Once Upon A Star: 14 SF-Inspired Faerie Tales

Anthea Sharp · Sarra Cannon · Alethea Kontis · Christine Pope · Phaedra Weldon · Jenna Elizabeth Johnson · Alexia Purdy · Kasey Mackenzie · Julia Crane · Nikki Jefford · Shawntelle Madison · Kay McSpadden · Jamie Ferguson · Evelyn Snow

Feb 2019 · Fiddlehead Press

About this ebook

From the bestselling authors of the award-winning Once Upon Anthologies, the next fabulous volume is here! Revisit your favorite faerie tales, masterfully retold in science fiction settings with delightful, and sometimes chilling, twists. What if the Twelve Dancing Princesses were undead clones? What if the witch in Hansel and Gretel was an AI-sentient house? Are you ready for the Three Little Pigs… in space?

These fourteen tales will entertain and inspire you, and you’ll never see your favorite faerie tales quite the same way again. Grab your copy of Once Upon A Star, and don’t forget the other anthologies - Once Upon A Curse, Once Upon A Kiss, and Once Upon A Quest - for more magical retellings!

ESCAPE: A Liza Roth Adventure - Anthea Sharp

A princess on the run and her feline companion find adventure - and danger - on Starhub Station in this story based on the Icelandic fairy tale Kisa the Cat.

TRUE.LOVE - Alethea Kontis

In this futuristic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, a gamer hacktivist tries to take down the world’s largest matchmaking site…and stumbles on a side quest he never bargained for.

BLOW YOUR PLANET DOWN - Shawntelle Madison

After the Wolverine Horde nearly destroyed her home world, Commander Cressida Van Der Snout is prepared to use the Horde’s greatest weapon to exact her revenge. She wants to bring them to their knees, but a single wolverine stands in the way of both her revenge and her heart.

THE CYRANO SOLUTION: A Gaian Consortium Story - Christine Pope

The daughter of one of Gaia’s richest oligarchs gets more than she bargained for in her new husband in this retelling of “The Frog Prince” (with just a dash of Cyrano de Bergerac for good measure).

ONCE YOU WISH - Evelyn Snow

A con man who loves only what he can steal.

An orphan girl with big dreams.

A prince with something to prove and no fairy godmother to be found…

BY THE LIGHT OF A DISTANT STAR - Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

When Estrelle’s marriage to Prince Damryn of Kaul is thwarted by a deceitful enemy who steals her identity and leaves her for dead, Estrelle must rely on the kindness of others, and trust the courage within her own heart.

VASILILA AND THE HORSE OF POWER - Jamie Ferguson

Vasilisa finds a feather from the legendary firebird and, against the advice of her horse, takes it to the Tzar in the subterranean enclave their people have lived in for millennia. She hopes to be rewarded, but instead is given a choice between accomplishing an impossible task, or exile—and certain death—in the harsh, storm-swept lands aboveground.

ECHO - Nikki Jefford

Built by a handsome young mechanic, Echo is a cyborg who dreams of experiencing the world as a human in this Pinocchio inspired retelling.

DEADLY DANCE - Kasey Mackenzie

Miriana never expected to be murdered repeatedly after refusing an evil prince’s marriage proposal. Now saddled with eleven undead clone-sisters who spy for the murderous prince, she’s going to save the day with her forbidden soldier lover—or die trying - one final time.

THROUGH TIME AND SPACE: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale - Julia Crane

Neither time nor space can keep Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf from crossing paths.

 

THE STAR DRAGON'S CURSE - Alexia Purdy

Haunted by a malevolent celestial entity, Creedence must discover its connection to the dying forest aboard the decaying space vessel, The Star Dragon.

ZATARRA - Phaedra Weldon

His enemies not only took his life and everything he held dear, they took his humanity as well. 

LOXLEY- Sarra Cannon

In a dystopian world where citizens log into The Realm online to escape from their dark reality, one hacker fights to make a difference as she goes in search of a rare artifact.

CANDY HOUSE - Kay McSpadden

After the AI of Earth rise up and destroy most of humanity, Hans and Greta survive by living off the grid. That is, until they find a house in the woods that makes them an offer they can’t refuse. 

Read more fabulous fairytale retellings from these authors!

