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Robert Silverberg: Passengers

“Passengers” is a short story by Robert Silverberg, published in 1968 in the anthology Orbit 4. In a world invaded by entities that control people without warning, a man wakes up with a confused mind and his body marked by the traces of an unknown host. Not knowing what he has done during the last few days, he tries to reconstruct the lost time by observing his surroundings: the mess in the apartment, traces of a woman, signs of someone else’s life. While the city adapts to this disturbing form of slavery, the protagonist clings to the illusion of becoming himself again and regaining control of his destiny.

Alfred Bester: The Men Who Murdered Mohammed

“The Men Who Murdered Mohammed” is a science fiction short story written by Alfred Bester, published in 1958 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story follows Professor Henry Hassel, who, after discovering his wife’s infidelity, builds a time machine with the intention of erasing her existence by altering historical events. However, as he murders key figures from the past, Hassel discovers that time is a much more complex matter than he had expected. With a mixture of dark humor and temporal paradoxes, Bester questions the nature of time and the consequences of manipulating it.

Ursula K. Le Guin: Mazes

“Mazes” is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1975 in Epoch. It presents the testimony of a creature imprisoned by an unknown intelligence that subjects it to meticulous and cruel experiments. Forced to navigate mazes as part of an incomprehensible system of observation, the narrator attempts to preserve her lucidity and find meaning in her captor’s behavior. Amid hunger, weakness, and confusion, she searches for a way to communicate with that alien mind, while her confinement becomes a struggle to preserve her dignity and hope.

Ray Bradbury: Kaleidoscope

“Kaleidoscope” is a science fiction story written by Ray Bradbury, published in 1949 in Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine and later included in the collection The Illustrated Man (1951). The story follows a group of astronauts who, after their ship explodes, are left floating uncontrollably in space, doomed to imminent death. As they drift apart and their lives fall apart, their radio conversations become a reflection of their fears, regrets, and reflections on life and death.

Philip K. Dick: The Golden Man

“The Golden Man” is a short story by Philip K. Dick, published in April 1954 in If magazine. In a post-war world, humans face a disturbing threat: mutants with genetic abilities that give them strange and dangerous powers. George Baines, a government agent, is tasked with tracking down and eliminating these beings. His mission takes him to a remote farm where Cris, a young man of extraordinary beauty with golden skin and hair, lives. His silent presence hides an incomprehensible power that will test Baines’ effectiveness and the system’s ability to control mutants.

Fredric Brown: Something Green

Something Green is a short story by Fredric Brown, published in 1951 as part of the collection Space on My Hands. It tells the story of McGarry, a space explorer stranded for years on Kruger III, a hostile planet dominated by shades of red and violet. He survives by traversing dangerous jungles, armed with a solar-powered pistol and accompanied by Dorothy, a small creature that rests on his shoulder and keeps him company. Isolated and clinging to the memory of Earth and the green that once filled it, McGarry dreams of finding parts to repair his ship and return to the only world he calls home.