| | | Here are the story options for February | | "They're made of meat" by Terry Bisson - 46% | | "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss - 21% | | "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemison - 33% | | For February, we’re going full first contact… and then immediately taking a hard left into the weirdest, funniest, slightly horrifying direction possible: us.
Thanks to your votes, we're finally going to cover the short story our staff has been waiting for: Terry Bisson’s iconic micro-masterpiece “They’re Made of Meat,” a quick read that starts like a standard alien conversation and ends with a great punchline. It’s sharp, quotable, and way more thought-provoking than its page count has any right to be. You’ll also find discussion questions (prepare to defend humanity), a few reading recs for more weird sci-fi vibes, and some recent articles we’ve covered for all your science fiction needs.
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 “They’re Made of Meat,” two beings discuss a newly discovered intelligent species. The catch? The species isn’t silicon-based, energy-based, or anything sleek and futuristic. It’s…meat. Thinking meat. Talking meat. Dreaming meat. What unfolds is a rapid-fire exchange that’s funny on the surface — the universe can’t believe we’re like this — but also quietly cutting. If intelligence can come packaged in something as messy and perishable as flesh, what does that say about our assumptions of what “advanced” looks like?
Disclaimer: 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. - What’s the most insulting part of “they’re made of meat”?
- Are the aliens biased… or just practicing cosmic common sense?
- You have 30 seconds to convince the alien committee that humans are worth talking to. What do you lead with: art, math, kindness, dogs, memes… or “please don’t judge us by Florida”?
- Okay, fine. What should count as “intelligent life?”
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 March's story options | Be sure to vote before the end of the month! | | | If You Like That Story, Try This Book! | | | | This anthology brings together nineteen of Bisson's finest works for the first time in one volume, among them the darkly comic title story, which garnered the field's highest honors, including the Hugo, Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, and Locus awards. | | | | Read an excerpt of this deep-space mystery from the prolific writer of 'Whalefall' and 'Angel Down.' | | | | Bungie's next game is a return to the Marathon universe, but it's not what fans of the series were expecting. Here's everything we know so far. | | | With Artemis 2 on the verge of blasting off, why not build a little piece of space history? We've rounded up the best Lego NASA sets to suit a range of budgets and ages. | | | | 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 | | | |
