Sci-Fi Story? Stories? Recommendations Please

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Can anyone recommend a sci-fi story, or stories, on BCTS? I'm thinking of and have just written the first few paragraphs of something I feel has something to it, and I'm looking for the vibe of sci-fi stories on here.

I'm looking for something that's about people in their twenties or thirties, not about war or combat, and more about personal and societal issues. Think Ursula K Le Guin more than the Honor Harrington series. Aliens are not required, and there's a moderate preference for no aliens unless the issues are very human. There's a strong preference for the trans person not to suddenly become a woman through the wonders of science (or magical science, being indistinguishable, etc.)

Short stories, novellas, novels, serials, anything is fine as long as the writing is quality.

Thanks so much!

Ms Woolly

Comments

Your Own Stories

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Someone messaged me some links to their own stories. Feel free to post here for your own stories if you want. I have no issue with someone promoting themselves in the replies. You wouldn't have posted the story online in the first place if you didn't think it had merit. And you can't expect anyone to promote your work if you're not willing to do it yourself.

The more the merrier!

Try

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joannebarbarella's picture

"Do Constructs Dream Of Electric Sheep?" right here on our contest, by Melanie E.

Mermaids in Space

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Emma Anne Tate's picture

I really enjoyed Cassy Bee’s Mermaids in Space! I can’t recommend either of my own SciFi stories, Maximum Warp or Decision Matrix, since each of them has at least two of the SciFi story elements you are trying to avoid.

Emma

Don't listen to Emma about her stories

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Patricia Marie Allen's picture

"Maximum Warp" is definitely worth the read, even if it doesn't fit the bill of what you're looking for. Decision Matrix is also great.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann

Thanks, Patricia!

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Emma Anne Tate's picture

I like both of those stories, and I’m delighted that you do, too! But as a life-long fan of Ursula LeGuin’s writing, I know that’s not the vibe of either of my stories. (Not to mention that LeGuin is completely out of my league, but there’s no shame in that. She’s out of almost everyone’s league!)

Emma

You know your shizzle

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Thanks, Patricia.

You know your shizzle. I don't know if I've read an Emma story before but I'm glad you pointed me towards one (Maximum Warp.) It's the first story I've read in a long time that engaged me and felt transparent enough to make me think of my own writing (Do I want to imitate Emma? Does it simply inspire me?) And it's definitely not LeGuin. However it is in the same vein, if we're thinking about sociological understanding of language instead of sociological understanding of people and society. A little bit of Soap Opera Postmodernism.

It does want me to try harder, though. At least for myself. Not for that amount of comments. I don't think I want to amuse as much, not with the story I'm thinking of/working on. But if Emma wants to make me think I'd take a recommendation of yours or hers. Is that too much to ask?

Thank you Patricia. And thank you Emma.

MsWoolly

Science Fiction

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Melanie Brown's picture

I have several science fiction stories, some in a war setting, some not. One fun story set in the same universe as Do Contructs Dream of Electric Sheep is Christmas in Space. My Mutation series I'd call Science Fiction, Quantum Immortality, Virtual Vacation, Literally Virtual, Time on Our Hands just to name a few.

Melanie

Girl Park?

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Emma Anne Tate's picture

Your “Girl Park” stories are also SciFi, I think — even though they seem like they are showcasing tech that will be here before we know it. Which is scary given how manipulative tech can be, but . . .

Well.

I’d just really like to get hold of one of those game modules. Know what I mean? :)

Emma

Dystopian Fiction

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If I've read your blog correctly, this story seems to fit.

Amy's Sanctity is about a woman in her twenties who is oblivious to what is happening around her until it creates issues she can't ignore.

This was written quite some time ago but is more relevant today than it was then.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Marking Your Card - your exceptional story.

Jill

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Hubris?

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I guess it's a bit hubristic, but I suppose I might recomment my own story, Constant in All Other Things? Though to be fair, the first half of it isn't really sci-fi-ish, much, I really settled into the sci-fi groove in the more recent writing (the Interlude). Then again, when I started writing it 17 years ago I imagined it set about, oh, 20 years in the future - oops, now-ish. So I've shifted it another twenty, thirty years forward. The Coming Wave and Homo Deus and other futurist writings' been an inspiration for some of this.

More professional stuff? I dunno, I've been reading N.K.Jemisin and that's pretty good sci-fi/fantasy with some LGBTQ+ diversity...

I've written a sci-fi story

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SaraKel's picture

My story Mystic Godfather is not a perfect fit with your description but includes a sci-fi premise. It's the first story I wrote with TG as an aspect and not the entire focus. I can't say more as I don't want to spoil. Is a mysterious picture enough to pique your interest?

