A Sci-Fi Shorts Anthology: Volume 1

by Rod Castor, J.A. Taylor

From exoplanets to time travel, Jovian space elevators to teleportation tubes, and human-like robots to human-disguised aliens, this first anthology from Sci-Fi Shorts offers mind-boggling sci-fi flash fiction, plumbing the depths of the human condition and its imminent future.

Sci-Fi Shorts started in April of 2020, just after the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. With everything under lockdown, it seemed the perfect time to channel energy into an online portal that could provide two benefits: Give people a distraction from the pressures of life and offer them a way to connect with others through flash fiction.

Though the 500-word limit is a serious challenge for writers, it makes for an easily digestible story for readers. The writers included in this volume have labored to give you forceful and dynamic "3-minute escapes into orbit." Some say 500 words isn’t nearly enough to tell a story. As a reader, we’ll let you be the judge.

There’s time travel, androids, aliens, romance, exploration, war, and more in Sci-Fi Shorts, sixty adventures in all. We hope you enjoy this first volume of Sci-Fi Shorts and revisit these gems time and again, as we do.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Ebooks

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2021

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely feels like golden age sci-fi with the added twist endings that flash fiction often brings. Some of these stories worked and created an engaging world in just pages, most didn't when the twists were cliché or blah, the characters too cardboard, or the story too threadbare even for flash fiction. On the whole such a quick read that it was worth reading for the gems it had.

[*Tau* · Rating 3 out of 5]

In April of 2020, just after the outbreak of the corona pandemic, author J.A. Taylor started the website Sci-Fi Shorts as an escape from the real world. Through flash fiction he wanted to offer a short distraction to people with SF-stories of maximum 500 words.
The beginning wasn't easy as there were no (wellknown) writers, no stories and no followers.
However, this project gained fame and within the first year over 240 stories were published and over 1.000 followers were attracted on social media. With 2.000 monthly views on average there's now a small but reliable fan base.

A similar website was started under the name Fantasy Shorts for fantasy flash fiction.

These two websites became a meeting place for fiction writers to grow their writing skills and eventually another website was created overarching both genres: SFS Writers Collective.
The latter spawned SFS Publishing which now published an anthology of some of the many stories in print. Authors J.A. Taylor and Rod Castor worked together to edit this publication and select 60 science-fiction stories for this anthology. An overview of the stories and their writers can be found below.

***

The idea behind this anthology really appealed to me, as short stories (and flash fiction in particular) are a great way to discover new voices and to relax a few minutes.

With 60 stories I assumed to get to know a lot of different authors. But it turned out that the selection wasn't as varied as one might figure.
The table of content at the beginning of the anthology only mentions the titles, but leaves out the names of the authors. They're mentioned under every title though. Taking a closer look at them, it's striking how often some authors appear in the list compared to others. Several of them wrote 3 stories. Sadly enough their stories weren't always the strongest ones of this anthology in my opinion (but I know there's no accounting for taste).

There were interesting stories, but most of them missed a good twist and just fizzled out leaving the reader with an unsatisfied feeling. Some people might say that this is due to the small word count, but that's no excuse imho. There are plenty of examples of shorter fiction that left a lasting impression even though I read them months or years ago, f.e. the very first book I discovered on NetGalley.

The layout was nicely done.
Every story was preceded by a retro picture and followed by a very short bio of the author.

Overall I'd give this book 2,5*.
But even though the stories often lacked a bit of punch, they offered a nice break in between other reads and thus I'm rounding this rating up to 3*.


***

Following stories are included in this anthology:

