll definitely find doorways to other worlds, some of them broken and some… perhaps better left closed. Dive through a wormhole into the interstellar adventure of Anomalies, or visit the international space station in the surreal Patchouli Puke. Empathize with the protagonist in Five Minutes From Now who knows when people are going to die, or learn how a life lived poorly can still ultimately make a difference in The Horizon Behind. Perhaps you’re an action or horror fan? Then How Bhutan Became the ...

All this young woman wants is to save her son. EXCERPT: "Would you let scorpions roam free in your house or backyard? Or at your school, if you were a teacher, regardless of how small they were? Would you let a scorpion sting and kill someone first before calling the proper authorities? Of course not. You would ask for that danger to be promptly removed—and rightly so—wouldn't you, Mrs Bram?" All you can do is nod. The white walls around you seem even colder than before. The lights are too bright. The scent of sanitizer is too pungent. You feel nauseous. "She's just in shock," you hear ...

Step into a world that defies all boundaries and explore the unknown with Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 07 by The Shadowplay Collective. This anthology of short stories will take you on a journey through time and space, where you'll encounter fascinating characters, mind-bending concepts, and awe-inspiring technology. Whether you're a science fiction enthusiast or just looking for a thrilling read, this book is sure to leave you captivated from beginning to end. The Shadowplay Collective has masterfully crafted a series of stories that will transport you to alternate universes, ...

Locked in a losing war with an alien race that regards humans as a delicacy, a military strategist learns revenge is a dish best shared.

In the future, the love of a young man’s life is dying. He would do almost anything to keep her alive…except that! In Dog Man, it turns out that Oscar the tomcat was just misunderstood — with deadly consequences… A love sick young man attempts to tap the power of an ancient religion to secure the affections of a girl on their class trip to Christland… The dead come briefly back to life every year when the astral dimensions align in Day, or Two, of The Dead. A cynical young ‘player’, adrift in the modern, amoral age meets God on a mountain top and his life is changed forever ...

Two soldiers debate what it means to love and live on a battlefield A short, dark, and dystopic vignette of war throughout the ages. If you ever supported any war, you’ll get the message. You won’t feel good. The tale shows what we have become, what we are living, and where we may be going