Eric James Stone's "The greatest science-fiction story ever written" (flash fiction, humor, free)

An aspiring sf writer working for a quantum computing company is sick of rejection slips. During a discussion with a company engineer, later proposes a brilliant solution - a story that adapts itself automatically to reader, becoming the best story for that reader!

As we will learn, even this great a technology has issues...

Fact sheet.

First published: Nature, #467 (28 October 2010).
Download full text from publisher's site. [via artyw2@rasfw]
Rating: A.

Some "brilliant" but forgotten SF books

New Scientist recently "asked scientists and writers to nominate their lost sci-fi classics", & has published the responses - with some commentary.

I personally find the choices by non-authors on this list more interesting - I had not generally even heard of those books.

[via artyw2@rasfw] (via link includes a long discussion thread at rasfw, including alternate lists)

Related: "best of" lists.

Philip K Dick's "Piper in the Woods" (short story, free): A world that turns men into plants!

Asteroid Y-3 in asteroid belt is actually an earth-like world - earth gravity, natural air & water, native animals & plants, ... Even native intelligent inhabitants, probably descended from Martians.

Man has set up a sort of immigration station there, The Garrison. All outer space traffic is cleared here.

A mysterious contagion has began affecting the men working here: they claim they've become plants, but are otherwise rational; they bask in the sunlight all day & don't work; it's impossible to awaken them from sleep at night.

Dr Henry Harris on earth is assigned the job of unraveling the mystery. He will succeed, with the results you can already guess...

See also.

1. John Taine's "The Ultimate Catalyst": Technology to actually turn men into plants! Set in a jungle in South America.

Fact sheet.

First published: Imagination, February 1953.
Download full text from Project Gutenberg, Manybooks, Feedbooks.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Philip K Dick.

Eric Frank Russell's "Venturer of the Martian Mimics" aka "I, Spy" aka "Spiro" (novelette, detective, free): Exploits of a Martian spy on earth

This is a detective story: Chief Inspector McKechnie of Scotland Yard, with help from Dr Lanigan, solving the case of very unusual phenomena happening around London & then in rest of Europe: a man murdered by electrocution several miles from nearest power lines, then he's seen boarding a bus & a train several hours after his death! A shape shifter that gives electric shocks to anyone touching it. Someone breaking into sensitive installations clearly for espionage purposes. They'll eventually kill the uncatchable.

There is no mystery for reader, though. We see the alien land & shapeshift in the first scene itself. Still a good read; I finished it in a single sitting.

Fact sheet.

First published: Tales of Wonder, #12 (Autumn 1940).
Download full text as part of scans of the Weird Tales, May 1947 (Canadian Edition) where it was reprinted.
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of Eric Frank Russell (annotated & ranked list).

Giri Vijayakumar's "Genome" (flash fiction, humor, free): Capitalism at work to contain mosquito breeding!

There is a very funny Hindi movie lampooning Indira Gandhi's administration of mid 1970s, I think directed or produced by I S Johar; I cannot recollect the title (it's set in an imaginary country called Jana Gana Mana Pradesh!) It has a very funny episode involving incentives for rat-catchers. This story is in similar vein.

One very obvious criticism: does author seriously imagine Rs 1 & Rs 50 will mean much in the year 2052? But that's minor point in an otherwise good story.

Story summary.

Mayor of Madras city in the year 2052 has decided to up his chances for reelection by solving a major problem of the city: getting rid of mosquitoes! A perfect plan using great technology. What he hasn't accounted for is human nature...

Fact sheet.

First published: Storywheel, 19 October 2010.
Download full text from author's site.
Rating: A.

John Gilbey's "Corrective action" (flash fiction, fatal software bug, free)

Untested upgrade of software controlling an airlock at some sort of private facility on moon killed a government safety inspector. Administration of the facility has been covering up the incident by doctoring records.

Another safety inspector catches the administration at its act, but gets only a smirk from facility's chief; what the hell can inspector do, apart from imposing a minor fine? What the chief doesn't know is that dead inspector was the "partner" of the visitor, & visitor is not about to let the facility get away with it...

Fact sheet.

First published: Nature, #464 (22 April 2010).
Download full text from publisher's site.
Rating: B.

Voltaire's "The Dog and the Horse" (short story, non-genre, free): Never look at pugmarks of royal animals!

From editor's introduction in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, October 1954, where it was reprinted: "One of the earliest detectives in history--the prototype of Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin".

Indian readers will find a lot of similarity with Akbar/Birbal stories; & equally funny. Though not exactly with a happy ending that characterizes local variety.

Story summary.

Zadig, a philosopher who's extensively studied "the properties of plants & animals", is walking through the woods on the banks of Euphrates when he is accosted by queen's eunuch & king's huntsman. Looks like queen's bitch & king's horse have escaped.

Zadig becomes prime suspect -- nah, convict for having stolen the animals -- because of his superb reasoning abilities! Fun ensues.

See also.

1. Plato's "Apology" (download English translation): Innocent & funny interactions of Zadig with royal animal searchers reminded me of similar naivete of Socrates in this mostly funny classic.

Fact sheet.

First published: 1747? Where?
Download full text from ebooks@Adelaide. A much more readable translation is available as a somewhat less convenient download - in scans of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, October 1954, included in this larger package.
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of Voltaire.