Looking for a Science Fiction short story

March 6, 2006 3:49 AM

SciFi Filter: Help me find a short story that fits my oh-so-exacting criteria...

I'm looking for a short Science Fiction story to adapt into a play. My criteria are pretty specific, and I'm struggling, I'm hoping someone with a broader knowledge than mine can help out.

It should be pretty recent (say, 60's onwards), a small cast of characters (not more than 5 really), and if at all possible it should be British. Also, as our budget is limited, aliens are out of bounds (although if it's an alien, or some other monster you don't see, that would be ok).

We're planning to use the full text of the story (ie having a narrator), so a strong narrative voice is a Good Thing too.

Bonus points if I can read it online.

posted by featherboa to Writing & Language (14 answers total)

Best answer: J G Ballard (British) has written tons of sci-fi stories from the fifties to the current day. Many of them are rather ahead of their time or unique in style. The Best Short Stories of J G Ballard would, therefore, be my recommendation as something will fit.

(As a sample, I'll quickly demonstrate one of his stories.. There's a kid who lives in the future when the world is basically just one giant building - due to overcrowding. He's convinced something called 'flight' is possible, though his teachers all scoff at the idea.. and goes off to find a space to test out his theories.. -- Most of the stories are in a similar vein, and he never has aliens or other planets involved.. it's all stuff set on Earth, though sometimes in the future or in places that don't exist.)
posted by wackybrit at 4:07 AM on March 6, 2006

Thinking of British authors with plenty of short stories - Ian Watson or John Brunner spring to mind. Not British, but a good candidate - Greg Egan. Several of his stories are science fictionally mind-bending, but wouldn't require much in the way of extravagant props. I'm thinking more of, say, Learning to be Me, rather than Diaspora.
posted by crocomancer at 4:40 AM on March 6, 2006

Best answer: There's an archive of stories at scifi.com. You may find classics like Bob Shaw's The Light Of Other Days there, which might work and there are some originals like The Empire Of Ice Cream, although it's a while since I read either of those. Worth a dig through though, I'm sure.
posted by edd at 4:47 AM on March 6, 2006

I actually wrote a script in high school based on The Cold Equations (Tom Godwin)... it came out pretty well. 2 characters, one set, no aliens, no special effects, and a story that any audience will "get".
posted by selfnoise at 5:33 AM on March 6, 2006

What's the difference between "British" and other science fiction? Is it a rights issue?
posted by meehawl at 5:37 AM on March 6, 2006

Response by poster: meehawl - yes and no. It will probably be easier for us to get the rights for a British story, and also we generally aim to use British works where possible, just to highlight 'local' talent. It is a shame to have to rule out some of the greats - Philip K Dick and Kurt Vonnegut in particular - but those are the breaks.

edd - The Light of Other Days is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. I read it as a teenager, and I'd forgotten about it, thanks for the link.
posted by featherboa at 5:53 AM on March 6, 2006

Harlan Ellison's "I have no mouth, yet I must scream" might work.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:18 AM on March 6, 2006

Of course, he's not a brit. (Must remember to read the whole post)
posted by Thorzdad at 8:59 AM on March 6, 2006

Connie Willis' "Even the Queen" might be a good choice. She is American, but the references in the title give it a British twist.

Of course, its an all female cast, so don't know if that limits you, but at least there are no aliens.
posted by AuntLisa at 9:29 AM on March 6, 2006

Perhaps some of Neil Gaiman's stuff. He is British, but lives in America currently so not sure how that affects your preference selection. However, he has quite a few short stories that could be adapted (and often are) easily. We Can Get Them For You Wholesale f'instance.
posted by edgeways at 9:29 AM on March 6, 2006

I'd second the Bob Shaw bit. He's dead so I don't know if that makes rights easier or harder. But "Slow Glass" is quite poignant, and would work well visually on stage, and is easy to prop with existing picture frames. It's also got emotional resonance because of its use by people to fixate on earlier images of their deceased loved ones, as well as current relevence because of its application as a universal surveillance device and annihilator of privacy as slow glass nano dust.
posted by meehawl at 10:35 AM on March 6, 2006

Older and unBritish, but I imagine you could do a creditable job with Campbell's "Who Goes There?"

But, it's been done (see both The Things).

Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names of God."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:40 AM on March 6, 2006

I second JG Ballard. Lots of his early stories could be easily adapted.
posted by A189Nut at 11:44 AM on March 6, 2006

ROU -

I did a student film of "Nine Billion Names" in college. I thought I was so edgy. It is, needless to say, painful to watch now.

The story is great - but might be hard to stage. Definitely worth considering.
posted by AuntLisa at 3:42 PM on March 6, 2006