(Drivebycuriosity) - Many science fiction stories deal with aliens. They often describe how humans encounter extraterrestrial lifeforms or discover alien artifacts. These encounters resemble the discoveries made by archaeologists. Editor Carry Cuinn had the idea to curate an anthology with stories that combine fictional archeology with alien encounters: "In Situ" (amazon).
The 15 collected stories (together 250 pages) reach from hard science fiction, based on scientific and plausible assumptions, to pure fantasy and horror. I have two favorites:
"Jewel of Tahn-Vinh" by R.S. Hunter. A lonely captain of a space ship, that collects salvage, makes a dangerous found. Pure science fiction and thrilling.
The other favorite is "You always have the Burden with you" by Ken Liu. Researchers are evaluating an alien city on a planet far away. A woman, who is an economist and an expert in tax accounting, has her own insights. One of the very rare hard science fiction stories that include a pinch of economics. Priceless! Liu is an American writer, born in China, and one of the rising stars in the world of science fiction.
I also enjoyed:
"Recovery" by Jason Andrew. The story combines science fiction with pure horror,
"Donning the Helm" by Dawn Vogel, "The Dig" by David J. West, "Seed" by Bear Weite & "Vessels of Clay, Flesh, and Stars" by Mae Empson are all solid exotic horror/mystery in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft. "Relevant Information From The Tel Naiman Site" by Kelly C. Stiles belongs into the same category, but has some dry humor.
"The Stone" by Rebecca Lloyd is a somewhat creepy combination of a mystery with a psychological study of a solitary man.
In the moment of writing the Kindle version is sold for $3.99 (amazon). This a very nice price for a solid selection of science fiction, horror & mystery.
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