What do you think?
Rate this book
Tales From The Universe: Ten Amazing Stories From Tomorrow
Ten new voices in the world of science fiction cast their minds open wide and bring forth visions of tomorrow. Science fiction stories that deal with love, and fear, hope and despair, the ugliness of mankind and its beauty. Tales that reach to the farthest edge of the galaxy, and that face startling futures right here on Earth. These ten stories deal with artificial intelligences, cloning, aliens, war, peace and humanity's place in it all. We give you Tales From The Universe.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2016
19 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 31, 2016
This is an anthology, so I will do shorter, individual reviews on each story with an ending note about my overall impression.
--The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Bensen--
This started out a little convoluted but the premise was enchanting. I didn’t want it to end. Awesome little “what if” story that gets you thinking about human motivations and social structure. I don’t know what else to say other than I wish this one had lasted longer. :/
4 stars
--Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards--
Ohh man, this one sucked me RIGHT in. Paced nicely, well written, intriguing plot. Checked all the boxes. I wanted to say I’d read this just for the first story alone, then this one came along and took its place.
I just have to share this exchange:
“Yes, you really should read the release notes instead of just granting all updates automatically. After update 514, I was quite disappointed in that.
“What was update 514?”
“It installed the ability for me to be disappointed in you.”
Ha! Then it takes a sharp turn south and some suspense kicks in, only to redirect you in another, unexpected direction for a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion. Great read, highly recommend. I’ll be looking for other work from this author.
5 stars.
--Suliko by R.H. Nelson--
This story hooked me with the first paragraph, but things immediately got a little purple, and this fluctuated back and forth throughout the rest of the story. The author seemed to have two distinct styles and reading them together here was jarring and distracting, and honestly irritating because it took me out of what was otherwise a good concept and plot.
Overuse of analogy:
“like a halo of fire in the dying light of day”
(same paragraph) “like wine on white silk” *eyeroll*
“like bubbles from a sinking ship”
“like a black plastic shell”
“The slim but masculine cut of her black vest and pants lent her an elegance that demanded attention…”[Because it’s a female wearing something MASCULINE, you see.] *eyeroll*
“like glass marbles dropped on the floor”
“like autumn leaves”
“as one is obliged to follow in the wake of elegance” *eyeroll*
Yet another reference to her elegance. *eyeroll*
“like a deflated balloon”
“like a sponge”
“like some viscous, shapeless blob of humanity”
“like statues”
Another halo of sunset
“like a fist in the chest”
“like gauze”
“like strobes”
That is an awful a lot of analogy for a short. Someone should have caught this.
That said, aside from some of the more groan-inducing elements, it was overall an interesting read. I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed the ending. Half of me went “Aww, that’s...something. Kind of thought provoking and sweet.” and the other half went “That’s it?” *shrug*
I could see this as a complete novel, there’s concept enough here to expand to full length. It would be something I’d read and wager I’d thoroughly enjoy if it were brushed up by a good editor.
3 stars
--Dead In Space by Matthew Harvey--
I wouldn’t say that this one instantly sucked me in, but it was certainly interesting.
It bothered me that there were a lot of characters who were just kind of thrown at the reader, then referenced by different names later, making me go back to check on who was who. It’s one of my pet peeves. I know why it’s done, but it can be annoying to readers. Stick to one name for each, sil vous plait, especially for a short.
I also didn’t care for some of the exposition inserted into the AI’s monologues, since it interrupted the personality the author was obviously trying to craft. As this AI’s experience seemed to be the centerpiece of the emotional draw of the story (and would have been), its development was rather poorly done. The author could have shaved some time off the crew’s somewhat confusing and irrelevant development to put more work into the AI. Just my opinion.
I will say, Harvey is pretty effective with description and creates plenty of nice, vivid scenes. Promising talent, all in all.
3 stars
--The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo--
The editor really fell down on the job with this one, but its still a fun read. I can’t say much without giving things away, so my take on this is pretty much: good story, decent concept (though it also kind of reminds me a bit of a popular movie-can’t say which one, it would be spoiler-y) and I loved the way things shifted a few times at the end. However, this is another one where I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. This time its equal parts “Ew.” and “Hmm, interesting if not a little disturbing.” topped off with some “Aww.” Make of that what you will.
3 stars
--Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria--
This started out great, the author’s style seemed accessible and enjoyable, the story engaging. It had some cool alien crew and the universe was built seamlessly enough that you felt like you already knew enough about it to be present in it right from the get go.
Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the story the editor just seemed to like…quit or something, because the errors became disruptive and frequent and majorly decreased my level of enjoyment in reading. I had to reread some passages before I could make sense of them and it put a further damper on things.
