futuristic subway station in a sci fi short story

Sci Fi Flash Fiction Directory

Our Selection of free Sci Fi Flash Fiction

Sci Fi (or science fiction) is one of the four genres that we love to publish here on Lore Publication. Whether its a story set in a far off dystopian future for the human race, or a story about an alien discovering the larger universe for the first time – we love to read them! If you love to read or write sci fi too, then you are in the right place.

Every single sci fi flash fiction that we decide to publish can be found on this main directory. Here on Lore, we deem stories that fall into the flash fiction category as being 251-999 words in length. Other publications and writing professionals may disagree with that word count but that’s okay! Here on Lore, that’s how we categorize it.

Stewart, our Chief Editor, does his best to feature as many talented writers and authors that submit to Lore as possible. His aim is to give the writers of the world a platform to share their work (as long as it falls into what’s right for Lore), and Lore’s audience amazing stories to read. That being said, don’t forget to check out the authors’ links and support them any way you can!

Do you have a flash fiction that you would like published here on Lore? Take a look at our Submissions page for more information. It goes into detail about what we’re looking for and our guidelines for submissions.

a diamond among the rough bk bass

‘A Diamond Among The Rough’ By B.K. Bass

A gritty glimpse into a brilliantly imagined world by B.K. Bass! Find his website here and support him over on Twitter too.

Story blurb: A seasoned detective is called out to a brutal crime scene. What does this gritty world have to offer?

sci fi flash fiction

‘Exemplum’ By Stewart Storrar

This story was written by Stewart Storrar, a professional writer and hobbyist filmmaker from the Clyde Valley, Scotland.

Story blurb: Waking up in a strange medical facility is never a great first memory to have…


sci fi flash fiction

‘Fat of the land’ by mark huntley-james

This edition of Sci Fi Flash Fiction was brought to you from the brilliant mind of Mark Huntley-James. Follow his work on Mark’s Twitter page.

Story Blurb: a unique type of fungus causes the world of the future untold issues never before seen…

death watch sci fi flash fiction

‘Death Watch’ by David McAllister

This Sci Fi story was brought to you by David McAllister. If you enjoyed David’s style, why not check out him out over on his blogTwitter and Instagram?

Story Blurb: a highly sought after morbid device is finally within reach. What would you do?

Check back soon for more!

More About Flash Science Fiction

Science fiction has always meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Fans of sci fi from all corners of the world will argue what sci fi is to them, what they consider to be a part of the genre, and what is considered to be science fantasy – the genres closely related cousin. And let’s not even delve into the many sub-genres that science fiction has!

But, what does Lore mean when we say Sci Fi Flash Fiction, or, just a sci fi story in general? What makes a science fiction story a true work of sic fi? We’d be here forever if we tried to offer up a definitive answer to this question, but we can answer what sci fi means to us here at Lore.

Much like with others genres, a person’s idea of what is or isn’t sci fi is usually grounded in their experience with the genre so far. Star Wars has always been a hot topic of debate, as it has many sci fi elements, but also a lot of science fantasy elements. Star Trek, again, could be considered both depending on how you view the franchise.

With that in mind, we’re going to answer:

What defines Science Fiction?

And we are going to answer this question for what sci fi is to us here on Lore. You may agree, or disagree, and that’s fine, but do keep in mind if you submit your story we’ll catagorize it based on our own opinions about the genre.

To explore what sci fi is, we’ll cite:

science fiction noun, sahyuhns fik-shuhn

1. a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc.

Dictionary.com, 2022

science fiction uncountable or singular noun /ˌsaɪəns ˈfɪk.ʃən/ (informal sci-fi), (also SF)

books, films, or cartoons about an imagined future, especially about space travel or other planets

Cambridge Dictionary, 2022

We’ll focus on some key points that both these definitions touch on when we define sci fi here at Lore:

  • the involvement of imagination and the imaginary
  • the involvement of current scientific knowledge
  • emphasis on the future
  • emphasis on speculative prediction

For science fiction to be science fiction here at Lore, we believe that it needs to draw from current science. But it is important that the speculative prediction addressed in the sci fi story is grounded in real science.

What Is The Main Purpose of Science fiction?

Science fiction has a very important purpose not only for narrative story telling but for the world at large. Sci fi is a way for creative minds to imagine what new technologies could do, or where our current epxloration of science could take us.

From a narrative standpoint, science fiction has the purpose of presenting unique plot points to help us tell our stories. Maybe this new tech can drive the plot foward or form the basis of antagonistic resistance for our heroes?

It is a wonderfully creative medium to explore!

Who Invented science fiction?

While there have been many notable science fiction authors over the years, such as the classic writers H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov, they did not forge sci fi as an independent genre. That honour goes to Mary Shelley – who is credited with writing Huge Gernsback; a novel considered by many to be the first true sci fi novel.

That isn’t to say that some of the big names had no hand in it at all! They are all reponsible, in part, for making the genre of science fiction what it is today.

Got a submission For Us?

If you have a submission for us to conisder, then do be sure to check out our submissions page for more information.

We feel honoured when writers send us their hard crafted sci fi works to read. We aim to give every story sent to us the consideration it deserves!