Sam
Hurcom
Short Story Publications
'I Dylan (or Dai)'
Literary Fiction / Sci-fi / Humour
Originally published in Tonic Review, Issue 5 (July 2026)
Rhodri is a terrible writer who yearns for literary success. So he builds an artif to write him a masterpiece, imbuing the machine with a programmatic consciousness mimicking Dylan Thomas. But when the artif Dai starts making demands, Rhodri wonders if being a famous writer is really all its cracked up to be.
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© Josh Neal Illustrations & Open Pen
'External Audits'
Literary Fiction / Sci-fi
Originally published in Open Pen, Issue 21 (April 2018)
What if people were valued solely on the money they generated, and their cost to society? What if every political decision was made based on economic metrics?
In a telematic society governed by an algorithm making every social and political decision based on economic value, an External Auditor carries out his daily duties, and witnesses lives fall apart.
© Daniel Tyka & Almond Press
'The Deepening Well'
Literary Fiction / Sci-fi
Originally published in Broken Worlds Anthology by Almond Press (November 2014)
In the farthest reaches of the cosmos, a traveller descends the well of madness that has become his mind. Haunted by the spectres of his past life, he begins to question what is real and what is fantasy.
A work of science fiction that explores the nature of Alzheimer's disease, The Deepening Well was short-listed in the Almond Press 2014 Dystopian Fiction Competition.
Protocols for room 4A
Consultancy
Room
© Sam Hurcom
'Consultancy Room'
Dystopian Fiction / Sci-fi
Originally published in the Reading Room Cafe Project Anthology (December 2015)
When a devastating attack takes place on the nation's capital, a group of aged, decrepit men seal themselves in Consultancy Room 4A to decide the fates of billions of people.
A brief commentary on those who hold the reigns of power in our society, the chilling climax of Consultancy Room lies not in the silence of the dead, but the laughter of the living.