Dystopian Short Stories

In the 12 unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: A group of children steal a haunted doll; a runaway bride encounters a sea monster; a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time; an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman.

A scientist suffering from PTSD is faced with the terrible knowledge of the impending destruction of our species. In his desperate attempts to prevent humanity's fate, he commits violent acts and is branded a terrorist. How far would you go to save the planet from annihilation? Where do humans come from and how did we get here? Scientists have theorized about the human race's origins for many years. But no one was prepared for what was found in orbit, seven ancient alien probes that have been monitoring the planet for billions of years. The data and video images recorded inside them show ...

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

In the peninsula country of Raktsthaan, protruding from the India and Pakistan border in Asia, the draconic government decided that they, come what may, would build the tallest statue in the land. A monument for the god Taahya. Construction of the statue began, and the people of Raktsthaan, a poorer nation than its surrounding neighbors, by order of the dictator President and his commanders, were made to surrender all of their gold to the building of this monument. As the days passed, even more gold was forced from famine-stricken hands and malnourished stomachs. Intellectuals who opposed ...

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

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.

Araanti—a sparkling oceanic world and jewel of the Federation of Humanities. Glinting skyscrapers tower above the world’s one continent and provide homes for its residents. Well... most of the residents. Qalupa may be Araantian. She may be from a planet of power and privilege. But she’s not one of them. No, she’s a barger. Those gleaming buildings on the mainland are nothing but a pretty sight to her. Though she’s an outcast to the rest of the world, to the people in her barge village, she’s just Qalupa and she likes it that way. She has her family; she has her community; and ...

The end of civilization as we know it.

To be born underground, in the dark, never to see the surface. That seemed to be Loreto’s fate. Born nearly half a century after the world had been destroyed by total, global, nuclear war one young man must find his destiny. He must learn what it means to be himself. Destined to become a Topsider, will he walk upon the surface? Will he be one of the brave few who work to usher humanity back to Earth’s population? Find out in Loreto: An Earth Has Fallen Short Story. See Loreto Rucker’s humble beginnings as he grows into the young man we will meet in Servidio’s Earth Has Fallen Post-...

A short story from the New York Times best-selling author that brought you Feed, Mira Grant. Every week five friends get together to play a game - a game they call the Apocalypse Game. It's a fun time with chips and beer and plotting the end of the world. Except this time, one of them is missing and the stakes are higher than ever before.

A Neural Implant That Promised to Save Lives—Now It’s Killing Them. Five years after the launch of a groundbreaking neural implant designed to revolutionize healthcare, government agent Eric Snoughden stumbles upon a disturbing trend: a spike in unexplained deaths among low-income recipients. The deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes—this is no accident. Someone is targeting the victims and covering up the truth. With the help of a relentless journalist and unexpected allies from an escort agency, Eric unravels a high-stakes conspiracy woven through corporate greed, political ...

Electronic Gags presents a chilling portrait of a dystopian United States ruled by a tyrant. After a military coup, the United States of America becomes an autocracy. To tighten his grip on power, President Brandon Ward, the megalomaniac at the helm of military dictatorship, introduces a new surveillance system that can monitor people’s offline conversations. Privacy is dead. Freddie’s life changes when the government arrests his best friend, Michael, for attending an opposition meeting. Michael’s mother accuses Freddie of betraying her son. Against all odds, Freddie must prove his ...

Shelby is struggling with parenthood, marriage, a passive-aggressive mother, and unemployment. But she also has a sweet escape in her beloved Hallmark movies. When a secret admirer promises to sweep her away into a world of those same romantic tropes, the temptation is so heady, Shelby can already smell the pumpkin spice. But this rom-com dream has a whiff of conspiracy....

To Chinese American teenager Chuntao, New Lake is a beautiful haven where she can hunt for treasures once swallowed up by a big flood. But when she’s caught scavenging by her biology teacher, a woman whose own past has been swept away, Chuntao is faced with an imponderable question: Which world was better - the ideal one she never knew or the destroyed one that now belongs to her?

Science Fiction Stories 7 by Various Authors is a captivating anthology of science fiction short stories that transport readers to extraordinary realms, exploring dystopian futures, post-apocalyptic landscapes, and thrilling adventures in space. Discover the Unknown In "Cosmic Passage," follow Sanders as he navigates a spaceship mystery that challenges his leadership and sanity. Experience the psychological tension in "Journey," where Chilton Babin encounters a mystical child and embarks on an extraordinary adventure. Delve into "Bow Your Head!" and witness a world where societal norms are ...

First published in sci-fi magazines of the 1950s, these early stories from Philip K. Dick showcase the budding author’s uncanny ability to forge strange new paths into alternate realities. Already in command of the themes and techniques he would later employ in his novels, Dick here envisions alien infiltrations, far-off worlds at war, nightmarish totalitarian societies, and uncanny depths lying just beneath seemingly commonplace realities. Fantastical, sinister, paranoid, and darkly amusing, these are seminal works in Dick’s justly celebrated career.

For three strangers whose paths will cross, the storm hasn’t even reached its peak. Two of them are the kind of climate scientists no one ever listens to in disaster movies. The third, against even icier opposition, has just moved to the Magnolia State to come out. Soon they’ll all be pushed closer to the edge, where the bracing winds of cataclysmic change can be so wildly liberating.

A celestial entity sets out on an extraordinary quest to breathe life into a barren planet, weaving the foundations of existence itself. But as creation takes shape, unforeseen challenges arise, testing the limits of its power and purpose. "What a great fiction book about the cosmos! From the very first page, the story immerses you in the fascinating life of the cosmic builder, whose ability to create planetary life for the first time is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The vivid descriptions and imaginative storytelling by the author immediately draw you into this cosmic realm, making you ...

Dive into a world where danger lurks in every shadow and secrets are hidden in plain sight. In this gripping thriller anthology, you'll journey through the darkest corners of the human psyche, where the truth is a shifting enigma. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat as each story unfolds, pulling you deeper into a web of suspense, intrigue, and pulse-pounding action. From espionage in a post-apocalyptic world to a young man's desperate attempts to clear his name, these tales will keep your heart racing, your mind guessing, and your instincts sharpened. In this single-author anthology, ...

The machines started popping up around the world. The offer was tempting: with a simple blood test, anyone could know how they would die. But the machines didn't give dates or specific circumstances - just a single word or phrase. DROWNED, CANCER, OLD AGE, CHOKED ON A HANDFUL OF POPCORN. And though the predictions were always accurate, they were also often frustratingly vague.