Dystopian Short Stories

Chicken Little was right after all. The sky literally is falling. In a cataclysmic turn of events, the ambitious venture of asteroid mining spirals into a nightmarish scenario that no one saw coming—except perhaps, the fabled Chicken Little. It began with a boom as colossal machines drilled deep into the heart of a massive asteroid, seeking the treasures within. But what followed was a catastrophe of cosmic proportions. The failure was spectacular, an explosive mishap that sent the asteroid shattering into a million pieces, unleashing a torrent of carbon flakes upon the Earth. These ...

In the Shadow of the Towers compiles nearly 20 works of speculative fiction responding to and inspired by the events of 9/11, from writers seeking to confront, rebuild, and carry on, even in the face of overwhelming emotion.

The balloons fell. The trains derailed. The shelves went bare. We got sick. We died. Survival in the midst of an unknown threat, one that appears on the brink of ending life as we know it.

Step into the decaying halls of Grimwood and feel your grip on reality slip away. Every whisper, every shadow, every creaking floorboard will set your nerves on fire! A sweet warning: This psychological thrill ride will shatter your perceptions and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew! Is it real? Is it delusion? You won't know until it's far too late! Face the horrors lurking in the depths of your own mind! But remember - in Grimwood, escape is just another cruel illusion. So are you brave enough to lose your mind?

This 1911 collection of thirty-three stories, selected and revised by the author from amongst his huge output of short fiction, includes tales of comedy, horror, monsters, and strange worlds. In his Introduction, Wells writes that the book brings together, “All the short stories by me that I care for any one to read again,” and that, “No short story of mine of the slightest merit is excluded from this volume.”

Are you ready for a journey through the universe? Look no further than Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 14, the latest collection from The Shadowplay Collective. This anthology of short stories will take you on a thrilling ride through the unknown, as you explore new worlds, meet alien species, and witness the wonders of advanced technology. Within the pages of Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 14, you'll find tales that will transport you to distant galaxies, where battles are fought between robotic armies and where time travel is possible. You'll meet characters who struggle to survive...

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.

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 ...

He doesn’t know how to love and cannot bring himself to hate her, so all he can offer is tender cruelty. A boy who was never taught how to love. A man bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. A villain who holds the power to destroy the very girl he cannot let go. Who is Asher Rudd? In this raw and compelling prequel, fully narrated from Asher’s perspective, discover the secrets behind the man who commands Kiara Bennet’s world. Haunted by a childhood he can’t escape and a promise he refuses to break, Asher lives a life ruled by control—until Kiara storms into his life. ...

Brace yourself. The earth is hungry, and you're on the menu. "The Abyssal Hunger: A Short Horror Story" isn't just an audiobook—it's a descent into madness that'll hijack your senses and haunt your dreams. Feel your heart pound as ancient horrors awaken. Gasp as reality warps around you. Shudder as the ground beneath your feet comes alive with ravenous intent. Every shadow will become a threat. Every tremor, a warning of impending doom.

Short stories about dystopian worlds created by people longing for immortality and power. Once attained—what's next for humanity?

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-...

One sunny day in the middle of a pandemic, Posey Pig decides her life would better serve others if she ended it. However, a chance meeting with an unlikely friend encourages her to reconsider, and they both discover something worth fighting for.

Rise of the Gender Clones in a World With Only Men Jon Berringer is your typical male in the year 2240 – smart, comfortable, and very confused by the sudden announcement that females will be returning. After females stopped being born in 2042, the world quickly became dominated by the male population. At some point, someone realized no new women were being born, and that's when the New World Order Initiative began. After the last female on the planet died in 2173 at the age of 131, the program to fix the problem took off in earnest as it was realized that with no women on the planet, the ...

"One of Me - 2 Near Future Short Stories" is a gripping collection of two short stories set in a not-too-distant future, each unraveling compelling narratives that entwine technology, morality, and the human spirit. In "The Last Rejection" readers are introduced to a world startlingly similar to our own, but with an ominous twist. The story follows the journey of a frustrated job candidate who, after facing one rejection too many, embarks on a dark path of revenge. This tale masterfully explores the depths of desperation and the dangerous consequences of a society driven by cutthroat ...

After surviving a nearly insurmountable peril, a starship captain returns to Earth with his badly distressed ship and remaining crew and passengers in hyper sleep over three hundred years after they were believed to be destroyed and finds his most perilous trial. In humanity’s drive towards individuality by being like everyone else, due to genetic manipulation there are only 33 standard female and male models and he and his crew will be made beautiful like everyone else unless he can figure out a way to stop it.

When Captain Jade Rhodes returns from a 50-year space mission, she expects a hero’s welcome. Instead, she finds a world she no longer recognizes—where history has been rewritten, space exploration outlawed, and humanity crushed under an iron-fisted regime. Branded a liar and traitor, Jade is thrust into the heart of a brutal rebellion led by Rax, a hardened freedom fighter with secrets of his own. Together, they must ignite hope in a society ruled by fear. But as the enemy closes in, Jade discovers that the resistance's survival depends on more than courage—it hinges on her lost ...

A Forbidden Truth. A Haunting Past. A Reckoning Unfolds. Some secrets should remain buried, but these won’t stay hidden. A cloning experiment spirals into chaos, its horrifying consequences bleeding into reality. Shadows twist and whisper as spectral hauntings refuse to be ignored, dragging their victims into the unknown. Betrayal poisons trust, transforming love into a battlefield where survival demands sacrifice. Vigilante justice is swift and merciless. Covert operations unravel under deception’s weight. The past claws its way into the present. Chilling kidnappings unfold where ...

It’s the hottest winter on record, but Raymond’s demanding, bedridden mother doesn’t mind. She likes it warm. Lately, however, control over the thermostat has become a nasty struggle. And each morning that she’s still alive is a suffocating new challenge for Raymond. How high can the mercury climb before he boils over?

Meet Simion, who navigates a landscape where familiar faces vanish from the ballot, replaced by a spectrum of virtues. Loyalty, confidence, and honesty—these virtues redefine the criteria for leadership, challenging traditional notions - vote for traits, not people. As the votes are cast, how will the moral compass guide our new leader? Join Simion as he grapples with existential questions: Will forgiveness soften justice? Will righteousness reign supreme? Or will chaos concoct a cure for society's ruin?