The ex-planet Pluto has a few choice words about being thrown out of the
solar system. A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various
ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for
dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain,
in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity.
Welcome to Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi.
These four stories, along with 14 other pieces, have one thing in
common: They're short, sharp, and to the point - science fiction in
miniature, with none of the stories longer than 2,300 words. But in that
short space exist entire universes, absurd situations, and the sort of
futuristic humor that propelled Scalzi to a Hugo with his novel
Redshirts. Not to mention yogurt taking over the world (as it would).
Spanning the years from 1991 to 2016, this collection is a quarter
century of Scalzi at his briefest and best and features four
never-before-published stories exclusive to this collection: "Morning
Announcements at the Lucas Interspecies School for Troubled Youth,"
"Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back," "Important
Holidays on Gronghu," and "The AI Are Absolutely Positively Without a
Doubt Not Here to End Humanity, Honest."
John Scalzi is the New York Times best-selling author of Old Man's
War, Lock In, and Redshirts, among others. His work has won the
Hugo and Locus Awards and been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell
Awards. He lives in Ohio and online. He enjoys pie.
Full cast of narrators includes Oliver Wyman, Dina Pearlman, and Allyson
Johnson.
