“The Red Economy,” a new short story written by Lawrence Dagstine

The October 2009 issue of M-BRANE SF contains a new, near-future short story entitled “The Red Economy,” by Lawrence Dagstine. Inspired by the ravaging effects of global capitalism and the recent economic meltdown, this touching story centers on a man and his loving wife, who end up in the Wastelands of the Red Planet, hoping for a better future. Here are the opening lines:

There are times in a man’s life when the negative effects of otherworldly society seem to be coalescing, building to some terrifying crest. In the cold summer of 2059, Harold Dawson could feel such a time approaching. Your typical interplanetary suburbia, surrounded on all sides by environment-friendly electrons and terraforming playgrounds. The atmosphere was really like a spa. Amazing thing, science. …

Lawrence Dagstine is a freelance speculative fiction writer. His works have been published in Beyond Centauri, The Martian Wave, Tales of the Talisman, Nova SciFi, Necrotic Tissue, Black Ink Horror, and many other genre publications. He lives in New York City with his family.