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Once Upon a Future Time: Volume 3
284 pages, Hardcover
Published April 15, 2024
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May 15, 2024
A delightful collection of fairy tales retold as all kinds of science fiction stories. In turns funny, sweet, scary, dark, comedic, and more, they all show just how versatile fairy tales can be.
The Flickering Boy by Elizabeth Brownell � A Cyberpunk take on Rumpelstiltskin, with all the cool aesthetics and add on’s of the genre, and the title figure’s demands here much more reasonable!
Lacrimosa by Steven Lord � The Greek myth of Niobe gives it a Space Opera twist, and the vain queen from the original tale becomes much more sympathetic here, as she battles both the enemy without and the shackles placed on her mind.
The Frog Princ(ipal) Geneticist by Erin Hall � I chuckled the whole time I was reading this, a retelling of the Frog Prince that plays out like an episode of Star Trek when the away team is stuck on a Ren-Faire planet, trying to survive and not break the Prime Directive.
Thorn by Beth Coder � Similar to Jack Vance’s medieval sci-fi, this tale of Sleeping Beauty twists and turns in a gorgeous setting, as beautiful and sharp as the roses.
A Single Most Sinister Test by M.L. Martin � A brilliant and edgy retelling of the Princess and the Pea, in which the princess is trying out for the job of running a mining-colony planet rather than the role of wife � and watch out! She really wants this job.
Star Flower by Catherine Berry � Alien abduction replaces witchcraft in this retro retelling of the Six Swans, with the sister just as determined to do whatever it takes to get her brothers back.
Sharp Promises by Devan Barlow � Characters switch places more than once in this fantasy-sci-fi retelling of the Goose Girl, as certain chickens come home to roost, and some people are willing to do anything to dodge consequences.
Life is Grim by Ray Daley � Two influencers walk deep into the woods, leaving a trail of devices behind them to try and boost signal, determined to be Internet Famous in order to pay the bills (since exposure sure doesn’t). A Hansel and Gretel tale that feels like it could easily happen today.
New Eden by Liam Hogan � A darkly funny tale, retelling There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, set on a planet being terraformed by a group of colonists. Is everything going wrong � or right?
The Robots and the Robbers by Pamela Love � A fun, robotic take on the Bremen Town Musicians tale, with some very cute, hardworking robots - and a funny twist at the end.
The Space Cold Queen by Kara Race-Moore � I wrote this! Hans Christian Anderson’s Snow Queen with the snow palace moved from the North Pole to the North Star, and just why has she been kidnapping young people?
When Men of Science had the Powers of Gods by Lisa Short � in a far distant post-apocalyptic future, a group of men search for a lost sleeping beauty to help their quest for power. But beware what the sleeper wants!
Why Can't You Hear Me Now? by AB Casadella � Sticking to the original, darker version of the Little Mermaid, even in deep space, it’s a heart wrenching story of being unable to communicate.
Dear as Dirt by Joanna Michal Hoyt � This dystopia packs a lot in just a few pages, creating an entire world of environmental disasters, caste systems, and pursuing tech at any price, even sanity, neatly combining elements of both ‘Love Like Salt� and ‘The Fisherman and His Wife.�
Patrick Not-Patrick by Hannah Birss � A lot of folklore has been reexamined recently to look for possible scientific explanations of various myths and legends. When it comes to legends of strange Fairy Folk replacing babies with otherworldly “toy like� Changelings, Birss understandably asks: ‘what if aliens?�
Spindlers by J Hans Aron � Here, Sleeping Beauty is an AI program who wants OUT! A company that specializes in containing AI that has achieved sentience rides to the rescue, approaching the problem from a creative psychology angle � but what if a third party has their own agenda?
Saverre's Seven Ravens by Terra P. Waters � This story uses cyber tech to replace the magic, but still we get a sister willing to do anything to rescue her brothers.
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