1. John Martin's Universe - Bill Adler
2. Travel to the other side - Rod Castor
3. Wolfmother - J.A. Taylor
4. Transgalactic Consciousness Transfer - Mark Starlin
5. The Hook Up - Kyle O'Reilly
6. The Builders - Elana Gomel
7. The Final Query - J. Charles Ramirez
8. A Galaxy A-Part - LeNai LaRue
9. Tea from T.I.M - Stefan Grieve
10. The Drones of the State - Bill DuBay Jr.
11. The Silent Minority - Adam Temper
12. Acid Rain - Josh Peterson
13. We Have Much To Learn - Zane Jon Dickens
14. The Mermaid Hunter - Harold Finch
15. Tragic Intelligence - Jeffrey Adam Dill
16. Mister Manager - Franco Amati
17. Conflicted - Don Franke
18. That Place Between the Stars - Bradley J Nordell
19. The Warp Speed Contrivance - Justin Skiles
20. Olive’s Cosmic Amputation - J.A.
21. The Dangers of Atmospheric Entry - Robbie Sheerin
22. Initiative 666 - Brad Shannon
23. Taiga Proxima B - Jeffrey Von Hauger
24. Sample Number One - David Hartley
25. The Other - C. Keck
26. Her Memory - Evan Hundhausen
27. Galactic Green - J.A. Taylor
28. Moonlanders - Carl Honor Vellotti
29. The Way Up, the Way Down - Dennis Mombauer
30. A Change of Heart - Rod Castor
31. Shut Down - AJ
32. Mission Accomplished - Patrick Metzger
33. Two Tickets to The Green New World - Rose Bryant
34. Cold Time - Don Franke
35. Wintermute - Bradley J Nordell
36. The Peterson Tube - Jason Welsh
37. The Problem With Immortality - J. Charles Ramirez
38. Time Objects - Elana Gomel
39. The Next Bend in the High Narrow Road - Bill DuBay Jr.
40. Ketchup - Bill Adler
41. Mission 54: The Silent Station - Alexander Bird
42. An Unfortunate Affirmation - Jeffrey Adam Dill
43. Test Results - Stefan Grieve
44. The Farmhouse - Josh Petersen
45. The Empty Planet - Elana Gomel
46. The Final Voyage - Harold Finch
47. Sourdough Space Aliens - Gary Every
48. Solar Survivors - Justin Skiles
49. Space Oddity - Ross Hewitt
50. The Machine - Rosalind Pagan
51. The Garrison World - Dennis Mombauer
52. Lawbreakers - Bill Adler
53. The Madness of the Time Traveler - Stefan Grieve
54. A Time Travel Paradox - Rod Castor
55. EMA-7 - Patrick Allen Kemp
56. Yesterday’s News - J.A. Taylor
57. Goodbye, Moonbeam - Bradley J Nordell
58. Salvation - Alex Kilcannon
59. Alone No More - Patrick Allen Kemp
60. The Chosen Few - Breana Wallace

In 2022 I'm reading (at least) one short story a day.
You can discover more about it here.
The stories in this book were #49 till #108.

*Thanks to NetGalley and SFS Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Patrícia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

For a long time I couldn't get into short stories at all. Is also very rare for me to read sci-fi so I was a bit terrified of starting this book but also extremely curious.
This is an anthology of 60 flash sci-fi shorts. It has a lot of variety but overall I enjoyed most of them to some degree, with some of them being worth highlighting. I would definitely like to read more of the genre and more from the writers in here. I think I will look at 500 word flash shorts with more excitement from now on.

[Scott - Book Invasion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great example and exploration of the power of stories and the abrupt delivery of punchlines. I kept glued to the page, hopping from one clever take to another, never knowing what would be next. Of course i would love for these ideas to be presented in full novel form but these teasers and snippets filled my appetite for a clever hook.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was fun. As expected. I actually read book two of this collection first since that was the first one posted on Netgalley, so I knew what to expect and wasn’t disappointed. Charming science fiction morsels from what seems like a set collective of authors. Not sure how they are shuffled; each story gets an author’s bio (oddly repetitive), but also gets a cute technicolor retro artwork (adorable).
The stories are flash fiction, perfect for the attention challenged, and showcase just how much fun one can have with such tight word restrictions. The general atmosphere is that of golden age sci-fi. Robots and aliens aplenty and oodles of fun to boot. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Jifu · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

The quality of the stories in this sci-fi collection was definitely a bit of a mixed bag. Some managed to pack a punch above their size, others somehow managed to wear out their welcome halfway through in spite of the 500-word maximum. But thanks to the flash fiction format, if I found myself not too big a fan of whatever tale I was currently working my way through, I fortunately only had a minute or so of reading left. Then it would be time for a brand new tale from a completely different writer who had the potential to wow me in just a few short pages.

Overall this was a solidly entertaining time. These fun little tales go down as easily as popcorn.

[WorldconReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A Sci-Fi Shorts Anthology" edited by J.A. Taylor and Rod Castor is a collection of sixty short-short stories. (Less than 500 words each.) The stories range the full spectrum. Some are superb with witty thought-provoking plot twists in the last sentence. Some are amazingly full and complete miniature science fiction stories. Others are merely interesting and/or thought provoking. And, of course, there are a few that still puzzle me. Overall this is an entertaining collection. This is not be first encounter with short-short stories, but I found it best to read a few at a time to avoid being overwhelmed with the incredible breadth of creativity shown by the authors. I look forward to perusing the editor's website in search of more of these little story gems.

