Excellent news everybody! Or ought to that be good publication, everybody, as a result of House.com is kicking off a digital ebook membership of kinds with its new publication: “Unusual New Phrases.”
In the event you love science fiction however haven’t got the time (or endurance) for a 300-page novel (cough, cough our leisure editor Ian), you are in the fitting place. Science fiction is a style recognized for its brief tales, but not everybody reads them. We’re working to alter this with our new reader’s membership.
Here is the way it works: we’ll ship you a hand-picked brief story in the beginning of each month, normally 10-30 pages, brief sufficient to learn in a single sitting however lengthy sufficient to interrupt your mind. We’ll provide you with slightly background on the writer and some enjoyable inquiries to puzzle out whilst you learn.
On the finish of the month, the House.com crew will drop in a fast enjoyable roundtable video the place we chat concerning the story, swap concepts, and get sidetracked. That is additionally while you get to vote on what we learn subsequent, serving to us to create a type of unending sci-fi playlist, constructed by followers for followers.
Be certain to join our newsletter so you don’t miss each month’s story!
Got a favorite short story you want to share? You can comment on this page with your ideas or let us know your thoughts on our social media channels!
So, if you want to stay up to date on all the latest space and sci-fi-themed movies, shows, games, and books then you should head over to our newsletter sign-up page and hit that subscribe button*.
Once you’ve signed up, Strange New Words beams into your inbox on the first and last Wednesdays of every month at around 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT.
See you out there,
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Content Manager, Space
Ian Stokes, Entertainment Editor, Space
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October 2025 Choose
“Usher II” by Ray Bradbury
We kick off our first short story in the month of October, so naturally we’re going for a spooky/Halloween vibe. We’ll step into the chilling imagination of Ray Bradbury, one of the most influential sci-fi writers in the 20th-century. Best known for ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘The Martian Chronicles,’ Bradbury dives deep into what happens when humanity’s hopes and fears interact with technology and cultural change.
Our October pick, ‘Usher II’ (from ‘The Martian Chronicles,’ additionally typically known as “April 2005: Usher II”) is Bradbury’s gothic homage to the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
The story has all of the issues for a very good science fiction horror piece: a haunted home, Mars, and many plot twists. Oh, and in the event you’re an Edgar Allan Poe fan, you will take pleasure in all of the easter eggs Bradbury sprinkles in all through the story.
Content material warning: 1.5 skulls: Ray Bradbury’s “Usher II” comprises gothic horror parts, depictions of exaggerated violence. Youthful readers ought to pay attention to its darkish environment and references to dying.
Dialogue inquiries to ponder whereas studying:
- In the event you had been one of many visitors lured into Usher II, what horror-themed lure do you suppose would “get” you?
Remember to join our publication to get dialogue questions and extra sci-fi content material!
Share your ideas on “Usher II” and counsel future tales for our reader’s membership by becoming a member of the dialog on our socials or dropping a remark right here. Be good or else Stendahl’s robots will get you.
Disclaimer:
All tales linked by this membership are hosted on their unique publishers’ web sites. We don’t reproduce or host the tales ourselves. Hyperlinks are supplied solely for readers’ comfort and dialogue functions. Copyright and all rights stay with the unique authors and publishers.
First Contact: the Story of Our Obsession With Aliens
First Contact explores the traditional thought—and epic quest to show—that we aren’t alone within the universe. Offered in a closely illustrated cupboard of curiosities format, the ebook explores our fascination with aliens from early historical past to current day, together with chapters on alien conspiracy theories, aliens in science fiction, the precise science behind our seek for aliens, and what occurs if and once they come…or, if we’re in reality descended from them.
