Ab Terra 2023 delivers the fourth installment of an annual short story anthology that seeks to recreate the feeling of the moment when we first laid eyes on our world through stories of science fiction belonging to all, from Earth. Eleven stories from both emerging and recognized science fiction authors offer diverse cultural perspectives and provide readers with journeys that in one way or another are "from Earth," even if home is far, far away.

Contents

Sweetmeats for Sladkians by Lane Chasek

The owner of a centuries-old candy store finds his business in dire straits after an alien species takes refuge in his neighborhood.

The Electronic Remnants of Louis T. Trippets

A woman's rotten ex-husband dies and she is contacted by his kinder, gentler electronic remnant, who wants to know What happened to us?

Hierarchy by Delaney Brown

Two homodroids are deposited on earth, each with a single assignment that's supposed to matched their unique strengths—only something's gone wrong.

Always Pay Attention by Marka Rifat

An alien breaks into a transporter and send herself to the Wild Planet, where she is deposited into a human body—but she forgot to read the directions on how to get back.

Between Shifts by J. Riley Short

In a dark world of acid rain and concrete printed sky scrapers, a young man can't reach his video game-addicted friend and fears the worst.

Postcards from Heaven by Remi Martin

Tess's mother is an astronaut who leaves her husband and child on a dying earth while she goes to search for a more habitable planet. Over time, her noble choice has unintended consequences.

Tess 16201(c): Death by Numbers by Faith Ann Guptill

A researcher tasked with finding a way to manage the increasingly destructive dragon population on Tess 16201(c) arrives to discover that he was actually hired to oversee and legitimize the extermination of the species.

Sentients by Amy Matthewson

When the Titans of Tomorrow tech team successfully program consciousness into AI, their man-made 'Friends with a Heart' become modern-day Frankenstein's monsters.

Survival of the Kindest by Chris Robinson

An astronaut wakes up after a 300-year journey to the distant planet Luyten B only to discover that technological advances after his departure allowed other humans to reach the planet before his arrival.

Return to the Sea by Danielle Davis

A young Intuit boy returns to his family's seal hunting hut in the wake of losing his father. Through the SynthMem device that allows him to view holographic videos of his father's memories, he uncovers more bittersweet family truths than he expected.

Or Every Man Be Blind by Jesse Rowell

A Kodiak bear trained in the art of divination runs away from its trainer, briefly joins a religious cult, and is eventually sold to an astronaut who takes her on a flight to Ursa Major.