I don’t usually go a bundle for Science Fiction – all that nonsense about hyper-jumps and star clusters exploding beyond the moon of Xoon  – but I found plenty to enjoy in this short story collection from local author Gray Rankin. As the book’s title kind of hints at, there are seven stories here and they cover all manner of scenarios. Dating in the future is covered in the first tale ‘Speed Dating Checklist’, which sees a fellow sizing up potential suitors. Needless to say it’s less hearts and flowers and more genetic flaws and anomalies. Elsewhere we get a peek at earning a crust in the future in ‘The Three Jump Surprise’, and in ‘Don’t Tell The Trees’ colonisers run into all sorts of problems (don’t they always). I wouldn’t say that I’m a science fiction convert, but these snapshots – often of a dystopian nature – are short stories packing big ideas. DP

Published by Litgo Press