Published: Jan. 23, 2011
Words: 18,991 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458025999

Short description

From a prison break gone wrong to a young girl stowed away on an alien vessel to a super mall orbiting Pluto, this collection of three short stories and one novelette spans the spectrum of Science Fiction.

Extended description

"The Spacer's Blade"- Hunted down and then trapped on a foreign planet, a young alien struggles to survive in a new environment.

"Crawlies"- A young girl stows away on an alien vessel but her ingenuity and courage might end up saving them all.

"I, Vermin"- Nico's life as a Greeter on the super mall orbiting Pluto has gone nowhere up until now. Even as tragedy strikes, a strange change overtakes him and he finds himself with a second chance.

"Slingshot"- Jackie Banner performs a daring prison break, and an even more daring maneuver to escape pursuit.

This collection of three short stories and one novelette spans the spectrum of Science Fiction.

Annie Bellet has sold stories to magazines such as AlienSkin, Contrary, and Daily Science Fiction. She lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.

Tags

short stories, science fiction, collection, spaceships, space station

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Reviews

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Review by: Alastair Mayer on Feb. 05, 2011 :
I'm always up for a good space adventure, and this collection delivers four of them. Annie Bellet goes beyond old time pulp-era space opera with fascinating and unique characters, like Sadie, the young teen who stows away on an alien ship in "Crawlies", or Nicodemus in "I, Vermin." There's imagination here that puts the I in alien. Okay, that didn't come out right. Ms Bellet's imagination comes through in her writing to lend a fresh air of exotic to her settings that is missing from a lot of short SF these days.

I was going to give this 4 stars, figuring this is Bellet's early work and I'm sure she is only going to get better. But then I decided what the heck and gave it 5. It's worth it.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Gerald M. Weinberg on Feb. 02, 2011 :
If you, like me, like aliens, this little collection of stories is for you.

Me, I'm not ordinarily a short-story reader, but I'd heard hopeful rumors about Annie Bellet's writing, so I (virtually) grabbed a copy of the eBook. Grabbed it and (literally) couldn't put it down. Then I decided to write this review as an attempt to figure out why.

So, what did "The Spacer’s Blade," "Crawlies," and "I, Vermin" have in common? First thing popping in my head was the lovability of the aliens. By this I don't mean cutesy lovability, like, say, ET in the movie. Rather, I mean lovability in their alien humanity.

Alien humanity? Isn't that an oxymoron? Not to Ms. Bellet, whose carefully crafted stories seem to tell us: "Look beneath the surface. So what if that surface doesn't display pink or brown skin? What if it lacks two eyes with a nose symmetrically between them? What if it fails to match ten fingers—or has no fingers at all? No, even if you've never seen or felt or smelled such a surface down below you will find those lovable qualities."

And what qualities are they? How about curiosity? Desire to communicate? Respect and care for the sick, wounded, and dying? Understanding, patience, and protection for young creatures? And, perhaps most of all, the love of life and the eagerness to live?

If you're like me, Ms. Bellet's stories will help you experience the full breadth and depth of your love—love reaching far into the unknown universe.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

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