Author Description

Sci-fi stories... do we love them because we love science, because we love fiction, or simply because we love what the human imagination-in the "hardness" of science and the "softness" of fiction-can produce? Whatever the origins of our love for science-fiction, we love well spun tales of technological wonders and imposing aliens. These stories have all the "gee-whiz" technologies, futuristic scenarios, and "it-could-never-happen" situations that make sci-fi so fascinating... and just plain fun. Our collection begins with Cris Jolliff's "The Last Astronauts," the story of space station workers who are abandoned to the emptiness of space when the human population of Earth appears to have been annihilated by a super-virus. With little hope of either rescue or resupply from Earth, the six person crew is confronted with harsh existential questions and daunting technological challenges. Bill Freas picks on a similar frightful space travel theme in "Flying Solo." Freas's lead character engages in space flight as recreation, only to find that his journey is being directed by a group of mechanistic sadists. This traveler's brush with death at the edge of Earth's atmosphere prompts him to rethink his past relationships and present priorities. Renee, the lead character in Melba Pena's "The Morning After," also experiences terror, but a terror brought on by an encounter with a shadowy figure in a post-apocalyptic future. Pena's story invites the reader to think about how one would react to a lone eerie presence on a world otherwise devoid of life. What would win out? Gratitude for the companionship or fear over the unknown? William Walz, an accomplished author in many genres, adopts the pen of a sci-fi writer in "Whipping Boy" and gives us a machine's eye view of human nature. Billy, a robotic whipping boy, muses about the human condition before taking steps of his own to remedy the human propensity for violence, anger and aggression. Finally, Linell Jeppsen's "Gag Gift" relay