Then the female characters wound up being not much more than childishly crafted caricatures and my interest and respect for the story began to actively wane. It’s not that I can’t be interested in a narrative with a predominant focus on/voice of male characters, its that I have a harder time being interested when the female characters are written so badly in comparison to the male characters.
The story then veered from what had been some decently hard sci-fi into fantasy land. I’m not sure if in this case I find it cheesy or compelling. Either way, the change was kind of abrupt, as was the ending.
Overall, I can’t really decide if I liked this one or not.
2.5 ish stars
--Small World by Brian S. Converse--
I actually know of this author in a manner of speaking, we follow each other on Twitter, so I was interested to read something of his.
The beginning was a little contrived, but the ideas presented were interesting. The strain started to wear off as the author hit his stride digging into the main character. Some of the ‘science’ is pretty cool and thought provoking. I would have loved to keep reading this one, it ended too quickly. I’ll be looking for more of his work, because I liked the overall style of this, though I wasn’t convinced of that right off the bat. He made me care about an alien character and his motivations in a very short period of time, and made me want to know more - bordering on being pissed off it was over. And I actually dig that as a reader, to me it’s a good indication of skill.
4 stars
--The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris--
Yuck. Didn’t like this one at all. The description was all over the place, the characters were one-dimensional (the author did try to give them personality, it just didn’t strike the right chord), the plot struck me as predictable/boring. The concept might have been interesting but the execution mucked it all up for me. Honestly, I slogged through the first 10 or so pages and found nothing to really keep my interest so I skipped through the rest. I can’t comment much on the story itself overall, aside from the fact that there wasn’t enough in the beginning to keep me reading.
1 star
--Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride—
Wow. Ok, this one was amazing. Right away, between the title and the opening scene, I’m hooked. Neat concept, engaging style, nice description. There were some points that were over-written, but they were forgivable. At first a little dry, but then the action and mystery of the plot kicked in and this story became a gripping, edge of your seat scifi thrill-ride that still somehow managed to get me invested in the characters and their experience. Wickedly cool story. Well done sir. *salute*
Great read, definitely recommend.
4 stars
--Deep In The Rock by Jessica Holmes--
Loved, loved, LOVED the author’s style here and the story ratcheted up the suspense at a nice pace. When I wasn’t chuckling over the humor, I was turning the pages quickly to see what happened next. Another author to go looking for! Not much to say about this one (without giving things away) other than I highly enjoyed it. The style was utterly different from all the other stories, and it was well-placed at the end.
Highly recommend.
5 stars
-Parting thoughts-
There were a noticeable amount of typos and small editorial things, nothing to really detract from any of the stories though in most cases. Some were better edited than others. The formatting wasn’t the most (or least) professional I’ve seen, but the stories were generally so good that I didn’t care.
For an overall rating, I would give this 3.5 stars, but I’m going to go ahead and round that to 4 stars for Amazon and Goodreads. A great read, very enjoyable on the whole. It was really fun to delve into the different styles and go through all these “universes”.
There is a lot of talent here and it’s put several new authors on my radar, so I’m pretty stoked about that. I can recommend this book in its entirety, with confidence. Happy reading.
--The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Bensen--
This started out a little convoluted but the premise was enchanting. I didn’t want it to end. Awesome little “what if” story that gets you thinking about human motivations and social structure. I don’t know what else to say other than I wish this one had lasted longer. :/
4 stars
--Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards--
Ohh man, this one sucked me RIGHT in. Paced nicely, well written, intriguing plot. Checked all the boxes. I wanted to say I’d read this just for the first story alone, then this one came along and took its place.
I just have to share this exchange:
“Yes, you really should read the release notes instead of just granting all updates automatically. After update 514, I was quite disappointed in that.
“What was update 514?”
“It installed the ability for me to be disappointed in you.”
Ha! Then it takes a sharp turn south and some suspense kicks in, only to redirect you in another, unexpected direction for a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion. Great read, highly recommend. I’ll be looking for other work from this author.
5 stars.
--Suliko by R.H. Nelson--
This story hooked me with the first paragraph, but things immediately got a little purple, and this fluctuated back and forth throughout the rest of the story. The author seemed to have two distinct styles and reading them together here was jarring and distracting, and honestly irritating because it took me out of what was otherwise a good concept and plot.
