Collected Short Stories Series

This is the first volume of the collected short stories by Joe Vasicek. It contains:   The Gettysburg Paradox The greatest battle of all time, secretly fought by time travelers. (Gallery of Curiosities, June 2018; Bards and Sages Quarterly, July 2019)   Killing Mister Wilson Every time traveler wants to kill Hitler. Only one actually stopped him. (Uprising Review, September 2017; Unrealpolitik, November 2018)   My Name Is For My Friends When fellowship draws the line between life and death, trust must be proven. (Mirror Dance, September 2017)   Memoirs of a Snowflake The life and times of a December snowflake.   The Curse of the Lifewalker When all the world is afflicted by the plague, sometimes the greater curse is to be whole. (Sci Phi Journal, June 2016)   Decision LZ1527 A boy, a girl, and a whole crew of matchmakers. (Leading Edge, December 2009; Digital Fiction Quickfic, December 2016)   Jane Carter of Earth and the Rescue that Never Was To boldly go where no Earthfleet Academy Xenolinguistics major has gone before.   Time and Space in Amish Country What if the Amish are guarding a naturally occuring time portal in the Pennsylvania countryside?   A Hill On Which To Die As the witch-king impresses the mountain orcs into his eldritch army, Garak-Nur must lead the last of the free orcs into the wilderness to start a new clan. (The Great Tome of Fantastic and Wondrous Places, September 2016)   The Open Source Time Machine Just like information, time wants to be free. (The New Accelerator, January 2019; Bards and Sages Quarterly, April 2020)

Ten brutally honest and politically incorrect stories for times such as these!   This is the second volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It contains:   The Paradox of Choice If post-birth abortions are legal, when does life actually begin?   Payday A near future sci-fi thriller about the perils of a universal basic income.   Utahraptors at Dawn When the meme wars are fought on the digital field of honor, no weapon is too ridiculous to be awesome.   Sex, Life, and Love Under the Algorithms In a world bound by algorithms and AI, the greatest liability is the human spirit.   Welcome to Condescension The graying of fandom was never this much fun. (Space Squid, August 2018)   A Less Than Perfect Game Sometimes the only way to win is first to make a mistake.   Take Up Your Sword A kingdom is lost… and a legend is born.   The Numismatist Even for time travelers, some hobbies are truly timeless. (Never before published!)   Elusive Eden (by J.M. Wight) When a time traveler's quest for the Garden of Eden goes sideways, will his faith go sideways too? (Never before published!)   Worlds Without Number (by J.M. Wight) An age of peace, an artifact of war, and a visit three men will never forget.

Ten optimistic and forward-looking space stories that show how we journey to the stars! This is the third volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Scales of the Space Whale The most dangerous creatures in the universe will kill you before they know you exist! In the Beginning Paradise is not what—or where—it seems. (After Dinner Conversation, August 2020) From the Ice Incarnate They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. (1st place, 2009 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Contest BYU) When She Awakes To pay her father's debt, she must offer herself as coin. The Infiltrator The aliens are already among us, in a form we refuse to see. (Not Far From Roswell, December 2019) Abductors Always check your backblast before launching your UFO. (Never before published!) Starchild The revolutions passed, and the stars spun silently underfoot. (Bards and Sages Quarterly, October 2019) L'enfer, c'est la Solitude War is not the only hell in the cold, empty void of space. (Perihelion, March 2016; The New Accelerator, August 2018) The Janus Anomaly What do you do when you're the only sane one and everyone else is crazy? (Kasma Magazine, May 2019; Twilight Tales, February 2021) Lizzie-99XT To save humanity, she must become the machine. (Serial Magazine, August 2019)

Eleven short stories and a poem that show us what comes after the end of all we know. This is the fourth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Manchurian Paradox We have met our timeline's enemy and he is us. A Fatal Rebirth Nothing in this world should live forever—not even civilization itself. The Final Turning This is how the world ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper—thanks to me. The New Covenant To restore a fallen America, an ancient and terrible covenant must be renewed. Hearken and Behold (by J.M. Wight) "Hearken, oh ye hypocrites, and behold the desolation that is already come upon you!" The End of Elysium For the promise of paradise, the last civilization will surrender to the apocalypse. The Promise of King Washington When the aliens came, it wasn't a military invasion: it was an economic one. (Again, Hazardous Imaginings, December 2020) Lord of the Slaves "Everyone secretly wants to be a slave. Those who deny it simply haven't found the right master." The Other Side of Reality What if your future self came back to give you advice, and all it did was confuse you? Schrödinger's Diaper "Stays clean and dry until you're free to change it!" …except not quite. (Bards and Sages Quarterly, April 2022) Two Hours Ago A time machine without paradoxes, so long as it's not abused. Welcome to Our Crazy Family Two genderqueer lesbians and a tranny have a rebellious daughter who does the unthinkable and decides to marry a Christian.

Ten stories that show why the freedom of truth is worth the price of loneliness. This is the fifth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Love and Truth at Universe End Where have all the aliens gone? Calling Scam Likely An auto warranty scam he was sure to never forget! Prison of Dreams A boy, a girl, and a starship gone mad. Blight of Empire A dying world. A decadent empire. A discovery that can save them both. The Library of Fate He rewrote his past in the library of fate. Now, his kingdom is falling. In the Wake of Zedekiah Wight (J.M. Wight) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! Hunter, Lover, Cyborg, Slave A woman needs a man like an authorized cyborg assassin needs an AI familiar. The Body Tax Our government's most heinous crimes are the ones we never question. We Should Have Named You Corona Why do hard times break some men, while making others stronger? The Freedom of Second Chances Family isn't just where you came from, but where you're going too.