Ab Terra Books • Release Date: January 26, 2021

Print ISBN: 978-1-948559-53-9 • Ebook ISBN: 978-1-948559-56-0

Brain Mill Press offers Ab Terra 2020 in ebook and trade paperback editions. Ebook buyers receive access to MOBI (Kindle), EPUB, and PDF files, offered without DRM restrictions. Print book buyers receive a physical copy of the book and access to the ebook files in all formats.

“Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! There’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty.”

—William Anders, December 24th, 1968, Moon

Astronaut William Anders took a photograph after remarking on the beauty of Earth from the moon. Called “Earthrise,” it introduced us to our home, to the vastness of humanity’s planet.

Ab Terra 2020 is a short story anthology that seeks to recreate the feeling of the moment when we first laid eyes on our world through stories of science fiction belonging to all, from Earth. Twelve stories from both emerging and recognized science fiction authors offer diverse cultural perspectives and provide readers with journeys that in one way or another are “from Earth,” even if home is far, far away.

 

Contents

Ich-iri by Clare McNamee-Annett

Following a bereavement, an alien travels with a crew to Earth’s past to kidnap the human infant who will grow up to be responsible for the technology that brings humans to the alien world.

Come Water, Come Navigator by Elizabeth Kate Switaj

In a future that sees most of Earth underwater, a Navigator with traumas in her past travels with a small team to find out what happened to America.

Chronotope by Raul Ciannella, translated by Rachel Cordasco

A small team enslaved to data entry roles by an AI system manages to break out by combining their “alienating habits,” which allow them to work at super-fast speeds.

The Wisdom of Doubts by Soramimi Hanarejima

A thought-story explores the creative potential of doubts.

on either side of 1986 by Megan Russell

A sister’s recollections of living with a younger brother with special needs and an abusive parent are interwoven with the details of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Blip by Charlie Hill

A ship’s AI and its pilot collaborate to make a bad decision in a deep space near-contact scenario.

Michael by Ky Parker

A robot created in the vision of the inventor’s wife, memories and all, finds itself alone after the inventor dies.

Porch Light by Nels Challinor

A lonely journey in space prompts memories of home on Earth.

Compatibility by Alaina Symanovich

A matching service finds a near-perfect match for a debutante, which is impossible—horrifying the girl and delighting her parents.

Grapefruit Rug by Stephanie Boyter

An alien attempts to blend into life in a big city.

<egg, egg> by Elizabeth Wing

An alien encounter ends in an exchange of eggs.

Chinode-matsuri by Nyri A. Bakkalian

A protagonist reflects on the Moon’s Earth Festival and what it means to their connection with home and family.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Yen Ooi is a writer and editor—2023 Hugo Award finalist—whose works explore cultural storytelling and its effects on identity. She is obsessed with science fiction, where she excavates stories to expose and explore permutations of culture across the genre. Yen is author of Rén: The Ancient Chinese Art of Finding Peace and Fulfilment, narrative designer on Road to Guangdong, as well as author of Sun: Queens of Earth (novel) and A Suspicious Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (collection). When she hasn’t got her head in a book, Yen also lectures, mentors, and plays the viola.

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