The Dark Forest Protocol

"The Dark Forest Protocol hooked me right away with its premise—a ‘silent forest’ in deep space that no one returns from. The way the author builds the Orion Expanse is sharp and cinematic, but it’s the creeping sense of dread that kept me glued to the page. There’s a perfect balance between hard sci-fi detail and that eerie, Black Mirror-style paranoia. By the time the truth about the forest starts to unfold, I had chills. Short, smart, and haunting—this one proves you don’t need 300 pages to tell a story that sticks with you."

The Dark Forest Protocol short story was a little confusing as to who, what, why, where. But others may like the story.

Holly's "The Dark Forest Protocol" packs some big cosmic ideas into a quick read that'll stick with you long after you finish it. I love how he takes the Dark Forest Theory—basically that everyone in space is hiding from each other—and turns it into an actual shadowy forest planet. The story offers a surprisingly hopeful spin on first contact through Dr. Raine's empathic connection with the forest beings. The thing is, it feels like we're just getting a taste of something much bigger. The characters and their motivations aren't fully fleshed out, and I found myself asking "but why?" a few times throughout. It's like Holly has created this fascinating universe but only let us peek through the keyhole. I'm honestly disappointed it isn't longer! I'd grab a full novel set in this world in a heartbeat, because the foundation here is super intriguing—just not quite complete on its own.

Short stories are tricky - they are either detailed but only showcase a single scene, or they depict a more broad period, but with very little detail. This one falls somewhere in between and for me at least was a bit unsatisfying. Zero character development and honestly, not much story either. I think the author is very capable of world building and should try a longer format.