"How can you be more than what you seem?" My Top Ten (Actually Eleven) Sci-Fi Short Stories


Science fiction is another genre I truly enjoy. Back when I worked as a technical writer and editor, I had a boss who subscribed to both Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog magazines, and he would give them to me when he was finished reading them. I read so many great stories in those magazines, and it really helped me learn about all kinds of different authors and ideas in the world of sci-fi.

In addition, I had the same experience with sci-fi stories that I had with scary stories in the old reading books from grammar and middle school, my English classes in high school, and my continued studies of the short story in college. There are quite a few stories from those days that still stick with me now.

For this list, I honestly couldn't choose only ten stories. I really wanted to only have one story per author, but I could not decide between my two favorite Ray Bradbury shorts and my two favorite Isaac Asimov stories. So this is a top ten actually eleven list. But it's my blog, so really, I can sing the body electric all I want! (I'm sure I didn't use that phrase correctly... Walt Whitman was never one of my favorite poets!)

Read it here

I first read this story in grammar school, and I remember being so tickled by the ending. Mostly because I was always told by some relative or another not to worry about a little rain--"You're not made of sugar; you won't melt!" Clearly Mr. Asimov was told the same, for he wrote an entire story about it. In all honesty, it really works because it's a simple play on a somewhat cliche saying. Science fiction tends to ask "what if" quite a bit. What if dinosaurs were alive now? What if we could go back in time? What if aliens exist? Sure, what if we were made of sugar seems pretty childish. However, it's certainly a what if that made me want to read more science fiction. And maybe it's a what if that inspired someone to choose to get into the natural sciences to study sugar cane and how to find other sources for sweeteners. Science fiction can be inspiring and amusing in many different ways.

Read it here

This was probably the second story I read by Asimov, the first being "Rain, Rain, Go Away" above. What most attracts me to this story is its positive ending, giving us hope for Asimov's vision of the future where robots and androids are our helpers, coworkers, even playmates. I believe "Robbie" stands out because we are ready to distrust this machine, to think that it is not capable of friendship, kindness, or love because, well, it's a thing. Yet it proves us wrong in the most remarkable way. Included as the first story in the iconic collection I, Robot, we learn so much from Asimov as he explores a future where robots, androids, and AI machines are all around us, helping us and yet sometimes hindering us. Asimov's influence has been so strong that the Three Laws are consistently used in various films, television shows, and narratives as the moral code for androids and robots the world over. It's a part of our collective now, and I imagine it will very well dictate AI development in the future. Asimov's vision has many positive scenarios, and I believe people have latched onto them in hope for a better future. That's how powerful the influence of science fiction can be.

Read it here and watch The Twilight Zone episode "I Sing the Body Electric!" on Netflix, S3E35.

The first Ray Bradbury story in this list, and one I have always enjoyed. I actually read it in either grammar or middle school before I saw The Twilight Zone episode based on the short. Bradbury was inspired by Walt Whitman's poetry to create this now classic about a family who has lost their mother, and the father "orders" an android grandmother to help out around the house. She isn't a replacement for a mother or a wife, however. Instead, Bradbury turns her into a source of protection, care, and love the family didn't think was possible from a machine. I've always enjoyed the positive outlook within this narrative. Bradbury created a world where families can be happy, where people can get what they need, and where, in the midst of technology, love and comfort still ring true. Even with its bittersweet ending, we still are satisfied with what Grandma represents. We see so many frightening stories about robots and androids gone wrong in science fiction, it's comforting to think that perhaps if our technology gets advanced enough that AI robots exist, maybe they won't be so threatening after all. Maybe they will be far better than we ourselves could ever be.

