Science Genius Fiction

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

This program includes an introduction read by the author. Too often we live lives that we find unfulfilling, fail to reach our own potential, and neglect to practice creativity in our daily routines. Gay Hendricks's The Genius Zone offers a way to change that by tapping into your own innate...

In this science fiction thriller, brothers are pitted against each other as a pandemic threatens to destabilize world governments by exerting a subtle mind control over survivors. Neil Johns has just started his dream job as a code breaker for the NSA when his brother Paul, a mycologist, goes missing on a trip to collect samples in the Amazon jungle. Paul returns with a gap in his memory and a fungal infection that almost kills him. But once he recuperates, he has enhanced communication, memory, and pattern recognition.

A supervillain from the city of Grayville has made a big mistake: He stole from one of my companies. Now he is on my radar, and it's only a matter of time before I find him, and of course, murder him. Ironically, the only thing preventing me from bringing the unknown douchebag to final justice is Grayville’s famous law-abiding superhero: The Shadow Knight. But even a hero as accomplished as the Shadow Knight can’t stop me and my team from ending the super villain threat. And if Shadow Knight won’t accept that, he might have to die as well.

At a time when we are all confronted by not one, but many crossroads in our modern lives - identity, technology, trust, politics, and a global pandemic - celebrated mythologist and wilderness guide Martin Shaw delivers Smoke Hole: three metaphors to help us understand our world, one that is assailed by the seductive promises of social media and shadowed by a health crisis that has brought loneliness and isolation to an all-time high.

Yes, I killed all the supervillians housed in the Grayville Ultramax Prison. I’m sure some, like the Shadow Knight, would consider that to be crossing a line and an unforgivable act of an unrepentant mass murderer. I consider it another high-performance day on the job. If the Shadow Knight has a problem with it, he knows where to find me. I really hope he does have a problem.

Captain Nemo is the fictional life story of one of Jules Verne's most memorable characters from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. It covers his boyhood friendship with the dreamer Jules Verne, adventures aboard sailing ships, battles with pirates, and survival on a mysterious deserted island. Each time he returns home to his beloved France, Captain Nemo shares the tales of his exploits with the struggling writer Verne.

Xander Quinn is a genius. A teenage mastermind. Some might even say a supervillain in training, though he prefers the term “ethically flexible entrepreneur.” His latest heist? Foolproof. The part where a superhero showed up and he got yeeted into a world of magic, monsters, and medieval nonsense? Yeah. Not part of the plan. Now, Xander is stranded in a land where dragonkin rule and magic is real. Which sounds kind of cool, except his high-tech gadgets are toast and humans are low man on the food chain. But Xander didn’t become a genius by giving up.