I thank the publishers, editors, and authors for graciously providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

[Sherron Wahrheit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun anthology of sixty flash science fiction stories. “Flash” in terms of brevity and as in terms of their Flash Gordon-style images that accompany each story. The retro images complement the golden age themes of man versus robots, aliens, and even himself. Highly recommended for times when you have a moment to read … and maybe some time to ponder.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this!

I would say this anthology is like popcorn. Each bite is a different story and has different flavors. It’s a fun read if you’re bored, but if you want to ponder the meaning of life, this doesn’t have much substance.

The quality of each story also varies, and I wouldn’t say that a lot of them are very poignant on a sentence level. Most of the prose is bland, and some of the stories don’t have proper punctuation. (Mainly I’m talking about Tea From Tim, which doesn’t have proper dialog punctuation.)

The art in the collection was fun and had an almost nostalgic feel to it, contrasting with the futuristic stories.

[Elise Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sci-Fi Shorts Anthology, edited by J.A. Taylor and Rod Castor, collects sixty science-fiction stories with just one parameter: each story must be 500 words or less. The bite-sized nature of the stories works in the collection’s favor. Readers can speed through the anthology because each story gets to the punch quickly. It’s satisfying and exciting to absorb so many ideas and worlds in such a short time. Flash fiction like this serves as a relaxing break in between novels. Every story is prefaced with a retro comic-book illustration that coheres all the disparate stories together.

Unfortunately, the collection hasn’t undergone a rigorous editing process. It appears that any story submitted was accepted. Many were written by the same writers—so that instead of sixty unique writers, you get more like thirty. And they skew heavily male. The result is that what could have been a diverse selection ends up feeling somewhat old-fashioned and stale. A story limited to 500 words should propel the reader toward an ending with a twist or revelation, but many simply fizzle out and end blandly. Perhaps these shortcomings derive from this project being a new endeavor. Volume 2, which I haven’t yet read, was recently released, and I hope subsequent volumes are more future-forward and varied.

Some of the standouts for me were Josh Petersen’s “Acid Rain,” Bradley J Nordell’s “That Place Between the Stars,” Patrick Metzger’s “Mission Accomplished,” and Bill Adler’s “Lawbreakers.”

[Evelyn Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I acquired a copy of this arc through NetGallery*

I picked this up on NetGallery on a bit of a whim, mainly because I’m really into short stories at the moment and I’m picking them up when I can, but also I want to start reading a bit more sci-fi and an anthology of short stories seems a perfect way to start.

I’m really glad I did pick this up as all of these stories appear to come from an online community on Sci-Fi Shorts, so it’s really cool to be able to read and support independent writers like this. Plus, I’ve discovered writers I may have never encountered without this collection and I’m hoping they’ll release more in the future.

Whilst the stories for this were mixed there are definitely a few standouts including: Tea from T.I.M by Stefan Grieve, Conflicted by Don Franke, The Peterson Tube by Jason Welsh and The Empty Farmhouse by Elena Gomel. All of these did something different for me whether that was amuse me or in some cases leave me absolutely horrified by what I read, and I gave all of them my top rating in light of that.

There were a lot of other stories liked in this, and some of them were frustrating as 500 words was just not enough sometimes for how good they were. And whilst there were stories I didn’t enjoy as much, although I will not be naming here, as this was flash fiction I was able to quickly read through those stories and start another one I usually enjoyed more.

Unfortunately, an issue I took with the editing of this was instead of getting sixty unique fiction writers, we got close to somewhere between thirty and forty as some authors submitted more than one story for this collection, and whilst this is a personal gripe, I think it would have been better to hear sixty unique voices, rather than the same voices. Plus, I should note this skews heavily towards men, with very few women taking part in this anthology, maybe this is because the audience of women submitting stories is currently small and needs to be worked on, maybe it’s for another reason entirely – I couldn’t say.

Overall, an interesting publication and a great one to support. There are some fantastic story ideas in here and some brilliant writing for flash-fiction, and hopefully we’ll hear more from some of the authors in this.

[Frasier Armitage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi shorts is a collection of stories that are 500 words or less. It’s a neat concept and it works well, introducing us to some great authors.