Read it here

The other Bradbury story--I couldn't just pick one! This one seems fairly straightforward: a bullied girl is locked in a closet on the only day that the sun will be visible in a normally dark sky. All of the children forget she's in there, and they get to see the sun when she doesn't. I remember being heartbroken when reading this story. It's one of those that has no reconciliation to it: no matter what, the children who bullied the girl are completely at fault, the teacher is at fault for not noticing she was gone, the entire situation has denied a child the one moment in her life she has dreamed of experiencing. There is truly nothing one can do to help her, to make her happy, to reassure her that she can see the sun at another time. It's almost as if we're left speechless, understanding the pain and sadness this girl will experience, while also dealing with the shame and regret of her classmates and teacher. A story that drags at the humanity within us in the wake of a futuristic environment; it seems that humans will never change.

Read it here

Fear of the future is another theme we find is extremely common in sci-fi literature. Sometimes, that fear can be downright horrifying. What I love most about this story is how Ellison starts us directly in the middle of the action, and we as readers learn the terrifying truth as we are reading about the plight of the characters. Complete helplessness at the hands of a machine delves into our primal fears of losing complete control. We are at the mercy of an entity that does not care at all about our well-being, cannot be reasoned with, cannot be convinced to grant clemency. And I believe that's why we succumb to insanity: the mind cannot handle a complete absence of control, and therefore it lets go of any control it was still clinging to. Ellison's story is a warning: beware what our own hubris can bring; beware we become the victims of our own creations.

Read it here

I know there are more works of Dick's that are probably more important, have more poignant importance to the sci-fi world. This was just a story that really resonated with me, and still does. I had seen the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Total Recall before knowing it was based on this story. And even though the story is only one small portion of the film, somehow, the story is far more effective and relevant by itself. It is very frightening to me: the possible horrible things we could do to our own brains in the name of corporate exploitation and consumerism... I just really was disturbed by the potential consequences if our world comes to have this capability. I honestly hope that we don't ever learn how to alter memories, for we could truly do real damage that is irreversible. I believe that mind manipulation is not a game and should not be taken lightly. Let's hope Dick's message is abundantly clear to others as well. 

Buy the original collection here or buy the mass-market paperback here

This is actually a story from a horror anthology, the fifth book in a series that I truly enjoy called Borderlands. But it really had a strong impact on me, and I feel it is an excellent sci-fi story as well. The Thing Too Hideous to Describe is a monster who has decided Earth--specifically, outside of a small town in a cave--is a fantastic place to spend his retirement. What's so fantastic about this is the story is from the monster's point of view, and it feels very much, as one of the editors said, like a twist on the old 50s sci-fi monster movies. As for the monster, it's perfectly happy with its life and everything is very normal for it. So here, the story takes the intolerance and fear embedded in the hysteria of a group of people and turns it on its head, showing how their coping mechanisms don't seem to be logical or wise. This is a story with a lot of humanism in it, showing us how mob solutions to a problem don't solve the bigger issues. It's a lesson we all need to be reminded of, and this is a smart and symbolic way to do it.

Read it here

Utopian societies are common explorations in science fiction. There are many stories where a utopia is the ultimate goal, to make changes to a society to force it to be ideal. But Ms. LeGuin reminds us that utopias always come with sacrifices, and sometimes those sacrifices are truly dark and absolutely wrong. We have to wonder if a utopia is worth those sacrifices, especially if those sacrifices are long-lasting and have to continue to keep what the society has learned to be normal. I've also always wondered if Ms. LeGuin found inspiration for this story through master poet Robert Frost and his work "The Road Not Taken". The choice to walk away, to travel the road not taken, so to speak, probably took courage and strength that clearly, the residents of this place don't understand. Otherwise, they wouldn't question it. But let's also look at this in another way: the residents probably need to learn how to question what is happening. And watching people walk away may be dramatic, but it may be the only way to get them to at least start to wonder: is what we're doing right or wrong?

Buy the anthology here (coming soon!)

