Flash fiction is the reason why this collection of fifty-seven stories occupies only eighty-six pages. Condensed to thrill you with only the point of the story, no trimmings, each one opens a window into a world of speculation, where THE FUTURE IS SHORT. Edited by Jot Russell, director of a Microstories contest on social network Linked In, with Paula Friedman and Carrol Fix, the book compiles the best contest entries. Dip in and enjoy... but be prepared for anything!

'Town Line Road' by Jot Russell introduces an engineer whose life was saved from a traffic accident by a passer- by. Now he dedicates his life to achieving something worthy of the man who died in his place. But can we ever replace a human being?

'Rebirth' by Carrol Fix places a spacefarer in peril after a shuttle accident... if there is a next life, maybe it's not one we expect.

'There is a Silent Secret in the Woods of Ar-Cortiex' says Paula Friedman, giving an impression of a treeless world.

'The End Of The Story' by Andy Lake asks what will happen to books when we can feed the text direct into our heads.

'Summer Bites' by JF Williams suggests that we should keep on swatting mosquitoes, as does Marianne Petrino in 'Sting'.

'Boyhood's End' by Andy McKell re-investigates the tooth fairy.

'Unnatural Gas' by Thaddeus Howze is a timely look at fracking.

We meet people who live underwater as sea organisms; cope with deformity and renewal; who by extending human life perhaps prolong ethnic conflict; who find uses for psychopaths; are modern changelings; who live in smaller worlds than ours; who survive crash damage only to meet... something; who are people in trees resisting human colonisation; who survive scavenging aliens; who are at war; who try to outlive a dying world; who experience extreme climate change; travel with Vikings; who fall in love.

The ultimate in dip-into SF, fantasy and speculative fiction is bundled tightly in this e-book so when you get your hands on a copy of THE FUTURE IS SHORT hold it tightly - you never know what might sneak out otherwise. A must- read for people with imagination.