The majority of stories feel like snippets, tasters, and snapshots. It’s a platter of hors-d’oeuvres to whet the appetite and salivate the imagination. Variety is the biggest strength of this collection. Ideas take forms that range from plot-heavy time travel to character-rich body-horror.

Most of these shorts included a twist, which is impressive to say there are so few words on show. Some managed to reach depths that left my heart beating. And a couple of standouts stayed with me long after I finished reading, which was an unexpected treat.

As with all short fiction, the desire to read more is always lingering. To make up for this, a biography of every author is included with their stories so you can investigate what more they have to offer. I found this helpful, and I’ll definitely be keeping a lookout for some of the authors featuring here to see what else they release in future.

Another excellent part of this book is the accompanying artwork. I loved how the illustrations gave a classic, golden-age feel to each story.

Reading this collection is like peering at a jewellery counter. There’s a great variety and range to catch the eye. Each story is a gem, but some shine more than others. If you’re happy browsing, you’ll love this anthology.

[Leighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Sci-Fi Shorts Anthology by J.A. Taylor and Rod Castor is a collection of sci-fi stories with a color illustration at the start of each story. According to the description, this anthology "offers mind-boggling sci-fi flash fiction, plumbing the depths of the human condition and its imminent future." Stories range from futuristic technology to aliens and robots. I was initlally attracted to this book because it was categorized in the comics and graphic novels category, but this is definitely not the right category for it.

Overall, A Sci-Fi Shorts Anthology is exactly what it portends to be. The stories are short and fast-paced with plenty of action. I did take off 2 stars, because there are some formatting issues that the publisher needs to work out. I downloaded the book in 2 formats (a PDF on my computer and also sent to Kindle). The PDF was completely unreadable. The Kindle option allowed me to read the book, but it still had issues, like not having any spaces between words in the author bios. I'm sure the publisher will be able to fix these errors though. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of sci-fi, you can check out this book, which is available now!

[goblinmilk · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to anthologies there will always be a mixed review. Some stories you will love and others will breeze by, quickly forgotten while you search for the next gem within. The measurement of a good anthology is how long it takes before you’re pulled into another world that resonates with you in some way.

Given that this book doesn’t contain short stories but rather “flash fiction” that wait is inevitably brief. It also gives you a sort of world jumping vertigo if you are a reader like myself. I’m just half an hour of reading you will be thrown from countries to planets, from space stations to dimensions. You will see through the eyes of aliens, humans, androids and clones. It’s a double edged blade as a story you didn’t enjoy flies by with a breath but also the ones you love are over in a heart beat.

As a whole I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t give it more than 3/5 stars as the length of the stories didn’t ever really draw me in. There were also a few which I didn’t overly enjoy but that is always going to happen with anthologies. I do feel this would have benefitted from slightly longer stories, or at least a renaming of the title to avoid confusion. Short stories these are not. But if you’re looking for a relaxing read, glimpsing through windows as you stroll through the minds of various writers, then this is a thoroughly enjoyable book to pick up.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 60 short stories in this book, some are quite good, others their end surprised me, and some I didn’t really care for them, but its normal in such a big collection, my favourites where, “the mermaid hunter (this one was funny in a really gruesome way”, “time objects” (funny irony), “mission 54: the silent station” ( this one made me laugh out loud), “ the way up, the way down” (this one was a sad love story), “lawbreakers” (law physic’s and time travel what could possibly go wrong), “a time travel paradox” (terrifying tale of time travel) and “alone no more” (this one I wish the author could continue telling the story of what the main character would find).

I actually liked the stories in the book, even some that I am not mentioning here, and almost all, had a definitive ending feel to them, my main complain would be about the colour used to write in the pictures, its way too dark, for me to be able to read the story title and author and in some I couldn’t make the author name, I had to put the kindle brightness in the max and even then I couldn’t read properly… that really brings the evaluation down, In other hand, I did like the classic feel of the drawings that were utilized. That’s the reason for the 3.5 stars that were converted in 4 stars…

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

From exoplanets to time travel, Jovian space elevators to teleportation tubes, and human-like robots to human-disguised aliens, this first anthology from Sci-Fi Shorts offers mind-boggling sci-fi flash fiction, plumbing the depths of the human condition and its imminent future.

This book is a quick fresh book and I really liked all the short stories. This was a huge surprise for me because I am generally not a big fan of short stories. But these ones were great. Mostly all had a great punch line at the end and that made them so much more enjoyable and interesting. I even found myself laughing at the end of some of them.

