Anthony W. Eichenlaub

On the cutting edge of humanity, rules are made for one thing. No, it is not "to be broken." Biologist Ash Morgan loves breaking rules, but this is ridiculous. Edge is humanity's bastion on the frontier of space and science. She plays fast and loose with the Edge's ultra-strict governing AI, but even she's willing to admit that maybe there are some laws not meant to be broken. When a fellow colonist asks for help delivering a child, Ash agrees against her better judgment. But something's not right. The birth will exceed the precise population cap set by the colony AI. Somehow those numbers need to balance. And the child is born strange. Too strange. What experiments could produce a child like this? Who would do this? When the mother descends into depression and madness, Ash must decide which rules can be broken, which rules must be obeyed, and which rules will inevitably lead to the colony's ultimate destruction. On the cutting edge of humanity, rules are made for one thing: to be followed perfectly with zero deviation. Always. Or else.

Of a Strange World Made

Steve Miller

Chaz Brenchley

Sharon Lee

Sarena Ulibarri

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Gail Z. Martin

Liam Hogan

Larry N. Martin

Kristine Smith

Lauren C. Teffeau

Anthony Lowe

S.C. Butler

Jason Palmatier

Rhondi Salsitz

David Keener

Devan Barlow

Christopher R. Muscato

Ember Randall

Here Comes the Sun! Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, violent storms, and excessive heat. The future seems bleak...but there are signs of hope. In Solar Flare, we ask you to step into a world where we have managed to mitigate or even reverse the disastrous effects of climate change and our own destruction of our world. Race down the depleted waterway of the Mississippi in a solar-, wind-, and water-powered boat. Sail through the skies in a floating hydroponic dirigible. Skim along a solar-powered road in order to expose a corporation’s secret. Hover weightless in space in a last-ditch effort to repair an umbrella-like solar collector. Or cower in a shelter as fire rages outside...only to emerge and discover the rebirth such fire can bring. Experience all of this and more in these seventeen solarpunk stories brought to you by today’s hottest authors, including David Keener, Anthony W. Eichenlaub, Sarena Ulibarri, Jason Palmatier, Lauren C. Teffeau, S.C. Butler, Devan Barlow, Chaz Brenchley, Liam Hogan, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Christopher R. Muscato, Rhondi Salsitz, Ember Randall, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Kristine Smith, and Anthony Lowe. Time to turn the tide and dream of a better future.

Solarpunk Stories

Solar Flare

Retired, reclusive, and too smart to die. Hacker Ajay Andersen knows his retirement isn't always going to be sunshine and roses. He's committed to protecting those he loves, and sometimes that's not going to be easy. But things get complicated fast when he finds Silas Cardoso's body in his living room. An environmentalist entrepreneur threatens the very wilderness he once protected. Mercenaries hold information that could endanger Ajay's granddaughter Kylie. If he's going to make things right, Ajay will need to venture somewhere he never wants to go during the harsh Minnesota winter: Outside. Too old to race a snowmobile through a dense forest? Maybe. Too old to be a pain in the butt? Not this Grandfather.

Grandfather Ghost

Seasoned, strange, and dangerously clever Some invitations are impossible to refuse. When Ajay and Kylie are invited to a dinner party hosted by one of the wealthiest women around, Ajay sees it as an opportunity to dig into her past. He needs to find what shady business she’s been up to and how dangerous she really is. Never mind that she’s Kylie’s grandmother. What starts out as a dinner party turns quickly to trouble when a guest is murdered. Was the killer the billionaire socialite, the odd chef, or one of the other guests? Ajay needs to cut through the complex connections between the reluctant guests, because one of them is a killer–but they aren’t the only one. Too old to learn decent manners? Maybe. Too old to solve a murder? Not this grandfather.

Grandfather Guardian

Elderly, unarmed, and extremely dangerous. Before Ajay retired, he was the best hacker the NSA had ever hired. He sank corporations, toppled governments, and broke cryptography. All of it. And don’t think retirement has slowed him down one bit, thank you very much. When his estranged daughter shows up on his doorstep with his two granddaughters, Ajay will do anything to keep them safe. He’ll hack biotech corporations and criminal enterprises alike. Nobody after his girls will be safe, but the more he digs, the more he dredges up the shadows of his own dangerous past. He only needs to know one thing: What makes his granddaughters so darn valuable?

Grandfather Anonymous

The Colony of Edge will never be the same. When Ash Morgan returns after a long time away, she finds she hardly recognizes the place she once called home. Black towers stretch to the sky, strangers wander the streets, and odd smells permeate the very stones. Monsters roam the streets. After a terrible attack, Ash must determine what strange monster lurks among the city's newest inhabitants. How is it connected to all the changes happening in the rapidly growing colony? More importantly, can she determine when the monsters attack next? And why?

From a Barren Seed Grown

Something ain’t right in the town of Swallow Hill. A boy’s cold blooded murder yanks J.D. from his life of peace. Guilt at past failures drives him, but soon the problem in Swallow Hill proves to be too much to solve alone. Problem is, there’s nobody he can trust: not his old war buddy, not the sheriff, and definitely not the good-looking gentleman from the city. Seems everyone around wants him to shoot someone else. J.D. has to decide: is he going to go in guns blazing or is there a better way? Can there possibly be Peace in an Age of Metal and Men?

Peace in an Age of Metal and Men

Alison Wilgus

Holly Schofield

Gustavo Bondoni

M. Darusha Wehm

Thomas Webb

Langley Hyde

Katrina Archer

F. J. Bergmann

Wendy S. Delmater

Salvatore Difalco

Eric S. Fomley

John Cooper Hamilton

Charlotte H. Lee

Dennis Mombauer

Melanie Rees

D. A. Xiaolin Spires

Marie Vibbert

Melissa Yuan-Innes

Little Blue Marble magazine's year in stories: flash fiction, microfiction, and more! Tales of our changing world by these authors from around the globe: F. J. Bergmann, Gustavo Bondoni, Wendy S. Delmater, Salvatore Difalco, Anthony W. Eichenlaub, Eric S. Fomley, John Cooper Hamilton, Langley Hyde, Charlotte H. Lee, Dennis Mombauer, Melanie Rees, Holly Schofield, D. A. Xiaolin Spires, Marie Vibbert, Thomas Webb, M. Darusha Wehm, Alison Wilgus, Melissa Yuan-Innes From rising tides to edible homes, weather control and tornado killers, floating city-states and plant-based humans, Little Blue Marble 2018 brings you poignant, sometimes hopeful but often biting visions of our futures living with climate change.

Little Blue Marble 2018

Anthony W. Eichenlaub

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