Disneyland with the Death Penalty by William Gibson

I have never been to Singapore, and I’m not interested in how accurate this article reflects the city in 1993. Continue reading →

All But Empty by Graham Greene

The setting is what sells this story. It takes place in a small run-down cinema that shows nothing but silent Continue reading →

Alone by Robert Reed

Yesterday’s story was on a large scale, a four kilometre long spaceship. Let’s try something larger. Indeed, today’s one is Continue reading →

Monkey Suit by Alastair Reynolds

Reynolds loves things on a large scale. Take the opening paragraph: “A lighthugger is a four kilometre spike of armour Continue reading →

Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald

At one point Fitzgerald described this story as “a sort of first draft for the Gatsby idea.” And while both Continue reading →

The Hated by Frederik Pohl

Early on an astronaut in a bar is asked: “What’s it like to fly to Mars on a rocket?” His Continue reading →

What This Story Needs is a Giant Gorilla by Darrell Schweitzer

What makes a story an enduring classic? Schweitzer approaches this from the other direction by looking at one that is Continue reading →

Nobody’s Home by Joanna Russ

Readers are easily lost when presented with a busy and unfamiliar setting. Russ succeeds admirably by concentrating on the comings Continue reading →