Science Fiction and other stories: Short stories

Imagine a planet on the brink of a close encounter of the third kind with its cosmic twin, while humanity rebels against the Grand Intergalactic Selection Committee deciding who gets saved and who stays behind to play dodge-the-meteor. It's a bit like being aboard the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" spaceship without the manual and with a soggy towel. And then there's sport: ignoring the rules can lead to catastrophes worthy of a black hole ? la "Interstellar".
Meanwhile, young Earthlings are so glued to their phones they might as well be communicating with aliens without realising it, too busy chasing holographic dreams instead of living life with their heads out of the screen. Perhaps they should take lessons from Murph Cooper on how to manage technology and time!
But wait, there's more! There are stories so dark they make the dark side of the Moon look like a picnic, revealing the twisted minds of individuals who could be our charming neighbours (perhaps with hidden antennas?). These tales contrast with fairy tales and narratives for the young ones, where a "happy ending" is as guaranteed as Wi-Fi on a luxury spaceship.
Intergalactic author Federica Milella has gathered all these stories into a stellar anthology. You'll find everything from science fiction to horror, enchanted fairy tales, and tear-jerking narratives. Plot twists? They abound like stars on a clear night on Mars, and nothing is as it seems (except perhaps the fact that Martians love narrative twists).
These stories have won awards in various terrestrial competitions, and there are also some unpublished gems and an exclusive treat: the first chapter of her new book, a spin-off of "Riparatori del tempo". Yes, we're talking about "Serafina tra le ombre del tempo", a science fiction novel that clinched second place at the Fredric Brown Literary Prize. Prepare yourself for a journey beyond the orbit of your imagination, where reality is more astonishing than fiction!