Project Briar Rose is an anthology focused on sci-fi stories about specific character traits.

The book will be a sci-fi retelling of the first half of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), as it was told by the Grimm Bros.

In Galilean Space, a Spincity administrator is bringing a new Android online. It is his plan that this android, codenamed Briar Rose and in a mechanical body resembling a young woman, will succeed him one day in running the city. He invites the most accomplished AI experts from 12 of the spincity’s 13 districts to a dinner party in celebration of Briar Rose; leaving out the expert from the 13th district because she is an unpleasant person. At the dinner, the experts, all women, each approach the android in turn, and program her with a personality trait that she will need to be a good person, and eventually also a good administrator of the city. As they do this, they each tell a story about a person who succeeded, thrived, or overcame adversity due to possessing this trait. When they are finished, the 13th expert shows up uninvited, imbues the android with one unpleasant trait, and tells a story in which such a trait would be needed. There will be a bit more, but that’s the context you’ll need to submit.

I want thirteen stories from thirteen different authors, each one showcasing one of the traits imbued upon Briar Rose in the framing story. The stories should be some form of speculative fiction, but any of the sub-genres of spec fic, or even some parallel genres, are acceptable. These are the stories which are being told by the AI Experts, but they should not necessarily be in dialog or ‘fairytale narration’ format. They also do not have to fit within the world of the framing narrative. The experts are telling fiction stories within the context of their world, so there are no world-building requirements at all, as long as the setting makes sense for a book of sci-fi stories.

The tricky bit is this: There will be only one story chosen for each trait, meaning there are thirteen slots for stories with specific themes. Each story’s protagonist should overcome the obstacles of the story due to possessing the specific trait. It doesn’t need to be called out in the story (in fact, better if it’s not), but it should be clear, if one is looking for it at least, that the trait is important to the resolution. The characters should not be one-dimensional caricatures of the traits, however.