2016 SFReader Story Contest 1st Place Gustavo Bondoni is an Argentine novelist and short story writer whose forthcoming novel, Outside, is slated for launch at Eastercon 2017. The final cover art has been released. He is also the author of Siege, an SF tale of galactic survival, launched in December, 2016. When it comes …
2016 SFReader Short Story Contest 2nd Place Joseph Cosentino is a young man from Georgia who currently works in payroll. He hasn’t been published before and can be found on Facebook and Twitter. His portfolio can be found here. Aeronaut 54 By Joseph Cosentino I The zeppelin flew through the …
2016 SFReader Story Contest 3rd Place C. L. Hernandez is a writer of horror, dark fiction, urban fantasy, and occasional poetry. She’is the author of the novel The Curious Case of the Tuscan Plague Doctor, and the series The Complicated Life of Deegie Tibbs. She also writes the self-published series …
Jacob is not who he used to be. His eyes, his voice, even his breath smells the same, somehow. But he’s not my husband. Not anymore. Looking out at the garden, I find he’s more like an ornament. A tall, slender lawn decoration. A grownup gnome. The sun shines over …
Part One: The Doll The night was chilly, and the first snow covered the hills that surrounded this sleepy town like a jealous lover. Dave Burn, a self proclaimed clairvoyant, who made his fortune thanks to superstitious people, walked quickly through the dark streets to meet the cozy heat of …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest First Place Winner Desmond Warzel is the author of a few dozen short stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. A full bibliography can be found at the Jobless Insomniacs Motorcycle Club, a blog that he updates about once per epoch. Apart from this here yarn, …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest Second Place Winner “Willie.” “…” “Willie. Wake up.” “…” “Willie, it’s time to wake up.” “…nn…” “Come on Willie. You’ve been asleep for three and a half years. Time to exercise that prefrontal cortex.” “… kay… jus few more mins…” “No NOW Willie!” Something metal jabbed itself …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest Third Place Winner Novelist, journalist, satirist, Bruce Golden’s short stories have been published more than a hundred times across 20 countries and a score of anthologies. Asimov’s Science Fiction described his second novel, “If Mickey Spillane had collaborated with both Frederik Pohl and Philip K. Dick, he might have produced …
A piece of horehound candy was stuck in the boy’s teeth. He chewed on a jawbreaker to dislodge it. It was Halloween and little Petri was walking to the town church for the evening’s festivities. The crisp autumn air stung his cheeks as he walked. It was a cloudy afternoon …
Rochambeau Bill Rochambeau wore a long grey beard that the members of ZZ Top would have described as “a bit much”. His office was ice-cold, but that’s just the way he liked it. He shuffled some papers on his desk before addressing my inquiry. “Watson is a kook,” Rochambeau said …
Mark sauntered over to Jenny’s desk at the usual time. Raj and Elinor both saw him, took the cue and rose to join them. They all watched from behind a row of filing cabinets. Robert worked across to the other side of the open plan office. He tidied away his lunchbox, …
Pink stripes jumped off the walls of the club onto the dancers, twining around them as the people gyrated to the sound of a band that would be the next big thing. Every band that played in this joint turned out to be the next big thing. “Maxie,” Simone said …
Prince Syree knew that within six hours he would be dead. Standing tall and proud, his glossy skin and patagia a dark blue, he stared out at the rain drumming against the windows of the hexagonal mess hall. Lightning illuminated the slender, golden starships in the distance. The tip of …
No one wants my job. Hell I don’t even want my job, and I’m not even sure why or how I ended up with it… I remember going to sleep one night after watching a movie with my girlfriend, next thing I knew I was in a dark windowless room. …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest First Place Winner Stalking Azazel (Volume Tres of the Dos Cruces Trilogy), was released in 2013. Mangum’s short story, Fetus-in-Fetu, is based on characters from this novel. “If James Crumley and Soren Kierkegaard got into a bar fight, ‘Stalking Azazel’ might be the bloody, brainy result. With …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest Second Place Winner Gustavo Bondoni was born in Argentina, which, he believes, makes him one of the few – if not the only – Argentinean fiction writers writing primarily in English. He moved to the US at the age of three because his father worked for a …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest Third Place Winner Described as a well-mannered, sweet-natured, nihilistic punk, Samson Stormcrow Hayes claims that living in Los Angeles hasn’t made him cynical, just more enraged. He writes stories, screenplays, and comics including the critically acclaimed graphic novel Afterlife. He can be found in old parking lots, …
The rain had been steadily falling for most of the night and into the very early morning. Dark wet streets glimmered uncharacteristically as the occasional taxicab swooshed by through the puddles. The rain was a relief that Manhattan needed after two weeks of dry summer heat, and the cement and …
Owen sat down at his computer in the living room and powered on the laptop. His mind was spinning and his emotions were in free-fall. He scratched at the brown stubble itching his cheeks and waited for the computer to power up. He didn’t have to wait long. Technology had …
SFReader 2013 Story Contest First Place Winner People entertain certain expectations of female wizards. For one, we’re supposed to live either in a solitary hut atop a bald hill (and so always in view of the townspeople, to inspire continual gossip about us and those who seek our counsel), or in …