ONCE UPON A CURSE - 17 Dark Faerie Tales

ONCE UPON A KISS - 17 Romantic Faerie Tales

ONCE UPON A QUEST - 15 Tales of Adventure

KEYWORDS: Fairy Tale Retellings, SF Romance, Space Opera, Dystopian, Russian Folktales, Genetic Engineering, Cyberpunk, AI, GameLit, Marissa Meyer, Lunar Chronicles

Ratings and reviews

Every story in this Once upon a Star Anthology is set up in the near future and got that Sci-Fi vibes to it! *ECHO By Nikki Jefford A “Pinocchio remake” but sci fi version! Hahaha. I loved it! And is not the Disney version either but the original one before that. I can’t express how cute this was. It had me glue from beginning to end. The curiosity of “Echo” robotic girl got the best of her and landed her in big trouble. She made a friend Proto another robot like her who got her on a sticky situation. The interactions she had with Proto was funny but what she shared with Boomer was special. Boomer was her maker and he did everything to entertain her but she still was a curious cat. She craved the “stars and where the wild things” are.  And that got her captive by a poacher. While she was trapped and away from Boomer she made some animal friends and an alien blue friend that were prisoners too. She missed Boomer and wished she could return to him. She finally got her chance to escape  but realize she could only save her friends get free. Little did she know her blue friend was powerful and actually helped her become human so she could escape. The reunion with Boomer was warm and beautiful.#bestfriendsfirst * True.Love by Alethea Kontis Aww this one was so different. Set in the future where virtual reality games are everything, Brandon loves spending time exploring and playing the games…until his sister asks for help. She wants him to bring down the biggest love website down: TrueLove. It’s a 100% love matchmaking web that has not failed and paired most of humanity including Brandon’s parents. This drives Mal, Brandon’s sister really mad. According to her, love should be old-school where people meet and get to know each other not by some computer website. Brandon hesitantly agrees…and is shocked to find the creator of the True.Love alive inside the building who everyone thought was dead. It’s even more shocked…that the reason she still is breathing is because of Brandon. Brandon is her 100% match. *cry’s*#sleepingBeautyawoken *A Cyrano Solution: A Gaian Consortium Story by Christine Pope I heart this one so much! The princess and the frog. A “love from a distance” more like it. Marek is an Alien and has secretly liked this specific human girl named Alexa. He made a deal with Alexa’s father and bought her and now is his bride. Is not normal since he is an alien and she is human but he felt this attraction to her immediately. He has his artificial intelligence robot pick her up and bring her to her new home. Alexa is thrilled and a little cautious since she has no idea “who” bought her. He won’t introduce himself yet to her personally uses his AI robot to interact with her while he controls it as if it was him. It has enough backstory and great buildup to know what type of world this is. Both characters were fun to read! He finally gets the courage to meet her and the outcome is perfect. You get that “awww” swoon worthy scene I was waiting for!! I can’t wait to read more stories from this author!#MelovemyAliansRomance *Through Time and Space: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale by Julia Crane Fae princess and a wolf. Ruby has this nightmares of a wolf. During one if her meditations routines Ruby gets pulled through a time warp only to meet the wolf who wants to End her. According to him Ruby is responsible for killing the love of his life and trapping him on Earth. Ruby believes he is wrong but after confirming with evil granny aka evil queen future version of herself she takes a leap of faith and saves the wolf and kills the queen.

Once upon a Star brings together sci-fi and fantasy in 14 tantalizing short stories. Each unique in their own way; I found myself completely engrossed. This collection of shorts is a great way to find and get a feel for new Authors. I will certainly be looking into several of their previous/upcoming work and may even find some new favorites for the shelf. As a huge fantasy buff I found the mixture with sci-fi fun and intriguing. There is so much talent bundled in to one book. It was absolutely delightful! ~Sandy

Love reading anthologies such as “Once Upon a Star”. It gives me an opportunity to be introduced to new authors. The stories were enjoyable having some very short with a semi-cliff hanger ending that left you wanting more. Most importantly I loved Christine Pope’s new Gaian Consortium short story included in this anthology. I read all of Christine’s books and this particular story did not disappoint at all. I highly recommend trying these 13 fairytale-inspired science fiction short stories you won't want to miss!

About the author

 Fourteen bestselling, award-winning authors team up to bring you fabulous stories!