Dave & Liz & Chicago Save the World: An Exclusive Short Story for Chicon 7 Members
Posted on May 7, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 13 Comments
Hey! I wrote a new short story. It’s called “Dave & Liz & Chicago Save the World.” As the title rather strongly suggests, it’s about two people named Dave and Liz trying to save the world from an alien invasion, with the city of Chicago playing a major role. As the art for the story by Alan White hints toward, it’s a somewhat silly story, but I think it’s enjoyable (admittedly I am biased), and may actually even be educational for some folks. You can’t beat that. Here’s a very brief excerpt:
“I am a robotic emissary from the people of Glunden 7,” the globe said. “You have been randomly selected by our people to be the recipients of a message from our species. Congratulations!”
“Uh,” Dave said. “Thanks.”
“That’s the good news,” the globe said.
“That’s the good news?” Liz said. “What’s the bad news?”
“Based on the decades of transmissions that have emanated from your world, we have decided that you, as a species, are appallingly banal and must be destroyed,” the globe said.
“Well,” Dave said, after a minute. “This is a genuinely disappointing first contact scenario.”
Will Dave and Liz and Chicago, in fact, save the world? You’ll have to read the rest of the story to find out!
How can you read “Dave & Liz & Chicago Save the World”? Simple: Become a member of Chicon 7, this year’s Worldcon. It’s my gift to Chicon 7 members, as the Toastmaster of the convention. It’s my way of saying “thanks” for being part of what I’m pretty sure is going to be a fantastic time in Chicago. Once you’re a member, you can get it by using your membership number and PIN code (it’s the same PIN code you’ll use for the Hugo voting, but I will stress this story is not part of the Hugo process in any way. It just uses the same PIN code for ID purposes).
Here are all the details on the story, from the Chicon 7 site itself. And here’s where you can register for Chicon 7, if you haven’t done so yet.
If you’re a Chicon 7 member, I hope you will enjoy this story I have written just for you. If you’re not a Chicon 7 member, I hope you’ll consider becoming part of our merry membership, not just for the story, of course, but for everything else too (including voting for this year’s Hugo Awards). Oh, go on. It’ll be fun.
So, basically, first contact is a spam message.
Figures. If anyone has the tenacity for galactic colonization, it’ll probably be direct marketing schemes.
At first blush I thought that was a Schadenfreude Pie!
Gulliver:
Nope, not a spam message. It’s not selling anything but SCREAMING DEATH. Which no one wants to buy.
It’s only Monday. Check back on Thursday for any takers.
I think there’s an extra “not” in the first line of the fifth paragraph from the end on Page 19 (Exercising my inner nerdiness).
You know, if we can get McCarty and his wife to do this at opening ceremonies, you’ve got a short form dramatic presentation nomination on your hands, John. Of course, we’d need a voice for the balloon – now, who could we get that has experience with the story and with presentations of written science fiction and with Chicon…
Yup, that’s an extremely silly story. I actually chortled! Thank you.
I joined (a supporting membership) so that I could vote for the Hugo awards — specifically for Jo Walton’s Among Others. But I’ll take the short story too.
cake? or death?
I’d say given that Ralph Kramden is the Earth’s first embassador to outerspace (via all the TV broadcasts going out), then we’re sure not making a great first impression.
Speaking of Chicon, do you know if they are doing a hugo voting packet again this year?
That was a fun bedtime story. Thanks.
I can’t seem to download this. I can sign in fine, but when I click on the download link a blank page opens and nothing happens :-/
Chicon’s doing a voter packet.. but after PayPal took my money, the registration process terminates in ‘mail system error,’ as does an attempt to send them email; and the listed webmaster phone number has been disconnected…
…anyone have a better contact mechanism for someone out there? :)
OK, further oddity: *despite* those repeat error messages, apparently everything is in *fact* working fine as I just got the confirmation / PIN email. Most odd, but improved :).