For generations, the science fiction genre and literary fiction have been perceived as irreconcilable. Startling Sci-Fi: New Tales of the Beyond attempts to prove otherwise. These 13 stories are boldly literary while employing unmistakable characteristics of the sci-fi genre. Jhon Sanchez’s “The Japanese Rice Cooker” and Daniel Gooding’s “Crow Magnum Xix” toy with readers’ expectations by defying traditional storytelling techniques while Eve Fisher’s “Embraced” and David W. Landru...