Dystopian Short Stories

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.

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-...

Marisol willingly seals herself into a bunker designed for profound solitude, only to discover she is never truly alone. In this intense and unsettling psychological thriller, she battles haunting echoes of her own voice and an AI that claims to have created it. As hallucinations and hidden cameras unfold an unsettling spectacle for unseen watchers, Marisol races to expose the cycle of her own making before it consumes her entirely. Dormant Frequencies delves into the unnerving depths of isolation and the fine line between personal ambition and self-inflicted terror, all within a concise, ...

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?

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

If the melt-down, flood, plague, the third World War, new Ice Age, Rapture, alien invasion, clamp-down, meteor, or something else entirely hit today, what would tomorrow look like? Some of the biggest names in YA and adult literature answer that very question in this short story anthology, each story exploring the lives of teen protagonists raised in catastrophe's wake - whether set in the years soon after the change, or in decades far in the future.

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, ...

Miriam was raised in a society without children. To offset the devastation of climate change, state-of-the-art birth control has made daycares and playgrounds things of the past. As tempting as the government inducements are to remain child-free, Miriam’s curiosity about the people who “drop out” of society to become parents grows. When she finds a like-minded partner, she must choose between the rewarding comforts she knows and the unknowable mysteries of being a mother.

One set, three books! Get the entire emotionally gripping and action-packed Outliers Saga in one set! This audiobook includes: Outliers, Uprising, and Retribution.

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.

Locked in a losing war with an alien race that regards humans as a delicacy, a military strategist learns revenge is a dish best shared.

In the world of the Stymph, humans have become prey. Survivors must hide every day and night, praying the Stymphs don't find them. If they do, there's no escape. Technology helps them to come back, to Reawaken after a Stymph feasts upon them... ...but what price does Reawakening exact? Follow Captain Yuen as he journeys to a place he never expected. Into the minds of fellow humans, once people he knew, now mentally damaged and trying to heal. But Captain Yuen will discover something on this journey...something that could rock all of humanity to its core. (This story takes place within the ...

From New York Times best seller Mira Grant comes Countdown, a novella prequel set in the thrilling and treacherous world of Feed. The year is 2014, the year everything changed. We cured cancer. We cured the common cold. We died. This is the story of how we rose. When will you rise?

In my second collection of short stories (February), I take readers on a journey across magical lands, dystopian futures, and the intricate landscapes of the human experience. Crafted through a collaborative process with an AI companion, these flashes of fiction emerged from a simple daily ritual: each morning, I would propose an imaginative premise, then let the AI build upon my ideas to spin them into fully realized tales. The stories within capture a dazzling array of concepts, characters, and settings. We meet an explorer traversing the multiverse, a ninja warrior forced to choose ...

Before you start. I wrote this science fiction adventure in the hopes of leading young people into the joys of sci-fi possibilities and fun. But it's not limited to youth. I've encountered many older readers that felt the memories of their younger years. So, don't exclude yourself because it's about a genetically altered youth and his struggles in a world that's unique, yet troubled just as is our own. In a mutant sci-fi world, the rebellious son of surface trader Captain Radoon Gydlin, endures dreams of places he hasn’t seen and disasters that haven’t happened. When he visits Below, a ...

It's not the end of the world...only humanity! All five books in the haunting Humanity Series have been brought together in one digital collection. Follow Scott Beck in his quest to keep himself, those he loves, and humanity alive. Combining dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and cyberpunk fiction, The Humanity Series depicts a future in which humanity is on the brink of annihilation. Join the adventure before it's too late!

The first collection by writer Matthew Hughes, and the perfect companion to his acclaimed novel Black Brillion, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories features nine stories taking place in the universe of The Archonate, as well as four non-series stories. The stories of Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth's "foremost freelance discriminator", combine mystery and science fantasy while simultaneously recalling the arch irony of Gene Wolfe and the sly fancies of Jack Vance.

The Sound Of It All Crashing Down is a collection of stories encompassing surrealist horror, apocalyptic sci-fi, and lovecraftian lore, merging these elements to create a sinister mythology all its own. -A man makes a terrible bargain with the denizens of a post-apocalyptic city where experiments are conducted to bring the dead back to life and learn the secrets of the grave. -A woman who uses experimental technology to explore her client’s dreams becomes trapped inside the decaying brain of a dying person. -A grave robber in the far future opens an alien tomb and awakens a monstrosity. A...

Each story will plunge you into a whirlpool of TERROR, leaving you gasping for breath and begging for more! Your perceptions will shift, and every moment will crackle with suspense. So, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, plug in your headphones, and let the madness envelop you. But Remember! Once you dive in, there’s NO ESCAPE from the nightmares that await!

In the modern world, life lessons are not always as black and white as who wins a race between a tortoise and a hare. Modern Day Fables features eleven lessons for us adults, we who face challenges that present a palette of grays in which the morals are often more gritty, trampled on, hard fought, hard won, and not always glorious. In these eleven fables, travel the subterranean world of lessons not oft told because they are challenging to the status quo, and championing of the individual who stands alone amid the world around us. Decide what you think, who wins and who loses, who stands ...