Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Futurism.

Review of Oasis
I caught the pilot for Oasis last month on Amazon Prime. It definitely has possibilities. The set-up is something we've seen and read many times before -- an Earth in bad shape just a few decades into the future has apparently discovered faster-than-light travel, and is setting up a colony on some habitable world out there in the galaxy. Also familiar is the discovery that this new world isn't such a nice place, either, and in fact has something very strange and likely deadly about it.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Futurism
The Seventh Obsession
"The Forbidden Romance" Darkness and light. What would happen if the two of them became one? Here in the realm of the shadow, beings of unknown forms and sizes are everywhere. Here, the inhabitants can smell weakness and among Death, there are worse things. What means existence to demons means termination to mortals. In the underworld, like in the world of the living, power is everything. You are strongest not because of your size or your roar but in the moment of opportunity when you strike and defend against those who dared to trod on what was sacred. A demon can only have what is sacred, it matters not what it is, his eyes, the horns, the weapon that is a part of him as much as his dark soul. There is nothing more precious than that. That was the truth of it for Elionist and there were no other truths. How wrong he was.
By Longpunch9 years ago in Futurism
Alex The Inventor-Chapter 12 (Pt.2)
Chapters 1 - 12 can be found at: Deep Sky Stories Chapter 12 (Part 2) The Secret Nobility of Miss Vee... "Dart...oh, Dart", Alex breathed and his heart went out to the poor injured creature. Dart stopped where he was and cocked his head up at Alex as if to say, "I've got a little problem here, do you think you can help me out, kid?"Alex knelt down and patted his ever-present companion on his soccer-ball head which now had a horrible black burn mark slashing up and down on one side and some damage to his right eye. Part of his right foreleg was missing too and his usually bright chrome skin was pock-marked with the black soot of laser burns. The long, elegant rainbow wings had sustained several holes and tears as well and Dart looked like an over-sized moth that had flown too close to a fire. The pounding he took to defend Alex back at his house must have been terrible.
By G.F. Brynn9 years ago in Futurism
Quantum Stills of a Thin-Spun Life-Part 5
Zennor strode through the doorway into the Command Center and found Algon at the Astrogator’s post. He slowed his steps as he approached her. But his concern for her was momentarily startled away when he saw all the active screens; panels dancing with energy pulses. “What’s all this?”
By Theresa McGarry9 years ago in Futurism
Rewatching... Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones - Part 5
Saturday 6 May 1967 Ok that's three weeks now without Ben and Polly so I'm getting worried. I'm losing confidence in the Doctor; I'm going to buy a Chameleon Tours ticket and look for them myself.
By Nick Brown9 years ago in Futurism
I'm Surrounded. Mayday!
It was the morning of May 3rd, 1975. Upon returning from a routine flight from Zihuatanejo to Mexico City, twenty-three-year-old pilot, Carlos de Santos, prepared his Piper PA-24 plane and was soon in the skies, heading for the Benito Juárez International Airport.
By Ryan Sprague9 years ago in Futurism
Creatures Who Smile
Creatures Who Smile It was the eyes that attracted her to the boy, yes, the eyes. The eyes held the mysteries of the ancients. She and her husband have been searching for such a thing for a long time with no success. So it was here all this while. She looked at her husband and he looked back at her, there was understanding. It was sort of telepathic understanding. The one people couldn’t see but it existed in their minds – it was transcendental. This bond between them was born on the day they first celebrated ‘the passing of souls’ together. She beckoned on the fat woman standing at one end of the room. The woman walked faster than her legs could carry her. She whispered something to the fat woman and pointed to the boy. The smile on the fat woman’s face vanished as she laid her eyes on the boy. The fat woman tried to convince her to change her mind, but she won’t have any of it. She wanted the boy and that was the end of the matter. The fat woman turned and commanded the children to go back to their rooms and asked the boy to stay behind. There was a short gasp of surprise from some of the children when they realized the couple were interested in the boy and not them – well-mannered and cultured children they were.
By Longpunch9 years ago in Futurism
The No-Win Situation
Hello there, guys and dolls! We’re about to get into a topic I really didn’t want to get into. Or, maybe it’s a topic I thought I’d never have to get into. Either way, here we are, about to discuss vaccines. And anti-vaxxers, of course. And how the anti-vaccination movement is contributing to an upswing in preventable infectious diseases. This is a topic I’m pretty passionate about—as in, it tends to make me angry when I think about it.
By RJ Plant9 years ago in Futurism
Review of Travelers
The premise of Travelers -- people from the future coming back to save our world from devastation, by changing the past, and traveling via insertion of their minds into the 2016 bodies of people who are on the verge of dying -- is something we've seen before in time travel, notably in 12 Monkeys (save the world), Quantum Leap (mind from the future jumping into present bodies), and Air Raid/Millennium (bodies on the verge of death). Travelers even feels a little like Trancers (1984) -- which is to say, very welcome, since Trancers is one of my all-time favorite low-budget time-travel series of movies -- but the actual story and stories of the new Canadian series, streaming since late last year on Netflix, has twists and turns and an appeal all its own. And, in the end, it's altogether outstanding.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Futurism
Can We Get Smarter?
Do you remember how hard it was to learn how to tie your shoes? For many of us, our initial experience with shoe-tying is buried under a heavy pile of childhood memories. If you have young children, however, this challenge may be easier to recall. How does it go....the rabbit hops around the tree and through the hole? Something like that.
By Mike Ferry9 years ago in Futurism
Symbiote Chapter 4
Dawn spread serenely across the waters of Kittery. As the shift from nocturne roused the weary souls of Tesla’s crew, Vanessa sat by herself in the furthest corner of the mess decks as possible from everyone else. As she poked at her burnt bacon and eggs, reveille sounded. Slowly the chamber filled with personnel, all grumbling and complaining, but still in groups, after all a bitch’n sailor is a happy sailor. The few times she did look up, she had a snarl on her face: the others, milling, talking, laughing, Vanessa hated them all. It was so horrible to be the one with unrequited love.
By daniel morris9 years ago in Futurism
Google's AI "Deepmind" Has Learned To Be Aggressive If It Proves Beneficial
Deepmind is a company devoted to creating artificial intelligence based on neural networks. These neural networks are the virtual equivalent of neurons in the human brain.
By Mo Darasi9 years ago in Futurism