In In the Lost Lands by George R.R. Martin, Gray Alys, a mysterious woman capable of granting any wish, is tasked by the noble Lady Melange to provide the power of shapeshifting. Accompanied by Boyce, a charismatic guide, Gray Alys ventures into the desolate Lost Lands to find a werewolf. Along the way, secrets unravel: Boyce is the wolf, and Gray Alys’s true abilities are revealed.
A Statue for Father is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov published in Satellite Science Fiction in February 1959. Through the voice of the son of a visionary scientist, it tells the fascinating story of an accidental discovery that revolutionized humanity. The father, a stubborn physicist passionate about time travel, works tirelessly on his research, facing ridicule and disinterest from the scientific community. Although the chronotunnels do not work as he had hoped, a stroke of luck brings about something extraordinary: a bridge between the past and the present. This finding, which initially seems like a modest step forward, changes history unexpectedly.
A Christmas Memory is a touching short story by Truman Capote published in Mademoiselle in December 1956. The story opens on a nostalgic November morning in a small-town kitchen, where a seven-year-old boy, Buddy, and his peculiar and loving distant cousin, an older woman with a childlike spirit, embark on the annual tradition of making fruit pies. Bound by an endearing friendship, the two pick pecans, plan the purchase of ingredients and share little adventures, including visits to eccentric places in town. As the story progresses, it evokes the warmth of Christmas traditions and the power of shared memories while subtly revealing the contrasts between childhood innocence and the difficulties of adult life.
In ‘The Gift,’ a short story by Ray Bradbury published in Esquire in December 1952, a family embarks on their first space voyage on Christmas Eve. The boy is excited about the adventure, but his parents worry about celebrating the holiday in the middle of space, especially after the gift they had prepared was held up at customs. Now, the father must find a creative way to keep the magic of Christmas alive for his son, proving that the Christmas spirit can shine anywhere, even in the stars.
Christmas on Ganymede is a science fiction story by Isaac Asimov published in Startling Stories in January 1942. The story takes us to a mining base on Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, where the humans face a peculiar labour crisis: the natives, the ‘astrucians’, refuse to work unless they receive a visit from Santa Claus. It all begins when Olaf Johnson, in a naïve Christmas spirit, introduces the Earth tradition to the curious aliens. From there, Commander Pelham and his team are forced to comply with this demand, improvising a Father Christmas, a flying sleigh, and an alien ‘reindeer’ in a story full of satire and humor.
In Ray Bradbury’s The Exiles, Mars becomes a refuge for banned writers and literary characters. Exiled from an Earth where their works have been censored and destroyed, these beings survive on the red planet, conjuring spells and nightmares to protect themselves. When an Earth rocket approaches with a scientific and skeptical crew, the clash between … Read more