I was going to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, but then I picked up “Contaminated Data” by Tee Morris, and that was the end of that notion.
Morris is a very well-rounded author. I met him at a Write by the Rails Meeting a couple years ago, and immediately ran out to pick up “Phoenix Rising”, the debut novel in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, which he writes with his lovely wife and co-author, Philippa Ballantine. I really enjoy the Ministry series, particularly the audio books which have been voice by the marvelous James Langton. That guy is gold.
As a lifelong comic book guy, I was thrilled to read Morris’ adaptations of several comic adaptations, most notably a Bloodshot origin story titled “Thanks for the Memories“, which was a kindle words project. Later, I met his dwarf detective, Billibub Baddings in “The Case of the Singing Sword.” I knew the guy was versatile, but “Contaminated Data” is probably one of the stories he’s written that tantalize my love of the mankind-has-really-screwed-itself-this-time theme.
“Contaminated Data” is a short story centered around the New Horizons NASA program sent to map the galaxy (and beyond if possible.) The story’s protagonist, Dr. Hal Compton, finds himself the man responsible for re-establishing NASA when his team reveals confirmed pictures of Pluto. He should be on top of the world, basking in the limelight, getting book deals for his memoirs, living in the public eye.
It’s what his team hasn’t revealed that is key to the story, and what absolutely sucks the reader in.
“Contaminated Data” is a great mix of human emotions, political to-and-fro, and disguise-and-reveal science fiction. At 31 pages, it’s a quick read, but worth the $1.99 price tag for a fun thriller. Morris paces the story well, builds just enough back story to make his characters recognizable and believable, and makes the reader open to a number of extraterrestrial possibilities.
“Contaminated Data” is available at Amazon.com.
Enjoy!
nK
