The storybundle Strangers in Strange Lands just went live. Curated by yours truly and running till April 25, it unveils a panorama of twelve riveting works that reconnoiter a core tenet of science fiction in all its ramifications and flourishes: encountering others.

A saying widely attributed to Dostoyevsky states there are just two stories: “Someone goes on a journey” and “A stranger comes to town”. This is even truer of science fiction, which constantly tests the boundaries of these two foundational narratives: what might humans become elsewhere/elsewhen? And what others might we encounter when we leave the safety of our planetary cradle—or even the safety of our comfort zones?

Firmly rooted in the key SFnal theme of the quest to explore and understand the universe, the bundle nevertheless ranges widely across speculative fiction subgenres: space opera, near-future dystopia, far futures with magic-like technology, parallel universes, first contacts. From engineered humans to sentient AIs, from indentured teenagers on Earth to duelists on Mars, from neuter loners to clone group kins, it’s all here! Every entry in this spectacular bundle deserves to become a film directed by someone with the flair of Denis Villeneuve or Alfonso Cuarón.

The Strangers storybundle is dedicated to forerunner Vonda McIntyre, who described strangers in strange lands with mind-bending originality and eloquence.  Fair winds, astrogator.