Around the Dark Dial

Take a trip around the dark dial with eleven original and thought-provoking short stories that invoke the wonder and mystery of old-time radio dramas. Forget all that you know about modern sci-fi. In Around the Dark Dial, it's all about the unexpected.

"Around the Dark Dial is good old-fashioned science fiction, full of twists and surprises and the sense of wonder, but leavened with modern sensibilities - there's a lot to recommend here, with stories ranging from the present day to the far future, from the promise of new technology to the dystopic future we all dread." - David Wellington, author of The Last Astronaut

Around the Dark Dial is a collection of 11 science fiction stories in an ode to Old-Time Radio plays:

Hello There - 100 years ago the Yellowstone super volcano exploded, only to be contained by a mysterious field that blocked off the area. Now the field is fading, and a top military team is going in to explore.

Caller Four - A late night radio program takes phone calls on alien abductions, with frightening results.

The Simulant - A loner sentient AI named Haro is caught up in the investigation of a recent Mossback eco-terrorist attack. (This story is collected to J.D. Sanderson's A Footstep Echo series)

Headline - A rookie newspaper reporter in the 1950's investigates government corruption with possible alien connections.

Daughter - A desperate father races to save his daughter who was left inexplicably on the side of a cliff by their neighbor.

Hello Again - A team encounters what might be a new form of life in Yellowstone park.

The Snowstorm - An elderly nurse meets a young man who is desperate to keep his baby safe from plagues that have depopulated much of the planet.

The Circus Peanut Gallery - A Mumbai scientist fits several animals with communication devices, with hilarious results.

Rearing - Two sentient AIs are activated. One is raised in a lab, and one is raised with a family.

Choice - A young team at an astronomical observatory receive what could the first real concrete proof of extraterrestrial life.

Welcome - A team of scientists try to find what happened to their friend who vanished while on an expedition for new life in Yellowstone park.