[Opal Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be a comic book, so I was surprised to get what I did. Let it be clear, this is not a graphic novel collection, but an anthology of SciFi flash fiction. There are a lot of stories in there, I am not usually a reader of flash fiction as I like to set my teeth into richer more complex stories. But when you are short on time, or you want a great punchy premise, this is fantastic. There is a very wide variety of stories and you will find some to love - this is the fun part about anthologies, finding rising talents and seeing the vast difference between author styles and tone and ideas.

[xyZeereads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been so preoccupied by Fantasy and YA lately that I've neglected Sci-Fi entirely. Some may argue that there are elements of Sci-Fi in Horror and vice versa, and I'm one of those who thinks so. The idea that there's a whole different world other than Earth that humans can inhabit (and inevitably destroy) is straight-up horrifying.

The 60 Sci-Fi stories within this anthology are bite-sized (less than 500 words!), and that's a good thing. Short and concise is sometimes the way to go when it comes to fictional tales, and a few in this book really pack a punch!

Unfortunately, the ones about space (most of them) didn't really appeal to me.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology of flash science fiction provides several amuse-bouche for those craving a quick diversion from present reality. Great for a quick read, this anthology provides stories that can be read in five minutes or less. Perfect for those. with a short attention span or too many interruptions in life for a good sit-down. This smorgasbord of science fiction shorts will give you your fix and help you find new authors to follow. Several of the authors include a link to their site in the 1-3 line bio at the end of each tale.

[Blue Ink and Paper Stars · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars*

This anthology was truly unlike anything I’ve ever read. This was my first-time reading flash fiction, and I was really impressed. It’s incredible how much creativity these authors can fit into less than 500 words.

I liked how these stories combined this classical feel with a more modern approach, I think the illustrations complemented that perfectly.

Like any anthology there were stories that I really like, others not so much. Overall, however I really enjoyed my time reading this anthology, and going a little bit outside my comfort zone.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is good for those who love science fiction but don't necesssarily have all the time in the world to read it or don't want to start a series with a lot of worldbuilding. All of these stories are very short. They are usually no longer than a couple of pages. Lots of stories fit into this anthology series so there is bound to be a few stories you'll end up loving.

I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Sara MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection of flash fiction! Some stories were truly standout, and all were super quick to read. Some favourites of mine were Drones of the State, The Mermaid Hunter, and Sample number One. There were many really great stories, some with better writing than others. I pretty much devoured this content as it was so entertaining. I would rate these stories between 2 to 5 stars, so my 4 star rating reflects this

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose is uninspiring, but the concepts within are intriguing.
The point is a collection of compelling short story under 500 words, but I feel like a lot of them would be more interesting in a longer format, if only slightly.
Fortunately they only take a minute or so to read each, and the whole book was barely an hour's long endeavor.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher, for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit this small short stories (60 of them and no longer than 500 words each) was a surprise hit with me the majority interesting, some funny some surprising and a few didn't do it for me; but overall a good little collection from a diverse range of writers. I would call each story the equivalent of haiku for poetry, short sharp and no fluff.

[Cat Webling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is a delight to read, especially when you don't have a lot of time to sit down and read long stories. Though most of the plots are simple and some cliche, all of the stories are enjoyable, quick reads that will scratch the scifi itch. There are robots, aliens, monsters, time travel, doppelgangers...what more could you want?

[Joe Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
I'm not a huge short story reader, but these are "shorts" and are generally even shorter than "short stories". They are generally 2 pages MAX, usually shorter. There's some good content in here..it's not all for me but I appreciate the effort made and the fact that this exists.

[Susan Zoch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that this is the first time I have ever read flash fiction. I am not much for short stories and these were no more then 500 words each. Some were very good other were barely understandable There were a few where I just wanted the story to go on and get into more depth. It is an easy read and great while traveling.

[Samantha Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster. The premise was exciting, but somewhere along the way, it lost its momentum. Some parts were thrilling, while others felt overly detailed and slow. It had moments of brilliance, but they were few and far between. It’s good, just not great.

[Robbie Sheerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great collection. Every story takes you on a quick whirlwind of adventure. A must read for sci-fi fans.
Taylor and Castor done a phenomenal job compiling these treasures. I look forward to volume 2!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The set of stories is pretty good. The stories seemed "fresh" and also didn't have the polish and sophistication that higher-quality anthologies have. But still, a nice collection.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!!