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Transform the World

14 Si-Fi Writers Change the Planet

"Today I swam through MOMA. Leon says it was a waste, encasing the art, then flooding the museum—frivolous and elitist. I say it was a gesture of optimism, a triumph of technology and political will."

Want to thrill to the possibilities of a hopeful future? We asked a bunch of sci-fi writers to spin tales of a better future, imagining ways in which the world might become a better place.

From a swim through an underwater museum to a joyous dance at a futuristic concert, from the eco-friendly aftermath of an alien invasion and retreat to the refurbishing of an old climate-ravaged home in New Vancouver, these fourteen short sci-fi stories will to restore your faith in the future.

A world transformed is a world we can all hope for.

Book three in the Writers Save the World short story anthologies. If you enjoy this book, check out Fix the World and Save the World.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth
Genres:
Sci Fi
Tags:
Anthology, gay, lesbian, LGBT fiction, mm romance, San Francisco, sci fi
Excerpt:
Reviews:D. Donovan on Midwest Book Review wrote:

“A satisfyingly diverse set of visions of the future that come from a single question: how could the world work better?... Libraries and readers looking for especially diverse, thought-provoking sci-fi forays into not only what works, but why, will find Transform the World a potent gathering of forces that juxtapose tales of hope, social inspection, and a feeling of peaceful opportunity into the sci-fi short story world.”


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Tangents & Tachyons

Tangents & Tachyons is Scott's second anthology - six sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from time travel to hopepunk and retro spec fic:

Eventide: Tanner Black awakes to find himself in his own study, staring out the window at the end of the Universe. But who brought him there, and why?

Chinatown: Deryn lives in an old San Francisco department store with his girlfriend Gracie, and scrapes by with his talent as a dreamcaster for the Chinese overlords. But what if a dream could change the world?

Across the Transom: What if someone or something took over your body on an urgent mission to save your world?

Pareidolia: Simon's not like other college kids. His mind can rearrange random patterns to reveal the images lurking inside. But where did his strange gift come from? And what if there are others like him out there too?

Lamplighter: Fen has a crush on his friend Lewin, who's in a competing guild. But when the world goes dark, only a little illumination can save it. And only Fen, Lewin and their friend Alissa can light the spark. A Liminal Sky short.

Prolepsis: Sean is the closeted twenty-five-year-old editor of an 80's sci-fi 'zine called Prolepsis. When an unabashedly queer story arrives from a mysterious writer, it blows open Sean's closet door, and offers him the chance to change the world - and the future.

Plus two flash fiction stories – The System and The Frog Prince, never before published.

This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth, Kelley York
Genres:
Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Romance, Sci Fi
Tags:
Anthology, fantasy, gay, LGBT fiction, Sacramento, San Francisco, sci fi, Tucson
Excerpt:
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Dropnauts

Liminal Sky: Redemption Cycle Book 1

Life after the Crash.

Over a century after the end of the Earth, life goes on in Redemption, the sole remaining Lunar colony, and possibly the last outpost of humankind in the Solar System. But with an existential threat burrowing its way into the Moon's core, humanity must recolonize the homeworld.

Twenty brave dropnauts set off on a mission to explore the empty planet. Four of them—Rai, Hera, Ghost and Tien—have trained for two-and-a-half years for the Return. They're bound for Martinez Base, just outside the Old Earth city of San Francisco.

But what awaits them there will turn their assumptions upside down—and in the process, either save or destroy what's left of humanity.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Editors:
Gus Li
Illustrators:
J. Scott Coatsworth
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth, Kelley York
Genres:
Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi
Tags:
Audio, Novel, San Francisco
Excerpt:
Reviews:on Publisher's Weekly:

Coatsworth’s laudable themes of redemption, perseverance, and identity liven his steadfast characters, and the mission to revive Earth is noble. Readers will enjoy the diverse cast and high-tech adventure.


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Cailleadhama: Through the Veil

Colton is a trans man living in a climate-changed world. He plies the canals that used to be city streets, earning a living taking tourists on illicit journeys through San Francisco's flooded edges beneath the imposing bulk of the Wall.

Tris is an elf who comes through the veil to the City by the Bay - the Caille - on a coming of age pilgrimage called the Cailleadhama. He is searching for his brother Laris, who went missing after crossing through the Caille years before.

The two men find they have common cause, and together they set off to find Laris in a world transformed by the twin forces of greed and climate change. And in the end, they find out more than they ever expected, both about the warming world and their own selves.

Note: This story was originally published in the "Myths Untold: Faery" anthology from Wilde City Press. It is presented here in its original form.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth
Genres:
Fantasy, Romance, Sci Fi
Tags:
fantasy, gay, LGBT fiction, mm romance, Novella, San Francisco, sci fi
Excerpt:
Reviews:Chris Sweeso on Bayou Book Junkie wrote:

I loved how the author wove action with mythology and romance and gave us a very detailed story that I just couldn’t put down until it ended! Colton and Tris were both amazing on their own, but together they seemed unstoppable and I was very happy with how their relationship progressed and the resolution in the end.


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Spells & Stardust

Spells & Stardust is Scott's first anthology - eight sci fi and fantasy shorts that run the gamut from regeneration to redemption.

The Bear at the Bar: A gay fish out of water tale with a pinch of magic.

Tight: What happens when your lover disappears in midair?

Morgan: The year when everything changed.

Re-Life: What if you were reborn in a strange new future?

A New Year: They met every eleven years. And each time, Hank's life changed.

Repetition: What if you wanted to go back in the closet?

Gargoyle: Sometimes you get what you deserve. Sometimes it happens on All Hallows Eve.

Avalon: A few bright moments in the sun, stolen from outside time.

Most of these stories have been previously published in various anthologies and journals. This is the first time they have all been collected in one place.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth
Genres:
Fantasy, Magical Realism, Sci Fi
Tags:
Anthology, bears, contemporary, fantasy, magical realism, Sacramento, San Francisco, sci fi, Seattle
Excerpt:

The edge of the old cement pediment crumbled away beneath Hank’s feet into the river far below, glistening in the light of the almost-full moon. The bridge railing was cold at his back—he could feel it all the way through his jacket and shirt to his skin. He could see his breath glowing in the night air.

The nearly-frozen water rushed by in the river below, flowing under the bridge behind him and on toward the ocean far away in a steady flow, silver in the moonlight and heavily laden with winter rain. As soon as he gathered his courage, Hank would let go of his grip on the railing and fall into those icy waters, to disappear forever from the world of men.

It was New Year's Day, 1986, an hour after midnight, and it was the end of things for Hank.

Or it should have been.

It was also the night he first met Dale.