Overuse of analogy:
“like a halo of fire in the dying light of day”
(same paragraph) “like wine on white silk” *eyeroll*
“like bubbles from a sinking ship”
“like a black plastic shell”
“The slim but masculine cut of her black vest and pants lent her an elegance that demanded attention…”[Because it’s a female wearing something MASCULINE, you see.] *eyeroll*
“like glass marbles dropped on the floor”
“like autumn leaves”
“as one is obliged to follow in the wake of elegance” *eyeroll*
Yet another reference to her elegance. *eyeroll*
“like a deflated balloon”
“like a sponge”
“like some viscous, shapeless blob of humanity”
“like statues”
Another halo of sunset
“like a fist in the chest”
“like gauze”
“like strobes”
That is an awful a lot of analogy for a short. Someone should have caught this.
That said, aside from some of the more groan-inducing elements, it was overall an interesting read. I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed the ending. Half of me went “Aww, that’s...something. Kind of thought provoking and sweet.” and the other half went “That’s it?” *shrug*
I could see this as a complete novel, there’s concept enough here to expand to full length. It would be something I’d read and wager I’d thoroughly enjoy if it were brushed up by a good editor.
3 stars
--Dead In Space by Matthew Harvey--
I wouldn’t say that this one instantly sucked me in, but it was certainly interesting.
It bothered me that there were a lot of characters who were just kind of thrown at the reader, then referenced by different names later, making me go back to check on who was who. It’s one of my pet peeves. I know why it’s done, but it can be annoying to readers. Stick to one name for each, sil vous plait, especially for a short.
I also didn’t care for some of the exposition inserted into the AI’s monologues, since it interrupted the personality the author was obviously trying to craft. As this AI’s experience seemed to be the centerpiece of the emotional draw of the story (and would have been), its development was rather poorly done. The author could have shaved some time off the crew’s somewhat confusing and irrelevant development to put more work into the AI. Just my opinion.
I will say, Harvey is pretty effective with description and creates plenty of nice, vivid scenes. Promising talent, all in all.
3 stars
--The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo--
The editor really fell down on the job with this one, but its still a fun read. I can’t say much without giving things away, so my take on this is pretty much: good story, decent concept (though it also kind of reminds me a bit of a popular movie-can’t say which one, it would be spoiler-y) and I loved the way things shifted a few times at the end. However, this is another one where I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. This time its equal parts “Ew.” and “Hmm, interesting if not a little disturbing.” topped off with some “Aww.” Make of that what you will.
3 stars
--Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria--
This started out great, the author’s style seemed accessible and enjoyable, the story engaging. It had some cool alien crew and the universe was built seamlessly enough that you felt like you already knew enough about it to be present in it right from the get go.
Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the story the editor just seemed to like…quit or something, because the errors became disruptive and frequent and majorly decreased my level of enjoyment in reading. I had to reread some passages before I could make sense of them and it put a further damper on things.
Then the female characters wound up being not much more than childishly crafted caricatures and my interest and respect for the story began to actively wane. It’s not that I can’t be interested in a narrative with a predominant focus on/voice of male characters, its that I have a harder time being interested when the female characters are written so badly in comparison to the male characters.
The story then veered from what had been some decently hard sci-fi into fantasy land. I’m not sure if in this case I find it cheesy or compelling. Either way, the change was kind of abrupt, as was the ending.
Overall, I can’t really decide if I liked this one or not.
2.5 ish stars
--Small World by Brian S. Converse--
I actually know of this author in a manner of speaking, we follow each other on Twitter, so I was interested to read something of his.
The beginning was a little contrived, but the ideas presented were interesting. The strain started to wear off as the author hit his stride digging into the main character. Some of the ‘science’ is pretty cool and thought provoking. I would have loved to keep reading this one, it ended too quickly. I’ll be looking for more of his work, because I liked the overall style of this, though I wasn’t convinced of that right off the bat. He made me care about an alien character and his motivations in a very short period of time, and made me want to know more - bordering on being pissed off it was over. And I actually dig that as a reader, to me it’s a good indication of skill.
4 stars
--The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris--
Yuck. Didn’t like this one at all. The description was all over the place, the characters were one-dimensional (the author did try to give them personality, it just didn’t strike the right chord), the plot struck me as predictable/boring. The concept might have been interesting but the execution mucked it all up for me. Honestly, I slogged through the first 10 or so pages and found nothing to really keep my interest so I skipped through the rest. I can’t comment much on the story itself overall, aside from the fact that there wasn’t enough in the beginning to keep me reading.
1 star
--Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride—
Wow. Ok, this one was amazing. Right away, between the title and the opening scene, I’m hooked. Neat concept, engaging style, nice description. There were some points that were over-written, but they were forgivable. At first a little dry, but then the action and mystery of the plot kicked in and this story became a gripping, edge of your seat scifi thrill-ride that still somehow managed to get me invested in the characters and their experience. Wickedly cool story. Well done sir. *salute*
Great read, definitely recommend.
