Readers' Choice 2023 - Science Fiction - Stories

Ryker thought he volunteered for an experiment that would help his government in a war against an alien planet. He didn't know he would become the experiment, or that he'd end up on a planet full of aliens that killed humans on sight. He wasn't exactly human anymore though.

Kyle does not want to leave his home behind, but he has no choice. He is assigned to a remote scientific outpost on the planet Tantalus where he meets Jim, the xenobiologist in charge of researching the indigenous species. Almost as soon as he arrives, though, strange things start happening. Things that could compromise Kyle's future, or even his life...

Alex Walker is your average Kid, he loves computers and conspiracy theories. On a normal Saturday, he and his brother are wrenched from their lives and hidden in an underground bunker for six months. Alex must find out why he and the other children have been put down there and survive to emerge from the bunker. With strange happenings and a saboteur, Alex has his hands full with the group of teens he must now lead.

Sure, alien shifters lost their planet lived on Earth. Miah'd never met one, so he ignored all the gossip. Then he moved to the city for school. After years of focus he let loose on the cusp of graduation and headed to a bar with his roommate. How could one conversation about shifters hunting humans would cause so much trouble? Ambushed and trapped, he refused to give in. His life, everything he'd ever wanted, is at risk. Will he find the right way out?

An extraterrestrial condemned to a long exile on Earth is forced to experience pain the way humans do. A bittersweet story of rebellion, punishment, and eventual triumph.

LIVES + LOVES + LOSSES = LESSONS

In 2050, humanity finds out they are indeed not alone. Massive crafts appear without warning above the capitals of all major nations. The planet Tah'Nar is dying. Chemical warfare reduced the warrior race to sterility. They need fresh DNA in order to reproduce... and so they turn to Earth. Dale Michael assumes he's safe since he's under the age limit for The Harvest. How wrong he is!

It was close. Humanity almost destroyed itself. Among the ruins there's only one Island city which still has technology the rest of the world can only envy. The entire city depends on spark. If anything were to happen to it… Well. it's better not to think about it. My name's Rick. I'm a Peacekeeper in that city. My city. I'll defend it from anyone who tries to destroy our source of spark. Even if it's a secret agent, deadly and cunning...

Sheriff Taylor is notified that an object has been seen streaking across the sky. In seeking answers, he discovers it was a meteorite, but then people start getting ill. Are these two events related and what are they going to do to stop the spread of the illness?

Arad Ansari is a homeless street slug in the Grey District A-5 colony. Work is hard to come by and he has to compete with the animal/human hybrids called DemiShou, forcing him to make his way in less than savory methods. Getting off-planet sounds like a godsend, but fate has a way of complicating the best opportunities of a man with little luck.

Lonely spaceport worker Devin McSmith meets Bastian Drago, an exotic and beastly alien from the planet Dega, and begins an adventure that takes him to the stars and beyond.