Mystic Godfather

Human-centered SciFi, chockablock with personal issues

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laika's picture

THIS QUINTESSENCE OF DUST is one of the first stories I posted here and probably my best attempt at serious science fiction. With only two characters it is very character driven; a last humans on Earth situation with all the existential implications of that, it deals mostly with how they cope psychologically in such a hopeless situation, to find purpose when they have none. There's humor in it, but it's pretty sardonic, and there's a few touching moments about the power of friendship in dismal situations. There are no aliens, no radioactive mutant zombies for them to battle; just two astronauts who have returned to a depopulated planet, searching for other survivors and some reason to hope. I can't 100% promise that nobody magically turns into a girl in this story, but if they did even that would be more about the mental changes involved than "Wheee I'm a girl now! Let's go SHOPPING!!" and the magic itself would occur almost as an afterthought, an epilogue to...
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/4779/this-quintessenc...

And if this doesn't sound like your cup of post-apocalyptic tea I'm sure you'll find something
like what you're looking for; There's all kinds of excellent SF here at BigCloset...
~hugs, Veronica

.
"Government will only recognize 2 genders, male + female,
as assigned at birth-" (In his own words:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1lugbpMKDU

Space Stories

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Here are three of mine that are short stories, but are within the realm of what you are asking for Nightingale, Space Angel, and NightJar.

garfieldwritingsf.jpg“
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
― Toni Morrison

Breanna Ramsey

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While most of her works are solid, and SF, they may not be quite what you're looking for. However, take a look at Genomorph -

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/1166/genomorph

While it does have some combat in it, that's not the focus. It has a lot of psychological struggle involved.

I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Self-centered

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Perhaps, but I can only point to some of mine (all short stories):
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/83005/anomaly-star-tr...
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/88790/deniability
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/97329/revert-default
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/84371/technology-malf...
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/83531/virtuality
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/91514/visited
On compiling this list I am surprised that I only have 6 of my SciFi stories on BCTS!
I have a second anthology of Science Fiction to be published by Doppler in a couple of months, but the first is available:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RTWZWJ8
That book "Space and Time for Romance" has 13 stories including 9 that are not here - I will add a couple.
The latest book has 15 stories with none appearing here.
Maybe I should post more SciFi?
Maryanne

These might be SciFi-ish and might be what you're looking for ..

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I'm afraid I'm a little bit "off your mark" in my story recommendations.

I've linked directly to a story by an author. This seems to me, to be the easiest way to get to an author's story list. Once you get to the Author's list you can browse further.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/97364/876976880-circu....
A few other stories look to be SF.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/73936/fantastic-mars

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/94896/wings-part-01-62. A lot of this author's work is odd blend between Sc-Fi (mysterious alien gifts) and fantasy, and how humans deal with it.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/67284/enchanted-val...

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/36291/xenomorphs. Looks to be Sci-Fi. Steph C writes a >lot< of really nice (non-SF) 'relationship' stories.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/91166/summers-current.... A blend of SF and a lot of Witchy magic, toss in >The< Olympian Gods, a bit of time-hopping. Some battles, the bad guys get turned into (at best) goo, at worst get dumped into the Void of non-existance ... Just about all the aliens are good guys. Not quite finished, but we can 'finish it in our heads'. (Hang on for a lot of Point-of-View 'jumps'.)

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/87875/haints-part-1. This time, the Alien Invading Nanotech is/are the Good Ones.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/31152/shepherd-moon Fairly 'hard' SF. Sorry, some space battles. Author has a lot of other very good stuff.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/8384/superstring-swim...

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/9148/morfs-better-lat.... If a body-bending and Powers-granting super-virus counts as SF. Some very nice stories; 'Journey To Humanity' has some dark bits; maybe read other stories first. Others have written in the MORFs universe. Ray also has some just really nice non-SF stories. And see also his Trust Machines.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/75275/meagans-tail-ch1 Not SF, but too good to omit. A nice story of a Family Blessing/not-much-of-a-curse.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/68090/11th-sun 'Hard SF', Weird - see intro.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/41119/angel-season-on... Great start, but very sadly, unfinished.

https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/18023/cynthia-chronicles Not SF. But way Too Nice to omit. Think "kinder, gentler, reformed Spells-R-Us Wizard" plus genetic Witches. And kittens. Hard to say which story to start with. "An Incremental Journey" may be 'the beginning'. Starts slow and sad, but stick with it. Gets better soon.

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