Book picks similar to
The Days of Perky Pat by Philip K. Dick


science-fiction
sci-fi
short-stories
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2084: The Short Story Version


Mason Engel - 2017
    Orwell’s dystopia has been stalled - so far. The world wears Lenses, computerized glass contacts manufactured by a corporation called Newsight. The technology is regulated by the Senate, so no one worries about breaches in privacy. A teenage boy named Vincent, however, feels quite differently. After his Senator father tells him that Newsight has been pushing for an appeal on the data regulations, Vincent begins to dig deeper. He learns that Newsight’s CEO claims to want to use the data in his fight against the Order, a terrorist organization whose attacks have recently been mounting in frequency, but the man’s true motives aren’t so clear - until Vincent meets a girl from school whose father is a Newsight developer. There is a trail of bread crumbs in the software’s code. Newsight has a closer relationship to the Order than anyone may have guessed, and the Lenses have been doing more than just running simulations. Caught in the middle of a world blinded by progress, Vincent finally discover the truth. But it might already be too late. “2084” casts a technocentric world into an Orwellian shadow. Told in close but unique parallel to “1984”, Vincent’s ever-quickening journey to the world’s new dystopia has left readers wanting more. Reviews “Honestly I didn't enjoy 1984 and don't usually like Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic stories, so when my friends told me I had to check it out, I was more than hesitant. Surprisingly, after the first few pages, I couldn't put it down. It made my commute to/from work fly by. If 1984 had been this engaging, I would have paid more attention in high school. Perfect short read for book clubs on the go. One complaint: I WANT MORE.” “Engel is able to create vividly detailed environments without slowing the pace his story. Definitely a good quick read that makes me want to see more by him.”

Daemonology


Chris Wraight - 2014
    Finally, on Terathalion, the truth of Mortarion’s sinister heritage will be exposed, and the future of the XIV Legion will be written...READ IT BECAUSEThe Death Guard have already embraced treachery, but this story follows their Primarch as he continues upon the road that will eventually doom his Legion to a plague-wracked damnation.THE STORYChagrined by his defeat at the hands of Jaghatai Khan, Mortarion abandons the pursuit of the White Scars and instead leads the Death Guard in a spiteful, punitive rampage across the systems of the Prosperine empire. World after world has fallen to this horrific onslaught, and yet the insular and secretive primarch seems preoccupied by some other, unspoken goal. Finally, on Terathalion, the truth of Mortarion's sinister heritage will be exposed, and the future of the XIV Legion will be written...This story is also available in Blades of the Traitor.

The Butcher of Anderson Station


James S.A. Corey - 2011
    One day, Colonel Fred Johnson will be hailed as a hero to the system. One day, he will meet a desperate man in possession of a stolen spaceship and a deadly secret and extend a hand of friendship. But long before he became the leader of the Outer Planets Alliance, Fred Johnson had a very different name. The Butcher of Anderson Station. This is his story.Word Count: ~9,000 words

Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare


James Dashner - 2011
    Short flashback that occurs between "The Scorch Trials" and "The Death Cure."

Origins: The Fire


Debra Driza - 2013
    It's normal to have some memory loss after traumatic events, but Mila doesn't remember if she's ever learned to ride a bike, or if she's ever been in love. Nothing.What she doesn't know is that she isn't supposed to remember—that she was built in a computer science lab and programmed to forget. Because if she remembers, she might discover her true identity.The question is: If she relived the fire, what would she see?

What's Expected of Us


Ted Chiang - 2005
    A short science fiction story as a part of the collection 'Exhalation' by Ted Chiang.

1979 Short Stories (Study Guide): The Way of Cross and Dragon


Books LLC - 2010
    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: The Way of Cross and Dragon. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: "The Way of Cross and Dragon" is a science fiction short story by George R. R. Martin. It involves a far-future priest of the One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds (with similarities to the Roman Catholic hierarchy) investigating a sect that reveres Judas Iscariot. The story deals with the nature and limitations of religious faith. The story originally appeared in the June 1979 issue of Omni. Damien Har Veris, a priest skilled in resolving heretical disputes efficiently, is sent as Knight Inquisitor, despite spiritual exhaustion, by his alien archbishop to deal with a particular cult that has made a saint of Judas Iscariot. The sect follows a religious text, The Way of Cross and Dragon, that describes the life of Iscariot, and revises his place in Christianity. The text describes how, born of a prostitute, Iscariot mastered the dark arts to become a tamer of dragons and the ruler of a great empire. After torturing Christ, Iscariot relinquished his empire to become the penitent Legs of Christ, the first and best-beloved of the Twelve Apostles. Returning from proselytising to find Christ crucified, an enraged Iscariot then destroyed the perpetrating empire and strangled St. Peter for renouncing Christ, only to discover, too late, Christ's Resurrection. Rejecting Judas' violence, Christ restored St. Peter to life and gave him the keys of the kingdom. St. Peter then suppressed the truth about Judas, villifying his name and exploits. Seeking redemption for his wrath, Iscariot became the thousand-year-old Wandering Ju, before finally rejoining Christ in the Kingdom of God. Perusing the materials of the sect, Har Veris finds hims...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=230181

