GoKawiilLightspeed publishes Caroline M. Yoachim's choose-your-own-adventure story 'Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station'
Author Caroline M. Yoachim has released a satirical interactive short story structured as a branching 'choose your own path' narrative, set aboard a space station medical clinic between Saturn and Uranus. The piece follows a reader-protagonist who suffers an insect bite and must navigate absurd bureaucratic and medical scenarios with multiple lettered outcomes. The story is also included in the anthology 'The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017,' edited by John Joseph Adams and guest editor Charles Yu.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The work reflects a broader trend of speculative fiction experimenting with interactive and nonlinear storytelling formats, blending genre satire with structural playfulness. Its inclusion in a major annual anthology suggests editors see value in form-breaking short fiction as part of the contemporary science fiction and fantasy canon.
- The story uses a branching, choose-your-own-adventure structure rather than linear prose.
- It satirizes bureaucratic inefficiency through a space station medical clinic setting.
- It was selected for inclusion in 'The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017' anthology.
Source: lightspeedmagazine.com — Wendy Wagner, 2026-09-26
Published there as: “Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station”
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