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H. P. Lovecraft: From Beyond

“From Beyond” is a cosmic horror and science fiction short story by H. P. Lovecraft, first published in 1934. It tells the story of Crawford Tillinghast, a scientist obsessed with proving that human perception is limited. After weeks of isolation, he invites a friend to his mansion to show him a machine that, by stimulating the pineal gland, allows one to perceive hidden dimensions. The experiment unveils a terrifying reality inhabited by monstrous entities beyond human understanding, unleashing dreadful consequences for both men and challenging the very limits of sanity and known reality.

Isaac Asimov: Franchise

“Franchise” is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, published in If magazine in August 1955. The story envisions a future in which elections in the United States no longer depend on the votes of millions, but instead on a supercomputer called Multivac that selects a single citizen to represent the entire nation. This citizen, through his answers, will determine the electoral outcome. In the days leading up to the election, tension rises across the country as everyone awaits the revelation of who will be the chosen voter to decide the nation’s political future.

Edgar Allan Poe: William Wilson

William Wilson is a Gothic tale by Edgar Allan Poe, published in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine in October 1839. The story follows a man who adopts the pseudonym’ William Wilson’ to recount his life, marked from a young age by an impulsive character, lewd behavior, and a strong desire to dominate others. During his time at an English school, he faces an unexpected challenge: a classmate with the same name who imitates him and matches him in skills in a disturbing way. As the years pass, the presence of this double becomes a constant and threatening shadow, challenging his will and questioning his identity.

Ray Bradbury: The Other Foot. Summary and analysis

In The Other Foot, Ray Bradbury imagines a future where Black people have fled a racially divided Earth to start anew on Mars, leaving behind the injustices of the past. Twenty years later, news arrives that a rocket carrying a white man is coming, reigniting old wounds and prompting Willie Johnson and others to prepare for revenge by imposing segregation on the visitor. As the rocket lands, the white man reveals Earth’s devastation from a nuclear war, pleading for help and acknowledging past wrongs. Faced with the ruins of their former world, Willie and the community confront the futility of hatred, choosing instead to dismantle the structures of revenge and seek a path toward reconciliation.

Edgar Allan Poe: MS. Found in a Bottle

MS. Found in a Bottle is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, published on 19 October 1833 in the Baltimore Saturday Visiter. It tells the story of an anonymous man who, dissatisfied with his life and searching for escape, embarks on a ship sailing from Batavia, Java, to an uncertain destination. Although the voyage begins smoothly, an unearthly calm soon overtakes the sea, foreshadowing a colossal storm that abruptly breaks loose, plunging the ship into chaos and panic.

Lester del Rey: The Day Is Done

The Day Is Done is a science fiction story by Lester del Rey, published in May 1939 in Astounding Science-Fiction magazine. The story follows Hwoogh, an old Neanderthal who sadly contemplates the decline of his world. His people were strong and dominant in his youth, but now the ‘Talkers’ (as he calls the Cro-Magnons) have invaded their lands, imposing new customs and technologies. As Hwoogh recalls the glory days of his tribe, he feels the weight of decay and the imminent extinction of his species. A moving tale that, as Isaac Asimov recounted, brought him to tears as he traveled on the underground on his way to teach at Columbia University.