Science fiction | Lecturia

Ray Bradbury: The Other Foot

“The Other Foot,” a short story by Ray Bradbury included in his collection The Illustrated Man (1951), tells the story of a black community on Mars that anxiously awaits the arrival of a rocket from Earth, the first in twenty years and with a white man on board. The inhabitants of Mars, who had fled a past of racial discrimination and violence on Earth, are confronted with their memories and the temptation to reverse the roles of oppression when they welcome this new visitor.

Philip K. Dick: Colony

Major Lawrence Hall bent over the binocular microscope, correcting the fine adjustment. “Interesting,” he murmured. “Isn’t it? Three weeks on this planet and we’ve yet to find a harmful life form.” Lieutenant Friendly sat down on the edge of the lab table, avoiding the culture bowls. “What kind of place is this? No disease germs, … Read more

H. G. Wells: The Stolen Body

Mr. Bessel was the senior partner in the firm of Bessel, Hart, and Brown, of St. Paul’s Churchyard, and for many years he was well known among those interested in psychical research as a liberal-minded and conscientious investigator. He was an unmarried man, and instead of living in the suburbs, after the fashion of his … Read more

Philip K. Dick: Beyond Lies the Wub

They had almost finished with the loading. Outside stood the Optus, his arms folded, his face sunk in gloom. Captain Franco walked leisurely down the gangplank, grinning. “What’s the matter?” he said. “You’re getting paid for all this.” The Optus said nothing. He turned away, collecting his robes. The captain put his boot on the … Read more

Ray Bradbury: There Will Come Soft Rains

“There Will Come Soft Rains” is a short story by Ray Bradbury published in May 1950 in Collier’s magazine and later included in the collection The Martian Chronicles (1950). Set in the near future, the story presents us with a fully automated home whose inhabitants have disappeared. Although there are no longer any people to serve, the house continues to perform its routine functions: it prepares breakfast, cleans, reads poems, and performs a series of other tasks that serve as a memory of a family reduced to nothing more than shadows on an exterior wall.