Eight Episodes

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"Eight Episodes"
Eight Episodes ebook cover.jpg
Cover of ebook edition
Author Robert Reed
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Science fiction short story
Published in Asimov's Science Fiction
Publication type Periodical
Publisher Dell Magazines
Media typePrint (Magazine)
Publication dateJune 2006

"Eight Episodes" is a science fiction short story by Robert Reed. It was first published in the June 2006 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction .

Science fiction Genre of speculative fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that has been called the "literature of ideas". It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations.

Short story work of literature, usually written in narrative prose

A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a "single effect" or mood, however there are many exceptions to this.

Robert David Reed is a Hugo Award-winning American science fiction author. He has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Nebraska Wesleyan University. Reed is an "extraordinarily prolific" genre short-fiction writer with "Alone" being his 200th professional sale. His work regularly appears in Asimov's, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Sci Fiction. He has also published eleven novels.

Contents

Synopsis

The story follows the lifespan of Invasion of a Small World, a near-future low budget web series (one created with virtual actors and sets using online software) about an Indian astronomer working in South Africa. When one of his graduate students discovers a tiny metal ball in an ancient rock, the world’s scientific community comes alive with excitement. Further episodes of the doomed series reveal information about Earth and the solar system that is extremely accurate, and ignites speculation about alien life in our universe. There is even suggestion that the whole series itself was created by aliens in an attempt to explain the workings of the galaxy and civilizations to mankind.

Reception

The Internet Review of Science Fiction 's Lois Tilton reviewed Eight Episodes as "an odd, thought-provoking work, that raises more questions than answers. Sometimes, we never find the answers." [1]

The Internet Review of Science Fiction was an American webzine devoted to science fiction criticism. It featured critical articles as well as reviews of short fiction and novels.

Lois Tilton is a science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and horror writer. She won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in the short form category for her story "Pericles the Tyrant" in 2006. In 2005, her story, "The Gladiator's War" was a nominee for the Nebula Award for Best Novelette. She has also written several novels concerning vampires and media-related novels, one each in the Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine universes.

Awards

Eight Episodes was nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Short Story [2] and received ninth place in the Locus Award for the Best Short Story of 2007. [3]

Hugo Award Literary awards for science fiction or fantasy

The Hugo Awards are a set of literary awards voted on by members of the current World Science Fiction Convention and presented annually by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The awards are named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. Organized and overseen by the World Science Fiction Society, the awards are given each year at the annual Worldcon. They were first given in 1953 at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, and have been awarded every year since 1955.

The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus, a monthly based in Oakland, California, United States. The award winners are selected by polling magazine readers.

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References

  1. ↑ Lois Tilton (June 2006). "May/June Short Fiction". The Internet Review of Science Fiction . Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "The Hugo Awards: 2007 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  3. ↑ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2007 Locus Awards". The LOCUS Index to Science Fiction Awards. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2011-08-27.

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy fiction and horror fiction. The ISFDB is a volunteer effort, with both the database and wiki being open for editing and user contributions. The ISFDB database and code are available under Creative Commons licensing and there is support within both Wikipedia and ISFDB for interlinking. The data are reused by other organizations, such as Freebase, under the creative commons license.


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