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The Periodic Table of Science Fiction
The Periodic Table of Science Fiction is a collection of 118 very short stories by science fiction author Michael Swanwick. Each story is named after an element in the periodic table, including the then-undiscovered element 117.
The stories were commissioned to run on Eileen Gunn's The Infinite Matrix but were published in the Sci Fiction section of SciFi.com, between 2001 and 2003. The stories were published as they were written, about which Swanwick said, "It made the sequence into a kind of performance art, something akin to being a trapeze artist, which is a possibility not normally open to a writer."
The print edition was published in 2005, in two signed limited one slipcase hardback edition with a print run of 200, and one hardback edition with a print run of 500 books. In 2009, Swanwick posted the stories on a weblog dedicated to the purpose.
The theme of each story in the collection is inspired by the element it is named after.
(From Wikipedia)
The stories were commissioned to run on Eileen Gunn's The Infinite Matrix but were published in the Sci Fiction section of SciFi.com, between 2001 and 2003. The stories were published as they were written, about which Swanwick said, "It made the sequence into a kind of performance art, something akin to being a trapeze artist, which is a possibility not normally open to a writer."
The print edition was published in 2005, in two signed limited one slipcase hardback edition with a print run of 200, and one hardback edition with a print run of 500 books. In 2009, Swanwick posted the stories on a weblog dedicated to the purpose.
The theme of each story in the collection is inspired by the element it is named after.
(From Wikipedia)
300 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 7, 2019
Reread in progress. Tentative rating is 3.5, based on the ones I read, and memories coming back now. Do you think I'm going to give individual writeups to 1oo+ vignettes? I am not. But I'll call out some of the greats!
This chapbook is vignettes on, you guessed it, ALL the elements, including many undiscovered at the time of writing. They are very entertaining, but variable. Worth looking for a copy. I chipped in on a few of the radioactive elements, and earned a contributors copy, that I should dig out. Since, no reviews! Shocking. No idea if it's still in print. Stay tuned!
And, here they are!: http://periodictableofsciencefiction....
Plus, a wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Per...
And a periodic table for the periodic table stories! https://web.archive.org/web/200509242... . How recursive can we get?
I don't know how he expects to make a living at this, giving stuff away....
Ah, the Americium bomb. I think I had a role in this one:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/eleme...
And this one was a definite. I recall turning up the original ref (which I'm sure I have on file somewhere). Californium handguns! https://web.archive.org/web/200509072... Sample:
"The world's only nuclear sidearm is the Screaming Eagle handgun, manufactured by Remington under contract to the DOD. It is not an easy weapon to master. Given the weight and considerable heat of the projectile, the Screaming Eagle requires a brawny infantryman and a "two-handed" stance. ..."
It's hard to stop quoting these: Lithium!
"God sits weeping in the corner. His seraphim gently try to coax Him (God can't be made do anything He doesn't want to do, so He has to be coaxed) into taking His lithium. He requires five gigatons a day, just to function."
Dubnium (Db), element 105: https://web.archive.org/web/200509080... The untold story of Dubya's Ukrainian birth. Now it can be told!
Hours ofwasted time homeschool chemical education await you. And not a few laughs!
This chapbook is vignettes on, you guessed it, ALL the elements, including many undiscovered at the time of writing. They are very entertaining, but variable. Worth looking for a copy. I chipped in on a few of the radioactive elements, and earned a contributors copy, that I should dig out. Since, no reviews! Shocking. No idea if it's still in print. Stay tuned!
And, here they are!: http://periodictableofsciencefiction....
Plus, a wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Per...
And a periodic table for the periodic table stories! https://web.archive.org/web/200509242... . How recursive can we get?
I don't know how he expects to make a living at this, giving stuff away....
Ah, the Americium bomb. I think I had a role in this one:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/eleme...
And this one was a definite. I recall turning up the original ref (which I'm sure I have on file somewhere). Californium handguns! https://web.archive.org/web/200509072... Sample:
"The world's only nuclear sidearm is the Screaming Eagle handgun, manufactured by Remington under contract to the DOD. It is not an easy weapon to master. Given the weight and considerable heat of the projectile, the Screaming Eagle requires a brawny infantryman and a "two-handed" stance. ..."
It's hard to stop quoting these: Lithium!
"God sits weeping in the corner. His seraphim gently try to coax Him (God can't be made do anything He doesn't want to do, so He has to be coaxed) into taking His lithium. He requires five gigatons a day, just to function."
Dubnium (Db), element 105: https://web.archive.org/web/200509080... The untold story of Dubya's Ukrainian birth. Now it can be told!
Hours of
December 8, 2019
3.5 stars. Some brilliant little pieces, but maybe too many that felt forced or rushed.
Still, Swanwick is a master, and makes the most of even a weak idea.
Still, Swanwick is a master, and makes the most of even a weak idea.
August 4, 2025
Some great stories, very funny.
Especially Unders Game (Magnesium)
I HATED Enders Game so this was brilliant, and far more likely IMO
Aluminium was good too, tinfoil hate anyone?
Silicon is sadly so common now: "Women with no noses to speak of, lips are enormous, eyes modelled after anime sex-heroines, belonged to cows. I am a pervert, looking for women so poor they've never mutilated themselves. I take them home and on a good night, briefly, convince them they are beautiful. They slink away miserable and ashamed"
Iridium explains the loss of the dinosaurs.
Polonium was excellent advice. LOL
Especially Unders Game (Magnesium)
I HATED Enders Game so this was brilliant, and far more likely IMO
Aluminium was good too, tinfoil hate anyone?
Silicon is sadly so common now: "Women with no noses to speak of, lips are enormous, eyes modelled after anime sex-heroines, belonged to cows. I am a pervert, looking for women so poor they've never mutilated themselves. I take them home and on a good night, briefly, convince them they are beautiful. They slink away miserable and ashamed"
Iridium explains the loss of the dinosaurs.
Polonium was excellent advice. LOL
May 31, 2023
Swanwick's stories-one for each element--are enjoyable short-shorts, running from one to three pages in length. Some are really about the element, some are really stories connected to the element by a pun only, some are serious, some are extremely funny. Ideally taken in small portions, but I could no sooner read just one than I could eat one potato chip.
December 5, 2024
118 very short stories about the elements. Michael Swanwick chucks in so many fun little ideas into these little vignettes that it's like reading another writer's entire career distilled into one book. Brilliant!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews