A Tall Tail: A Tor.Com Original
by Charles Stross · first published 2012
12mentions
6recommended by
10HN commenters
2015–2023first – last mentioned
60% recommend40% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short science fiction story published by Tor.com, playing with chemistry and rocketry. It offers a quick, fun read with hard-science details for fans of the genre.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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This comment section full of plutonian chemistry and sketchy rocketry is the perfect place to mention Charles Stross' A Tall Tail [0], a short sci-fi story covering both. [0] https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “Sand won’t save you this time (2008)” ↗If you enjoy stories of Chemicals With Alarming Properties, then be sure to check out Charles Stross's short story, "A Tall Tail." (Very Big Grin) http://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “Things I Won’t Work With: Dioxygen Difluoride (2010)” ↗I recommend to read this story by Charles Stross "A Tall Tail": http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/07/a-tall-tail
on “Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)” ↗A Tall Tail by Charlie Stross. https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ A great short story.
on “'Red mercury': why does this strange myth persist?” ↗Mr Stross has a valuable contribution: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “Red Mercury” ↗Stories like this make Charlie Stross' "A Tall Tale" seem that much more believable: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “In-orbit demonstration of an iodine electric propulsion system” ↗If the CIA is going to be modelling their operations after Charlie Stross short stories, they might want to actually read to the end: http://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ tl;dr: doesn't go well there either.
on “I Was a CIA Whistleblower, Now I'm a Black Inmate” ↗Previously theorized by Charlie Stross in a significantly more fanciful, but riveting take: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 25, 1986” ↗Sounds more like this Charlie Stross story: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “Russia Says Five Died in Blast Where Radiation Spike Reported” ↗I first heard about red mercury in the novel "A Tall Tail" by Charles Stross. https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “'Red mercury': why does this strange myth persist?” ↗Charles Stross even wrote a story - “A Tall Tail” roughly inspired by these materials.
on “Things I Won't Work With: Azidoazide Azides, More or Less (2013)” ↗Reminds me of NAIL SPIKE from the short story "A Tall Tail" by Charlie Stross. https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
on “Craft using an inertial mass reduction device (Patent by US Navy)” ↗