| | Well. We read Andy Weir’s “The Egg,” and now we’re all emotionally holding hands in the universe’s biggest group chat. Thanks for reading along, voting, and bringing top-tier takes to this month’s discussion. It’s a micro-story, but it absolutely drops-kicks your perspective into another dimension. We have the full staff roundtable discussion below if you'd love to see us spiral into an existential crisis. You’ll also find discussion questions (brace yourself), a few reading recs to for exploring other sci-fi worlds and of course a poll to vote on what we'll plan to read in February. As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the story over on our socials @spacedotcom. — Kenna & Ian | | | | This Month's Short Story, | | In “The Egg,” a man dies in a car accident and wakes up… somewhere else. There, he meets a being who calmly explains what’s happened: death isn’t the end, and reincarnation isn’t quite what we’ve been imagining. Instead of returning as one new person, the narrator is told he will live again as every human who has ever lived—and every human who ever will.
The story’s central revelation is as unsettling as it is hopeful: if everyone you meet is another version of you, what does that mean for how you treat them?
Read the story hereDisclaimer: All stories linked through this club are hosted on their original publishers’ websites. We do not reproduce or host the stories ourselves. Links are provided solely for readers’ convenience and discussion purposes. Copyright and all rights remain with the original authors and publishers. | | | Because half the fun of reading isn't just turning the pages, it's what happens when we start talking about them. So below are a few questions to think about while you're reading the story. We'll also be walking through a few of these in our wrap up newsletter on this story. - If you truly believed you would live every human life, how would it change the way you treat strangers — or people you don’t like?
- Does the story feel comforting, unsettling, or both? What part landed hardest for you?
- What’s one thing you’d stop doing immediately if you truly believed The Egg’s premise? And one thing you’d start doing more?
- What’s the funniest implication of this story? (Like: arguing in traffic with… yourself. Canceling… yourself. Being your own customer service.)
We’ll be revisiting some of these questions in our end-of-month wrap-up — and we’re excited to see your answers in the comments and on socials (@spacedotcom) | | | | Vote For Next Month's Story | | | Here are the story options for February | Be sure to vote before the end of the month! | | | If You Like That Story, Try This Book! | | | From the renowned author of Project Hail Mary and The Martian comes a "propulsive" (NPR) tale of science, suspense, and humor--a heist story set on the moon. | | | Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard | | | | In an exclusive interview, bestselling author Martha Wells talks "Platform Decay," from its moral stakes to Murderbot's bitter humor. | | | Author Mike Chen returns fans to the galaxy's grimy underworld in this thrilling crime caper book | | | | Space.com Staff Speak Sci-Fi | | | Space staff members Ian Stokes, Brett Tingley, Anthony Wood and Kenna Hughes-Castleberry explore "The Egg" by Andy Weir, discussing Eastern philosophy, panpsychism and the idea of what if you were everyone, everywhere, all at once. | | | | The next Star Wars show from Lucasfilm Animation sees the fallen Sith lord build a criminal empire right under the Empire's nose. | | | | Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. | | | | | | | | | Future US LLC © | | Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036 | | | |
