Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Futurism.
Alex The Inventor (Book 2 - Chapter 1)
Read Chapter 1 (Part 1) at: Deep Sky Stories Chapter 1 (Part 1) - Of Lineage and Tokens of Manhood When the boy and his large companion arrived on what became their new Homeworld, they had to learn to survive and adapt to the new environment as best as they could.The boy was fit and hardy though and he had the good sense to pack what provisions he thought were necessary before he began his lone journey from one planet to the other.He first saw his new Homeworld from afar only a year before - that being two of our years.His father, King T'eir of the Valley's southwestern shores, had taken him to the highest tower of his palace on a dark, clear night and pointed up at the tiny blue dot nestled among the stars.It did not appear to be very interesting to the boy at first - it was just a pale blue speck in the darkness and looked much too distant as well. Yet his father told him that that dot in the night sky was a very interesting place indeed. The blue dot was actually nearer to their Homeworld than even the brightest of the stars which turned in the black velvet dome high overhead.How could that be, the boy wondered. It was only a little blue dot in space. There was no other place which could possibly match the beauty and wonders of the boy's own Homeworld.The valley he lived in was a full, rich and wild country all by itself. It was the envy of the Plains People who roamed the cold and dusty steppe-lands beyond his home.In the Valley there were thick, carpets of Ground-Leaf and mosses of every kind grown with care by the Life-Givers of each village. And rich farmlands of the hard-working Tils Clan stretched in thin strips of fertile soil for hundreds of miles along the banks of the mighty River Styx.Then there were the Strand Villages which were clusters of mud huts that stood upon tall, erosion-carved sandstone pillars. The pillars were situated throughout the entire length of the endless river valley. The Valley did seem to be endless, so far did it stretch from East to West, from horizon to horizon.The village pillars all stood a full two miles above the thundering river. A boy, such as he, could run and explore from village to village for weeks on end because each was inter-connected, one to the other by a web of strong rope bridges.A boy could meet new and interesting people all along the way and would never go hungry because the food and bounty from the Valley floor was shared freely among the villagers.No, there was nothing, the boy was sure, which could possibly compare with the splendor of his Homeworld. True, there were a few worrying signs of troubles ahead which the boy often heard his Royal parents discussing with various diplomats and "High-War Moderators" during evening meetings.The meetings had something to do with "accidents" involving the "Moon-War" machines which were somehow reaching the surface of his world and causing serious problems, even fatalities at times, among the nomadic Plains People.But Halden, the son of King T'eir was not afraid of such problems as these. His father would make short work of those nasty little robot Flies, he was sure. No, there was no world as wonderful nor any people as powerful as his race, that was certain.
By G.F. Brynn9 years ago in Futurism
Crossing the Void
There have been many tales told of nights such as this, tales of demons, witches, ghouls, goblins and all manner of foul creatures who seek to enter the world of man when the night sky is at its darkest, the fog at its thickest and when the moon has given itself to the sick and putrid yellow glow of the underworld. Under such a dark and dreadful night, a thin priest dressed in snow white robes rushes from the safety of the church clutching a lantern lit by a fire in his left hand and a worn out leather brown book in his right hand. He sprints to a small one horse drawn carriage which sits at the base of the church's stone steps as he pants and gasps for air the priest tells the frightened stagecoach,
By Winfield Brothers 9 years ago in Futurism
Snapshots of Different Realities
Snapshot 00110001 — The Old Friends The Lorn and the Human sat on Isoclectic Beach on Isidorian (the seventh planet of the large star cluster, not the lesser moon). The sun was setting, and the pair had been drinking for most of the afternoon.
By Kim William9 years ago in Futurism
Top 10 Sci-Fi Comedy Movies
In a world of weird, everyone needs a laugh. A variety of subgenres mesh well with science fiction, but comedy seems to add a new inventiveness to the whole equation. The seriousness of science and the hilarity of comedy together has given us some great iconic movies.
By Kelly Hawks9 years ago in Futurism
Invisible Magic Part 3
Now that Tom had been given the medication it shouldn't take long for it to kick in; clouds had started to form across the sky. The intruders were taken away and were being brought in for questioning. The rain had started to fall down on them as they hoped that Tom would start to come around now that he had started to transform back into his normal self. Something very particular had started to happen, and nobody knew what it was.
By Lizzy Arrow9 years ago in Futurism
The Grand Difference Engine
I wanted to respond to an article that I read here on Vocal. The Consciousness Paradox, by Justin James Gignac, is a great article asking whether or not life is simply a chemical reaction, or something new to the universe altogether. More specifically, is intelligence simply an illusion created by the vast processing power of the brain? If you have read any of my philosophical meanderings, you probably picked up this theme. It has interested me ever since reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? My own philosophy is that life and intelligence are the result of necessity.
By Mickey Finn9 years ago in Futurism
The White Hole—The Black Hole's Opposite
Humanity has always desired to learn more about its surroundings and tried to satisfy its curiosity. Particularly in the modern and ever-evolving age of ingenuity, human beings are constantly striving to unlock the secrets of the cosmos. But for the most part, our probing the unknown only unlocks more questions. We discover something, yet we know next to nothing about its origin or function. It's like a teaser trailer to a movie, except we never know the date when it will be released to theaters when all our questions will be answered.
By John Tuttle9 years ago in Futurism
Outrun Story #28
“And just how do you think you managed to get yourself into this mess, Jimmy?” she says to me like I’ve not been tied to this chair for the last 12 hours thinking about every move I’ve made, everything that I’d done to try and cover my tracks. Fucking invisible, I’ve been invisible, no way they could have known. So, how the hell am I here now about to get my head blown off?
By Outrun Stories9 years ago in Futurism
NASA: Jupiter's Great Red Spot Up Close
NASA's Juno mission has begun to release the very latest images from its JunoCam, taken July 10, 2017 during its close flyby near Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot. It was Juno's sixth flyby near the gas giant in our Solar System.
By Anya Wassenberg9 years ago in Futurism
