Publisher's Synopsis
This collection of ten original science fiction stories from multiple award-winning author Preston Dennett has much to offer fans of speculative fiction. There is adventure, romance, comedy, and mystery. There are aliens, alternative universes, probable realities, time-bubbles, spaceships, other planets, alien artifacts and much more. Prepare yourself for a journey into realms beyond imagination.
TEARS NOT OF A CHILD. In a world where age is treated as a disease, Melissa and David Perkins have decided to grow old first, and then seek treatment. But when they finally elect to "Close the Gate," weird things begin to happen. GREETINGS FROM EARTH. A strange and beautiful alien artifact has appeared on Earth, and nobody knows what it is. A crashed ship, a monitoring device, alien art...the theories are endless. Then Pete takes his wife (a psychic) to visit it, and soon regrets his decision. ENTER A HUMAN. When Sarah Webster sits down to paint a field of flowers, an alien spaceship lands next to her. Out steps an alien who has a special task for her that could change the course of all humanity. But will Sarah accept? STARS ARE WILD. Gracie Megan Sparks' song has just hit #1 on several of the fifty colonized planets. Then, on the far side of the universe, the little-known Music Trees have inexplicably stopped singing. And when Megan learns that her song is the reason why, she knows her life will never be the same. CAN YOU SPARE A DOLLAR? Sticky has lived on Pete's small country farm all his life. But when Sticky suddenly dies, a mystery is uncovered which will shake the entire town, and threaten the survival of all humanity. STORM OF CHANCE: As a series of weird probability storms strike the planet, the entire world is plunged into near chaos. Everyone struggles to adapt to the constant changes, but Linda, finds herself strangely immune from the storms. The question is, why? ELEPHANT CITY. Skeera is worried. The population of people on Earth has dwindled to almost nothing. She must do something to save them. The only option is unthinkable: make a venture to Elephant City and attempt to make friends with the new dominant species of Earth: the elephants. DON'T ASK! Someone is hoarding supplies on ship, and Stebbins is furious. Everyone knows that hoarding is not allowed, and he goes on a mission to find the culprit. However, when he discovers the culprit, and what he is hoarding, he wonders if some secrets are better left unknown. SALVAGE YARD. Haskel Danvers is the proud owner of a salvage yard of old, wrecked spaceships on the rim of the Milky Way. A mysterious mother and her child arrive to take a tour, and Haskel reluctantly agrees. But he soon learns to regret his decision. A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT. Without warning, mysterious time-bubbles have appeared all over Earth, freezing small groups of people in time. Walter Scobee's wife, Clare, is one of the victims. But can Walter's love for his wife transcend time and space itself? These ten fascinating stories from the imagination of Preston Dennett take you on a wondrous and unforgettable journey to the farthest edges of the universe. All but one have been vetted by professional editors and appeared in various magazines, and each includes a Behind the Story section revealing how the stories came to be written and their pathway to publication. So put on your spacesuits and grab your laser-guns and prepare to be amazed!
