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Looking for a steady supply of speculative short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

4170+ Speculative Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Looking to explore terrains beyond Earth and stretch the limits of your imagination? Welcome to the Internet’s best source of speculative fiction stories.

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The Best Speculative Fiction Short Stories

What is speculative fiction? Well, according to Margaret Atwood, it encompasses “plots that descend from Jules Verne’s books about submarines and balloon travel and such — things that really could happen but hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the book.” Today, the general definition of the genre can go even broader than that, covering everything from the futuristic to the supernatural. As diverse as they may be, all speculative fiction share one thing in common: they all test our imaginations and dare to create versions of reality beyond the one which we can see. 

Looking for some exciting speculative fiction stories?

Bring your best travelling attire, your curious mind, and your tireless spirit because our collection of speculative fiction stories will keep you occupied for light years. Compiled from submissions to our weekly writing contests, they’re based on years’ worth of prompts and are sure to galvanize your imagination. Check out the featured pieces at the top of the list if you’re short on time, and want to read only the best of the best. 

Don’t forget to follow your favorite writers to be notified whenever they publish their next short stories. And if you ever run out of speculative fiction stories to read here? Then it might be time to write your own, and perhaps even submit it to our weekly short story competition. They’re free to join, and you may even walk away with a cash prize — and the chance to appear in Prompted, our new literary magazine!

RBE | Illustration — We made a writing app for you | 2024-02

We made a writing app for you

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