Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Stories You Can Read Online For Free

Word Jelly M presents:

 

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Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Stories You Can Read Online For Free

 

😎😊🤖👽👾👹🥳

Here’s something to help with your existential boredom: a bunch of free science fiction short stories you can read right now—no sign-ups, no subscriptions, just pure, mind-bending escapism. Whether you're in the mood for sentient planets, time loops, intergalactic love letters, or gritty space drama, there’s something here to launch your imagination into orbit.

Whether you're into time-travel, alien diplomacy, dystopian love stories, or cosmic horror, there's something in here to scratch your speculative itch. All stories are available to read online for free—no paywalls, no sign-ups, just pure sci-fi goodness. 🛸👽🛸👽🛸👽

 

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1. Nova Run

"You’re not hallucinating, Captain," Blip chirped from the console, "you really did just outrun a black hole—with style."

Every 5 years, the galaxy’s most illegal race—The Nova Run—cuts through wormholes, asteroid fields, and active war zones. Piper Lane, banned ex-pilot and disgraced smuggler, fakes her identity to enter the race… with a toaster-sized alien parasite who thinks he’s her coach.

 

 

 

2. Dead Planets Don't Bite

"I swear, if one more rock tries to crawl into my boot, I'm setting this planet on fire," Cole grumbled as the ground giggled beneath him.

A mysterious message leads treasure hunter Cole Baxter to a dead planet called Gluttar-5, rumored to be haunted. Turns out, the planet is alive—and very cranky.

 

 

 

3. Song of Xirell

"If I vanish when the last note plays, remember—it wasn’t silence I feared, it was never being heard."

In the Andari Belt, a psychic sound known as the Xirell is sweeping through planets, driving some insane and others enlightened. Musician Talia Rowe hears the Xirell—and survives. She becomes the only person capable of deciphering it.

 

4. Prism Wars

“No one should own the stars,” Leona whispered, cradling the prism core as enemy ships closed in.

The peaceful planet Alurea is the only source of prismite, a crystal that powers faster-than-light travel. When the ruling council is overthrown, Captain Leona Mercer is tasked with smuggling the last prism core across the stars while being hunted by four factions.

 

 

5. Bargain at Starport 9

"I thought I was buying scrap metal, not starting an interstellar war," Rhett muttered, as the warship's cannons powered up for the first time in 300 years.

When broke junk hauler Rhett Morgan accidentally buys a decommissioned warship from a shady auction on Starport 9, he and his misfit crew get caught in a war between two alien empires who think he’s a legendary pirate admiral back from the dead.

 

 

 

6. Talking Animals

"I told you I was royalty," Carl said, adjusting his tiny sunglasses, "but no one listens to a turtle until he talks."

Without warning, every animal on Earth gains the ability to speak fluent English—but only to one specific person they choose.

 

 

 

7. The Lantern Effect

The lantern rose from his chest without a sound—taking something he loved and leaving behind something he never asked for.

One night, glowing lanterns begin to float up from random people’s chests while they sleep. The lanterns drift away into the sky and vanish. Each person loses a random memory—but gains a new skill in its place.

 

 

8. Borrowers of the Moon

The sky was supposed to give things up—not send them down.

Every 9 years, a town in Oregon experiences a single night where gravity disappears—only for that town. No one talks about it, but kids sneak out to float and play. This time, something falls down from the sky instead.

 

 

 

9. Redleaf

The leaves whispered in rhythm, and for the first time, Earth listened back.

One spring morning in Minnesota, every tree on Earth turns a deep glowing red. The leaves pulse faintly at night. People begin hearing faint humming when near trees. No one knows why it’s happening.

 

 

 

10. The Everywhere Arch

The arch pulsed with light, and in a blink, Benji was gone.

Twelve-year-old Benji Carter stumbles upon a glowing stone arch in the forest behind his house. Anyone who walks through it ends up somewhere random—but always exactly where they needed to be, not where they wanted to go.

 

 

 

BONUS Sci-Fi Romance!

The Flower in Space

Lost in a world of comfort, Barron's life found its unexpected orbit around a silent cafe manager on a distant moon, a connection that would pull him across galaxies to find his purpose in her quiet strength.

 

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Soooo...

Sci-fi stories are more than escapism—they're thought experiments, emotional odysseys, and warnings wrapped in wonder. Every tale in this list opens a new dimension of imagination and ideas, and the best part? They're all free to read online. So the next time you're in need of a mental reboot, dive into one of these gems.

Looking for more? All stories are authored by Word Jelly M—a universe where science fiction, outer space and storytelling collide.

Tags: best sci-fi story, sci-fi stories, Word Jelly M.

 

 

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