"Eight Episodes" is a science fiction short story by

Robert Reed Robert Reed (born John Robert Rietz Jr.; October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor. He played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama '' The Defenders'' from 1961 to 1965 alongside E. G. Marshall, and is best known for his role as the ...

. It was first published in the June

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

issue of '' Asimov's Science Fiction''.

Synopsis

The story follows the lifespan of ''Invasion of a Small World'', a near-future low budget web series (one created with virtual actors and sets using online software) about an Indian astronomer working in South Africa. When one of his graduate students discovers a tiny metal ball in an ancient rock, the world’s scientific community comes alive with excitement. Further episodes of the doomed series reveal information about Earth and the solar system that is extremely accurate, and ignites speculation about alien life in our universe. There is even suggestion that the whole series itself was created by aliens in an attempt to explain the workings of the galaxy and civilizations to mankind.

Reception

'' The Internet Review of Science Fiction''s Lois Tilton reviewed ''Eight Episodes'' as "an odd, thought-provoking work, that raises more questions than answers. Sometimes, we never find the answers."

Awards

''Eight Episodes'' was nominated for the 2007

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

for Best Short Story and received ninth place in the Locus Award for the Best Short Story of 2007.

References

External links

Short story
* Science fiction short stories 2006 short stories Works originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction {{2000s-sf-story-stub