Promises of London


Hugh Howey - 2014
    It can be read in ten minutes. Please don't purchase this expecting a novel for your dollar.This story was written in a small cafe on the corner of Bleeker and Grove in New York City on Tuesday, May 27th. The idea came to me yesterday while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. I saw the locks on several of the small cables on the bridge. I remembered my time in both London and Paris, taking pictures of all the love locks on bridges there. And I thought about all the couples those locks represent. I wondered how many are still together.Maybe this story isn't worth your dollar. If I could price a work on Amazon for less, I would. It is what it is. I hope this will be the first of many short pieces that I write and publish in a single day while recording what I'm thinking and where I am when I write them. For those who take the plunge, I hope you get your money's worth. Thank you for all of your support.-Hugh

Perihelion


Dan Abnett - 2012
    This story was originally published in the Black Library Games Day Anthology 2012.

If at First . . .


Peter F. Hamilton - 2007
    Hamilton has proven himself a modern master of epic space opera, carrying the tradition of far-future empire building begun by Heinlein and Asimov into the new millennium. But Hamilton is also a master of the short story, and when he tackles one of science fiction’s most enduring themes—time travel—the result is as provocative as it is entertaining. It starts in 2007 with a break-in. The victim: Marcus Orthew, the financial and technological genius behind Orthanics, the computer company whose radical products have delivered a one-two punch to the industry, all but knocking PCs and Macs out of the ring. The perpetrator: a man obsessed with Orthew. Just another simple case of celebrity stalking—or so everyone assumes at first, including Metropolitan Police Chief Detective David Lanson. But when Lanson interviews the suspect, he makes a startling claim: Orthew is from the future. Or, rather, a future—a parallel timeline. Thus begins the ride of a lifetime for Lanson, as his pursuit of the facts tumbles him headlong down a rabbit hole—and the hunter finds himself hunted.

The Brink


Martyn J. Pass - 2016
    Humanity had barely survived The Panic 70 years earlier and now the slow death brought on by the collapse of society seems unavoidable, especially as it seems the worst is still to come. Accompanied by a strange hound he rescued from the labs deep beneath the Fort, Alan sets out to aid the survivors who struggle to hold back mankind's final hour, joining up with a handful of soldiers desperately trying to fan the embers of mankind into life once more. But Alan has a secret he's desperate to hide and which threatens to be revealed with every action he takes. Can his fear of discovery be overcome so that mankind can stand a chance of surviving? Or will humanity topple over the brink as he stands by and watches? Following on from Project - 16, The Brink tells the story of a man who faces a destiny he neither wants nor is prepared for and starts Alan Harding on a path to legend.

Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box


Mira Grant - 2011
    Every week five friends get together to play a game-- a game they call the Apocalypse Game. It's a fun time with chips and beer and plotting the end of the world. Except this time, one of them is missing and the stakes are higher than ever before.Word count: ~3,900

Sleeper


Jo Walton - 2014
    And from more directions.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

The Barnhouse Effect


Pat Cook - 1950
    It originally appeared in 1950 in Collier's Weekly. It is also the subject of an Alexisonfire song. The protagonist, Professor Arthur Barnhouse, develops the ability to affect physical objects & events thru the force of his mind. He calls his power 'dynamo-psychism'. He makes the mistake of telling the government about his power. When they try to turn him into a weapon, Barnhouse decides that he is the first weapon with a conscience, & goes into hiding. While in this reclusive state the Professor uses his 'dynamo-psychic' powers to destroy large quantities of weapons, & other things used in states of war. He realizes tho, that he will die eventually & decides to pass down his "powers" to an ex-student. The story is told as a report by this ex-student, hence the title.

The First Star to Fall


Diana Peterfreund - 2013
    A place of perfect peace, where “war” was only a war out of ancient history–or so the privileged teenage aristocrat Persis Blake had always been taught.But then comes the revolution and the death of a queen, and suddenly it’s no longer enough for Persis to trust the words of her parents, the lessons of her teachers, and the decrees of the men in power.One terrible night, Persis witnesses the truth: there are those who will stop at nothing to destroy her world… but is there anyone who could save it?