This story is one of my favorites for two reasons. The first is technical: it's incredibly immersive from the get-go. I have heard people who teach writing classes that an entire world can't be created within a short word count. But this story does. I completely accept this steampunk world right out the gate. I totally understand the references and slang, and I can see the landscape and the characters perfectly, as if they are right in front of me. It's a rare gift, to be able to get your readers to believe in a completely fabricated setting so quickly, and Norris is a master at it. The second reason is because the story takes known horrifying events from our own world's past and weaves them into a new narrative that is not boring or cliche. The characters are rich symbols of those who have been oppressed throughout history, the tone and atmosphere are haunting and tense. Then Norris takes us through a suspenseful sequence, and we burst through with confidence and hope. That's what I love most about this story: the positive message that humans can pick themselves up and persevere in the wake of horrendous adversity. This mirrors our world events in so many ways, and I believe when we learn from them we can only better ourselves to create a better future.

Of note: Gregory L. Norris is an incredibly prolific and gifted author who has written gobs of stories and screenplays, and is the author of the novelizations of the classic Gerry Anderson TV movie The Day After Tomorrow. I'm always amazed at his ability to suck me directly into the story with deftness and unending talent. "End of An Era" is included in A Celebration of Storytelling, our anthological festival of tales, coming December 1.

Read it here

This story burst onto the scene of the sci-fi literature world in 2012, winning the Hugo, Nebula, and the World Fantasy Award, which hadn't been done. I am constantly moved by this remarkable piece. We're given a story that shows racism, loneliness, and dealing with being outcast with a soft-spoken narrative that is simple and innocent, just telling us the story as matter-of-fact as possible. The menagerie serves as an unappreciated marvel, true beauty come to life, and yet no one appreciates it other than young Jack and his silent mother. It's not unusual for children to resent a parent, to want things to be different so they are considered more "normal". And we as readers get to experience how their circumstances change, and how the paper tiger becomes the bridge a child and his parent so desperately need. It's true beauty and love through words, incredible skill and mastery that deserves to be remember through the annals of sci-fi writing. Sometimes we tend to spend a lot of time studying stories of the past by the masters we know well. Liu is an example of finding important modern sci-fi stories that are just as important and worthy to be part of those masters.

Read it here

This one literally made me cry. I don't think anyone who has read it hasn't felt some sort of sadness and sympathy. The story is artfully written to draw those feelings out of us. But I think there's more than that. It has a lot of the reoccurring themes we see in science fiction, but those themes are handed to us gently and kindly, asking us to look through the eyes of a person who is truly a victim of a system that is very cold and clinical, not at all considering his emotions and needs. All Charlie can do is give his feelings to Algernon, his partner yet also his enemy in this experiment, and it is confusing and difficult for him. We as readers suffer with him. We understand how people are treating him when he doesn't. We see the journey for how difficult and hard it truly is, and we watch Algernon suffer, too. I think we can learn that scientific study is very important, but it becomes unimportant when it does not include empathy and sympathy, no matter the species of the subject. Respect for life is key, and science will only be the better for it.

Science fiction is always a great escape, always a treat for our minds. It can challenge our beliefs, it can  force us to think twice, and sometimes it can just be created simply for entertainment. It's a great escape, a great way to tell stories, for it's far-reaching and only limited by imagination. Plus, it's also full of messages about right versus wrong, gives us strength and compassion, and expresses triumphs and love. I find that these stories are the ones that have done all of this for me. I know some of the choices might be cliche, but their messages are resoundingly important that we all can learn from. For me, their messages resonate strongly because I see bits of myself in them. I can safely open myself up and learn from these stories where I will better understand myself, and this means I can be a better person out in the world. The stories truly can be more than what they seem.

~ Andrea Thomas


Quote in the title is from "I Sing the Body Electric!" by Ray Bradbury.
Images (from top to bottom):
By Patricia Hebert on Pixabay
By markusspiske on Pixabay
By ergoneon on Pixabay
"Cover of a Phoenician anthropoid sarcophagus of a woman (detail). Head of a young women [sic]." From Wikimedia Commons.
By Julia Faulkner on Pixabay
By markusspiske on Pixabay
From WikiImages on Pixabay
By sammi-jake on Pixabay
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By JL G on Pixabay
"Tiger at Rest" by Antoine-Louis Barye. From Wikimedia Commons.
By tiburi on Pixabay

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