First Contact - Digital Science Fiction Anthology 1 [Kindle Edition]

Curtis James McConnell (Author), Kenneth Schneyer (Author), David Tallerman (Author), Edward J Knight (Author), Jennifer R Povey (Author), Rob Jacobsen (Author), Ed Greenwood (Author), Ken Liu (Author), Ian Creasey (Author), Michael Wills (Introduction)

Book Description

First Contact - Digital Science Fiction Anthology 1 (54,569 words; about 192 pages in print), is an anthology of ten original science fiction short stories from professional writers. We are pleased to present in this exciting anthology a rich range of compelling new stories from established authors. In selecting stories for inclusion in this introductory edition we looked not only for exciting or novel content but for genuine literary quality. We know these science fiction tales will not only entertain, but will offer something extra as well: an aesthetic pleasure, a beauty, or a thought-provoking quality that renders them timeless.

Ten Unique Stories by Professional Science Fiction Authors

First Contact includes 10 first-time-published science fiction short stories by:

- Ian Creasey - How I Lost Eleven Stone and Found Love
- Ed Greenwood - Biting a Dead Man's Hand
- Ken Liu - The Caretaker
- Jennifer R. Povey - Masks
- Rob Jacobsen - Hera's Tempest
- Edward J. Knight - Roanoke Nevada
- Jessi Rita Hoffman - Nectar of the Gods
- Kenneth Schneyer - The Tortoise Parliament
- David Tallerman - Black Sun
- Curtis James McConnell - Pop Quiz

Editorial Standards

Digital Science Fiction Anthology 1 welcomes Jessi Hoffman as editor. At Digital Science Fiction, we strive for technically perfect digital and print versions of all our books. Each Digital Science Fiction book is vetted for superior literary quality then subjected to comprehensive professional editing. After editing, all content is proofread before submission to layout and formatting, then again after the book is fully built. In this way we expect you to find each Digital Science Fiction book not only entertaining, but error free.

Best Selling Digital Science Fiction Books

Closing Notes

We thank you for your interest in our book, and invite you to plunge into the ten delightful stories contained within. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed presenting them. Michael Wills, Publisher - Digital Science Fiction

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Product Details

• File Size: 403 KB
• Print Length: 192 pages
• Publisher: Digital Science Fiction; First edition (June 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0054LNCKA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,406 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #91 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories
  • #92 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies
  • #98 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Debut of a promising new SF anthology July 2, 2011

By Martin L. Shoemaker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

FIRST CONTACT: DIGITAL SCIENCE FICTION VOL. 1

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have a story in Digital Science Fiction Vol. 2, so I have some interest in seeing this series succeed. Despite that, I'll strive for an objective review.

Digital Science Fiction is part of a new trend in small press anthologies that use modern tools to produce books with less overhead and yet high-quality production values. At least, that's what the publishers promise; and in the case of Digital Science Fiction Vol. 1, I think publisher Michael Willis has hit that mark. This is a nice book, with good writing, solid editing, and virtually no proofreading errors I could find (and I do tend to nitpick). Another plus in the digital era is that the formatting for Kindle is superb! A lot of Kindle books have formatting problems, especially if you read them on a PC like I do. I found none of those here.

As you would expect in an anthology, the offerings here are very mixed. There's drama, romance, pathos, terror, and humor - sometimes all in the same story! The quality varies: some are good, some I find excellent, and a few I found only "okay"; but there were none that I would call bad. I tend to read in parallel a lot. As I was reading this book, I was also reading the latest Analog and Asimov's, as well as two volumes of Writers of the Future. And I would say the stories in this volume held their own in that mix, and were better than some. The authors in this volume have published in most of the major markets (including Analog, Asimov's, Lightspeed, and Tor.com), and also have novels to their credit. Some newer authors are also represented.

The only complaints I have are all matters of taste. I prefer hard SF over soft SF, and SF over fantasy, so a general anthology like this is going to miss the mark for me in that sense. And I'm not fond of downer endings or ambiguous endings, and some of these stories fall in those categories. I won't spoil the surprise and tell you which ones. So I marked down a point here and there strictly because this is a personal review and reflects my personal tastes.

