Showing results by author "Craig A. Falconer" in All Categories

When Kurt Jacobs imagines the ultimate gadget—one capable of replacing phones, credit cards, keys and TVs—the idea consumes his every waking moment. When the Sycamore corporation buys into Kurt's creation and The Seed becomes a reality, his every dream comes true.

In one harrowingly destructive instant, a mysterious seismic pulse in the Scottish Highlands rips away all semblance of global security. Complacency grew in the years since Dan McCarthy brought humanity into contact with intelligent aliens, but those days are gone. When peace is shattered, fear takes over.

When a sudden impact sends a spacecraft bound for a distant research station hurtling toward a previously unseen and inexplicable planet, responsibility for the safety of its passengers immediately falls on Ivy 'Holly' Wood, a former poster child of the public space program now fleeing Earth's tyrannical leadership. The mysterious planet's startlingly Earth-like atmosphere initially breeds optimism among Holly's group of stranded survivors, but before long it becomes clear that Earth's rules don't apply.

When Kurt Jacobs imagines the ultimate gadget—one capable of replacing phones, credit cards, keys, and TVs—the idea consumes his every waking moment. When the Sycamore corporation buys into Kurt's creation and The Seed becomes a reality, his every dream comes true. Power like this has never existed. But amid all of the awe and optimism, there is far more going on behind the curtain than Kurt or anyone else could ever have predicted.

Continuing the legacy of decades gone by, these fast-paced standalone stories offer wondrous settings, philosophical sci-fi questions, and twists that pack a punch.

On their golden wedding anniversary, Lorraine Green and her husband made an unbreakable pact. As the surviving partner, her life insurance payout will fund a one-way ticket to the solar system's most exclusive retirement community: Sunset Stays. Her children say she is too old. Too vulnerable. Too frail to face the many risks of space travel. But Lorraine Green is nothing of the sort. Though the real reason for the pact can never cross Lorraine's lips, she leaves no doubt that her mind is made up. The adventure of a lifetime calls...but so does a burning thirst for justice.

For thousands of years, man has reigned supreme over nature. But deep in the African jungle, at the edge of Genusphere's controversial research facility, a challenger rises. Broken fences. Smashed cameras. Unusual tracks in the mud. The locals talk of apes behaving strangely. Sarah O’Leary, leader of the genetic research team, rubbishes their warnings - until the first bodies are found. The Genusphere compound locks down amid a media blackout, but the villagers fear it could already be too late.

Gillian Reid, a promising Happy Inc. employee, excels without excitement and succeeds without pride. Like everyone else, she has always been comfortable but never truly happy. Like everyone else's, her Emotional Volatility has always been limited to stay within the bounds of a mediocre middle. Gillian Reid's life plays out like any other, until one fateful day, when her EV limiter stops working. And with her eyes truly open for the first time, Gillian Reid does not like what she sees.

Chad Mitchell is an outsider. Born on an alien-controlled colony and with human servants for parents, a good life was never in his future. But as he develops into a remarkably fast learner and unrivaled pilot, Chad finds himself valued more and more by his autocratic alien overlords. From the edge of the colony's inner circle, the true extent of the aliens' wickedness becomes apparent. Chad's human friends watch him mingle with the leadership and think he has changed - that he has sold out to the oppressors - but Chad Mitchell knows better.

As the well-tipped tour guide at a model town within a nuclear test site in 1950s Nevada, Darren Murphy has a job to die for. His work is easy and relaxed, much like himself, drawing envy from his wide circle of friends. But one fateful day, after one particularly late night in the burgeoning city of Las Vegas, Darren makes a huge mistake. "I'll try my best to get us all out of here before the next bomb goes off..." Murphy often jokes to his rapt tour groups. Only this time, due to a slip-up no one could have foreseen, his best might not be enough.

There's no time like the present, but there's no place like Yester Year... When Paula Frederick gets a weekend job on Dream Rock, a former prison island that now serves as the world's largest leisure destination, she can hardly believe her luck. Dream Rock's outlandish surroundings are a welcome break from her studies. Paula's fully costumed role within the island's smallest zone, a medieval-themed amusement park called Yester Year, seems set to allow for even more immersive fun than she imagined.

When Tobias and Kira raise the alarm from the next farm over, they're dismissed as two meddling kids with two overactive imaginations. But as the Halloween festival draws near and tourists flock to their usually sleepy town of Hallow Creek, those two meddling kids' one crazy idea might be the only thing that can stop disaster in its tracks. No tricks. No treats. Just a pumpkin splice shockoccino with a dash of danger and a sprinkle of terror.

The lucky tech reviewer who receives the first prototype quickly learns that Pamela 2.0 represents a quantum leap in consumer robotics, capable of meeting a modern homeowner's every need. Eager to please by following any order that doesn't involve physical contact with a human, there's almost nothing Pamela can't do - she takes out the trash, she washes the dishes, she feeds the dog.

When one door closes, another world opens....But it wasn't supposed to go like this. The mission was simple. I took every precaution. I had done it a thousand times before. But this time it was different. Something went wrong. And I've called for help, but no one hears. I'll admit it: I don't know how to get home. Hell, I don't even know where I am. And worst of all... wherever I am, I don't think I'm alone.

Across oceans and ages, the same tales have persisted. The lights in the sky. The whirring sounds at night. The ships that cross the darkness and the headaches that come when they pass overhead. But for some, the feelings have intensified. Lately, it all feels...closer. EJ, a humble artist, senses that the long-foreseen arrival is imminent. Denounced as a self-promoter seeking attention and fame, he finds few listeners, but never stops trying to raise the alarm. When dusk falls, the prophecy rains down.

In the high-tech paradise of Indigo Sands, perfection exists. Or so they think.... For Bianca Blane, a young but jaded online influencer, the fame she once sought now weighs heavily on her shoulders. When she receives an exclusive invitation to spend a preview week in the cutting-edge tourist resort of Indigo Sands, Bianca seizes the opportunity to disconnect from her increasingly demanding followers. Indigo Sands strikes Bianca as truly pristine - perfect in every way. But before too long, a veil is lifted. Because behind the facade, nothing is as it seems....

All throughout Moonshine Mall, shelves are empty of the year's most sought-after toy — the Sheepy McFinnigan action figure. Santa's elves are run off their feet trying to meet demand. Jolly old Saint Nick himself is even busier...so busy that a Robot Santa has to stand in at Moonshine Mall's famous grotto. Even worse, the mall's new manager, Nancy Collins, is sucking the fun out of everything. Robot Santa is the only thing keeping the kids smiling amid the Sheepy McFinnigan stock shortage, but Nancy has her own selfish reason for putting him in place.

Three nights in a log cabin, out here in the Scottish wilderness with no one else for miles around. Three nights in this idyllic kind of halfway house. Three nights to reflect on the incident at my own pace and draw a line under my recovery. The sights and sounds will soothe you, they said. Doctor Chambers told me to listen for the birds. The guidebook on the table promised deer and red squirrels. But no one mentioned the lights in the sky. No one mentioned the Visitors.

Every night for the past four months, I've dreamed of being chosen for the trip to Calbora. The others have grown comfortable in the safety of the station's bunks, praying their names won't be called. Not me. Every day since we got here, I've looked up and wondered. Not anymore. No one can know the real reason it matters so much, but one way or another...I'm getting on that ship.

Beyond Horizons explores classic sci-fi themes through a contemporary lens. Continuing the legacy of decades gone by, these fast-paced standalone stories offer wondrous settings, philosophical sci-fi questions, and twists that pack a punch.