the short fiction of DAVID BRIN

Brin's short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor than his novels. Many are collected in INSISTENCE OF VISION, OTHERNESS and THE RIVER OF TIME; others have become part of anthologies. Some can be read here or downloaded to an ebook reader.


anthologized BRIN

short stories and essays appearing in anthologies

The Tell

"The Tell" is available (and free to download!) in Future Visions, original Science Fiction inspired by Microsoft.

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Genji

"Genji" is included in Murasaki, ed. by Robert Silverberg; a shared-world anthology about what happens when ships bearing humans arrive in the Murasaki system.

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Out of Time Synopsis

A synopsis proposal for the "Out of Time" series is included in The Synopsis Treasury: A Landmark Collection of Actual Proposals Submitted to Publishers.

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Sousveillance

The essay "Sousveillance" appears in Between Ape and Artilect: Conversations with Pioneers of Artificial General Intelligence and Other Transformative Technologies.

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Transition Generation

The story "Transition Generation" appeared in Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future, an anthology inspired by Neal Stephenson's 2011 article "Innovation Starvation." It also appears in Brin's newest anthology, Insistence of Vision.

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The Postman

The novella that inspired The Postman appears in Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse, edited by John Joseph Adams.

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Sky Light

"Sky Light" appears in All Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories, ed. by David Moles and Jay Lake; stirring science fiction adventure stories paying homage to 1940's pulp SF tales.

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Banner of the Angels

"Banner of the Angels" is included in Extreme Planets: A Science Fiction Anthology of Alien Worlds, ed. David Conyers and David Kernot.

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Insistence of Vision

"Insistence of Vision," which appears in Brin's newest anthology, Insistence of Vision, also appears in Twelve Tomorrows, visionary science fiction of the future inspired by today's newest technologies.

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The Heavy Generation

"The Heavy Generation" appears in Starship Century: Toward the Grandest Horizon, ed. by Gregory and James Benford. This anthology of science fiction and fact was inspired by the DARPA/NASA One Hundred Year Starship program.

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Just a Hint

"Just a Hint" appears in Before They Were Giants, ed. by James L. Sutter. It collects the first published stories of fifteen award-winning science fiction authors.

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Eloquent Elephants Pine Away for the Moon's Crystal Forests

"Eloquent Elephants Pine Away for the Moon's Crystal Forests" is included in Space Cadets, ed. by Mike Resnick; science fiction stories provoking memories of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. It also appears in Brin's newest anthology, Insistence of Vision.

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three variations on a short story

podcasting stories

podcasting stories

the return of oral story-telling

Novum, a podcast broadcasting out of JAM Radio in Dundee, Scotland, recorded an audio version (read by daughter Ari Brin) of "The Logs." This story is part of Brin's newest collection Insistence of Vision.

A number of free audio versions of Brin's stories have appeared at Starship Sofa:

  • Mars Opposition
  • Spheres
  • Fortitude
  • A Professor at Harvard
  • Temptation
  • Interzone Online has republished a reading-podcast audiobook of "The Giving Plague." Clear and dramatic and fun.

    Tinkerers

    Tinkerers

    a graphic short story

    When did America lose its knack for making things? Manufacturing is the root that all other projects sprout from... even the arts! The story "The Tinkerers" illuminates one community's response to that question. Thanks to the Metals Service Center Institute, it became a comic book that combines graphic art with a guided tour of history and tech, exploring how to win back the knack!

    The Dogma of Otherness

    The Dogma of Otherness

    Otherness includes essays

    This essay, about how attempting to communicate with dolphins is almost as frustrating as communicating with humans, first appeared in the book Otherness, a collection of essays and short stories on the theme of, strangely enough, otherness.


    DAVID BRIN's six-word stories

    In 2006, Wired Magazine asked a group of authors to write a six-word story for an article. I sent a batch, and they chose:
    "Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love." The rest?

    • "Dinosaurs return. Want their oil back."
    • "Bang postponed. Not Big enough. Reboot."
    • "Temporal recursion. I'm dad and mom?"
    • "Time Avenger's mistaken! It wasn't me..."
    • "Democracy postponed. Whence franchise? Ask Diebold..."
    • "Cyborg seeks egg donor, object ___."
    • "Deadline postponed. Five words enough...?"
    • "Metrosexuals notwithstanding, quiche still lacks something."
    • "Brevity's virtue? Wired saves adspace. Subscribe!"
    • "Death postponed. Metastasized cells got organized."
    • "Microsoft gave us Word. Fiat lux?"
    • "Mind of its own. Damn lawnmower."
    • "Singularity postponed. Datum missing. Query Godoogle?"

    a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN

    To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.

    DAVID BRIN author

    novels

    David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More


    shorter fiction

    Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More


    Contrary Brin blog

    Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More


    social media influencer

    Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More

    DAVID BRIN scientist

    scientist

    David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More


    transparency expert

    Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More


    speaker & consultant

    Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 200 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings.Learn More


    future/tech advisor

    Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More

    Contacting BRIN

    All the Ways in the World to Reach David Brin

    an ornery, contrary BLOG, and other insightful wormholes!

    Do not enter if you want a standard "Party" line! Contrary Brin's incendiary posts on science, sci-fi and politics and its engaged, opinionated community poke at too-rigid orthodoxies, proposing ideas and topics that fascinate — and infuriate. See for yourself, and if you like — subscribe for more.

    Questions? Concerns? Email DAVID BRIN at mail@davidbrin.com


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    pages about DAVID BRIN

  • latest news and activities
  • information about DAVID BRIN
  • public speaking and consulting & popular topics
  • speaking/consulting references and testimonials & a list of past appearances
  • print and podcast interviews
  • video interviews and talks
  • Brin's presskit and complete biography
  • traditional media and social media
  • Brin quotes and frequently asked questions
  • pages about BRIN's science fiction

  • Brin's novels and books
  • Brin's short stories and novellas
  • all about Brin's uplift universe
  • a selection of book reviews
  • Brin's special-order books for sale
  • Brin's advice for new writers
  • Brin reviews sci fi films — including The Postman
  • a compilation of great sf books to read
  • recommended sf films
  • science fiction that teaches
  • BRIN's nonfiction explorations

  • THE TRANSPARENT SOCIETY
  • privacy, security, accountability and transparency
  • designing and crafting our amazing 21st Century
  • predicting and projecting our near and far future
  • leading and following our politics and economy
  • keeping track of changes in science and technology
  • scanning our sky for habitable (inhabited?) worlds