Here are the stories in Vol. 1:

"How I Lost Eleven Stone and Found Love" By Ian Creasey. The story of a boy, a girl, and an alien with an unusual diet. I wanted to knock this one down for the "eww" factor (seriously, it's gross!); but Creasey impressed me with the wide range of reactions he provoked. Yes, I went "eww" at points; but I also laughed, and I also was moved and disturbed. This story provoked so many contradictory emotions, I have to give points for skill there. 4 out of 5.

"Biting a Dead Man's Hand" By Ed Greenwood, the man who created The Forgotten Realms. This is an interesting genre-crosser: part pre-steampunk, part mystery, part horror. An officer in a small kingdom faces intrigue and murder when his country discovers a mineral that can power lighter than air craft. I don't want to reveal too much, because it's predominantly mystery. This is a really well-written story, but I'm knocking off a point for the sub-genre. I'm just not that interested in steampunk, even when it's well done. 4 out of 5.

"The Caretaker" By Ken Liu. This is a nice, quiet tale about a man learning to live in a world of technological loneliness and isolation. An old man receives a robotic caretaker from his family when they don't have time for him, and he learns to accept robotic assistance. I liked the characters and the technological extrapolation; but I'm knocking off a point because I thought the social commentary was a little heavy handed. 4 out of 5.

"Masks" By Jennifer R. Povey. This is a post-apocalyptic story, with interesting societies and politics that arise in the aftermath of disaster. (And the disaster is both unusual and integral to the story.) A young woman goes on a journey from one settlement to another, meets the enemy along the way, and has to decide whom she can trust. The story is engaging, but I thought it was too short. 4 out of 5.

"Hera's Tempest" By Rob Jacobsen. A band of warriors travel to a planet to investigate the loss of a scientific research station. At least, I think that's what happened. I had trouble following some of the timeframe shifts, and I thought the message was a little heavy. 3 out of 5.

"Roanoke, Nevada" By Edward J. Knight. A doctor gets drafted for a very unusual house call. The ending shocked me. With a nice mix of humor and drama, this one gets 5 out of 5.

"Nectar of the Gods" By Jessi Rita Hoffman. A young man learns his true heritage, and rebels against it. There's promise here, but I think it needs to be longer. 3 out of 5.

"The Tortoise Parliament" By Kenneth Schneyer. This one's ingenious, and I want more stories in this setting: an interstellar society, but without FTL. The story tells of the complexities of diplomacy when it can take decades to get new orders from home. There's so much I shouldn't like about this story: it's slow; it relies heavily on sexual intrigue, which I find trite; and it's mostly a bunch of diplomats talking and plotting, which isn't my cup of tea. But the whole thing is so well done, and the central concept so well imagined, that it became my favorite story in the volume. 5 out of 5.

"Black Sun" By David Tallerman. A team gets stranded in a strange place, and have to survive long enough to understand why. I found this one kinda muddy, and I kept getting distracted while reading it. 3 out of 5.

"Pop Quiz" By Curtis James McConnell. A team of investigators must decide: is their prisoner human, or a human possessed by an alien? Being wrong either way will spell disaster. I'll give this one 3 out of 5, but I can't explain why without spoiling it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong Start to a New Anthology Series July 5, 2011

By Luke Forney

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First Contact proved to be a wonderfully entertaining beginning to a new anthology series from Digital Science Fiction. The cover art itself is top notch, as are most of the stories inside. They have a surprisingly broad range, covering bizarre aliens, werewolves, and love, although not always to the others' exclusion. While a couple of stories (Ed Greenwood's comes to mind, surprisingly) I found a bit disappointing, the large majority of the tales were wonderful, especially the opener and the closer. Fans of fresh new science fiction, in particular from a indie/small press angle, will find a lot to love in this collection, although traditionalists may find only some of the stories appealing. Overall, strong work, and a strong start. I'll be reading the second anthology.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New Anthology July 8, 2011

By C. O'Connor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Although I was initially a bit wary due to the somewhat bizarre cover art, I was happily surprised at the broad and bizarre range of stories in this anthology. This anthology does not shy away from raising interesting social and psychological points while maintaining a balance. I almost never read an anthology cover to cover - and I couldn't put this one down. I especially enjoyed the opening and closing stories. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the next anthology!