Rubbing is Racing by Charles Payseur

This is the next short story in the Event Horizon 2017 collection of short stories highlighting authors who are eligible for the 2017 Campbell award for best new writer.

Published: June, 2015 in Lightspeed Magazine

Genre: science fiction

Setting: a doomed planet, some time in the future

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

I picked a random book off my Kindle to read while I was waiting for some holds to come in from the library. This book is the first in the Spin trilogy that Tor provided free as part of their e-book club.

Published: 2005

Genre: science fiction

Length: 458 pages

Setting: present-day (kind of) Earth

A Handful of Dal by Naru Dames Sundar

This is the next short story in the Event Horizon 2017 collection of short stories highlighting authors who are eligible for the 2017 Campbell award for best new writer.

Published: June, 2016 in Lightspeed People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction

Genre: science fiction

Setting: a spaceship (or maybe a series of them), in the future

Summary: We follow a family that is emigrating from earth to a new planet via the perspective of the creation of dal for a special meal. We start with the original recipe from earth with lots of spices, and the elements in the recipe are slowly whittled away throughout the generations as times get hard. One member of the family finds a way off the main ship and to a new world, and the recipe slowly improves until it returns to its initial form on the new world.

Final thoughts: It’s a standard story told in a fascinating form. You can see the privations on the ship as the recipe gets more simplified. And then salvation is at hand, and the recipe improves. Many generations pass in the story, since every time a recipe is presented, there is commentary on the changes since the last recipe. Very enjoyable.

Title comes from: the recipe that was at the heart of the story started with a handful of dal

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, you can click on the cover image or title to follow an Amazon affiliate link to the book and thanks for supporting my blog!

The ZOMBEE Project by Allison Mulder

This is the next short story in the Event Horizon 2017 collection of short stories highlighting authors who are eligible for the 2017 Campbell award for best new writer.

Published: March 2, 2017 in EscapePod (you can either read or listen to the story for free at the link)

Genre: science fiction

Setting: near future, the United States

Emergency Management Protocol by C.C.S. Ryan

This is the next story in the Events Horizon 2017 Anthology.

Published: September 2016 in Fireside Magazine

Genre: science fiction

Setting: a newly colonized planet, far future

Reclamation by Ryan Row

This is the first short story in the Event Horizon 2017 collection of short stories highlighting authors who are eligible for the 2017 Campbell award for best new writer.

Published: August, 2016 in Clarkesworld Magazine

Genre: science fiction

Setting: the asteroid belt, near future

State of Decay by James Knapp

This book has been on my To Be Read list so long I’ve forgotten why I put it there in the first place. I was looking for some science fiction or fantasy to read, and decided to get something that’s been on the list for a while.

Published: 2010

Genre: science fiction

Length: 370 pages

Setting: near future, a big American city