Short Stories

Browse Dan's published short fiction below, or get updates whenever a new story is published.

Featured stories


Take Flight

On a half-abandoned future Earth, an ornithologist discovers a critically endangered bird nesting beneath a spaceport launch pad.



Generation

In a dystopian future, a desperate mother attempts to smuggle her illegal child past Border Enforcement.



Icebreakers

The world has been pulled back from the brink, and all that's left is to take revenge.


2027


Breathe


Two oxygen auditors uncover desperate conditions inside a lunar mining colony.



Epoch

On a long-abandoned asteroid station, an archaeological team finds more of humanity's lost history than they bargained for.


2026


Bone-flowered

A bounty hunter is mortally wounded during battle with a terrifying monster.



Icebreakers

The world has been pulled back from the brink. All that's left is to take revenge.



Convergence

In the aftermath of an interstellar battle, a sentient warship awakens to discover it is not alone.



Sarcophagus

When their spacecraft is destroyed, an astronaut stranded in deep space realises they are unable to move.



I Spent A Year In Forced Labour In The Helium-3 Mines on Titan. Here’s What It Taught Me About Work Ethic

You can't force me to work. You'll have to force me to stop.



Take Flight

On a half-abandoned future Earth, an ornithologist discovers a critically endangered bird nesting beneath a spaceport launch pad.


2025


The Cat That Went To Uranus

After stowing away aboard the first manned mission to Uranus, a little black cat quickly becomes a nuisance.



What To Do When A Protagonist Visits Your Generic Village

You've heard this story before.

Originally published in F&SF



It’s Not You, Or The Eldritch Entities Wiping Out San Francisco, It’s Me

As dark forces enter our dimension, a dissatisfied girlfriend decides that enough is enough.



Firestarter

A disgraced satellite technician must confront her past when she is paired with a new recruit.



Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Your Short Story Submission's Attachment

A story submission to a magazine goes very, very wrong.



User's Guide To Your Takura Temporal Vehicle

Please read the enclosed information carefully before attempting temporal transit. There will be no refunds.


2024


Ellipsism

When a spaceship captain falls into a supermassive black hole, her old crew come home to say a final goodbye.



The Cat That Worked From Home

Macaroni is a very important business cat. He has a little laptop with little buttons for his little paws.



Generation

In a dystopian future, a desperate mother attempts to smuggle her illegal child past Border Enforcement.



Terminal Accord

A group of cancer-stricken astronauts embark on a one-way trip to Enceladus.


2023


Italic & Bold

Two damaged robots discuss matters of great importance.



Bound

No-one can prepare you for living with your demons.



The Smiling Virologist

A documentary crew uncovers the truth behind a very unusual pandemic.



Eternity Park

As the biosphere collapses, a young girl explores a pristine VR copy of Earth.



The Ice Tunnel Closes

A 100-word Antarctic horror story.



For All The Worlds You'll Make

A tale of childhood friendship in the final years of a dying Earth.



They Came From Outer Space [Citation Needed]

Alien invaders are wiping out civilisation, but Wikipedia still needs updating...



The Tidal Lock

After Earth stops turning, a water courier's truck breaks down in an inhospitable desert.

Originally published in Interstellar Fiction