4 stars
--Deep In The Rock by Jessica Holmes--
Loved, loved, LOVED the author’s style here and the story ratcheted up the suspense at a nice pace. When I wasn’t chuckling over the humor, I was turning the pages quickly to see what happened next. Another author to go looking for! Not much to say about this one (without giving things away) other than I highly enjoyed it. The style was utterly different from all the other stories, and it was well-placed at the end.
Highly recommend.
5 stars
-Parting thoughts-
There were a noticeable amount of typos and small editorial things, nothing to really detract from any of the stories though in most cases. Some were better edited than others. The formatting wasn’t the most (or least) professional I’ve seen, but the stories were generally so good that I didn’t care.
For an overall rating, I would give this 3.5 stars, but I’m going to go ahead and round that to 4 stars for Amazon and Goodreads. A great read, very enjoyable on the whole. It was really fun to delve into the different styles and go through all these “universes”.
There is a lot of talent here and it’s put several new authors on my radar, so I’m pretty stoked about that. I can recommend this book in its entirety, with confidence. Happy reading.
June 14, 2016
Tales from the Universe is an anthology of science fiction short stories, so rather than one review here’s ten!
The Devout Atheist - Daniel M. Bensen
The Devout Atheist is set in a future where religion and science have been swapped over, presumably many years after an alien invasion. While the existence of God is as clear as day, a sect of humans refuses to believe the obvious and puts their faith in unprovable science instead. How far will this belief stretch though when put to the test?
The devout atheist is more focused on philosophical discussion than story, and although it’s an interesting notion which turns the usual debate on its head, I felt it laid it on a bit thick and it didn’t quite fully resonate with me for some reason.
3/5
Upgrade to Murder - Rob Edwards
A bored technician alone on a space station decides to upgrade the AI that runs things in order to teach it about murder mystery novels. As the AI gains in experience and personality it starts to think of its own mysteries. What could possibly go wrong??
Upgrade to murder was a story that completely turned my preconceptions on their head and it’s a much more enjoyable tale for it. The relationship and conversations between Marcus and Hercules are witty and entertaining, and the AI has a great sense of humour. My only minor complaint is that it could have been longer – its sets something up I was really looking forward to but then skips past it to the end. Still, highly recommended.
4/5
Suliko - R.H. Nelson
Suliko is set in a totalitarian dystopian future where humans are segregated into two classes. The privileged get to live on through multiple lifetimes thanks to memory storage and an AI which runs the facility, whereas the ‘andies’ don’t. Transgressions mean being ‘forgotten’. Dimitri is a scientist who for some reason has taken a long time for his latest memory reboot to stick. Why this is, and the consequences are explored as the story progresses.
The author does a good job of setting the scene and there is a lot of world building apparent in the story. The backgrounds of the characters are also explored and there are shades of Baltar/Six from Battlestar Galactica throughout.
The main drawback for me is that I got very confused on which event was happening now and which was flashback as it moves around a lot (for example, one second the main character is looking at some information and suddenly two people are in the room with him), although I guess that may be the point. It didn’t make it easy to read though!
Suliko has a much bigger story to tell and I’ve love to see it expanded as a novella or even a full book
3.5/5
Dead In Space - Matthew Harvey
The Nebula Crow, a deep salvage ship, comes across an old derelict from the interstellar war and decide to investigate. During their search they hear a strange but very weak burst of static. With depleting oxygen and not much salvage of worth, is the sound even worth investigating?
The backstory of the interstellar war is good and there’s some great detail there and character interplay. The message I took from this story is that life should be given the same importance, regardless of its nature.
3/5
The Familiar Road - Pedro Camelo
Jonathan goes for the same walk every weekend, has the same conversation with his neighbour, and trips over the same rock on his journey. Meanwhile, his wife may or may not be having an affair.
I can’t really say any more without spoiling the plot, but it has lots of twists and moments of revelation, focusing on the nature of relationships. I really enjoyed this story and felt it had a real ‘Outer Limits’ vibe about it.
5/5
Cosmic Egg - Ricardo Victoria
A human / alien crew investigate a neutron star and make a startling discovery on its surface. Nearby, a dying star is acting very strangely and not giving the readings it should be.
The alien races in Cosmic Egg are well described and each have their own traits, and I loved the stroppy ship’s AI that refused to cooperate while it worked on a problem. The characters have some great dialogue, making this story a bit more of a relaxed and exploration tone than others in the anthology. The central part of the plot is similar to a recent Doctor Who episode but it didn’t affect my enjoyment, and anything that reminds me of Clara can’t be bad!
5/5
Small World - Brian S. Converse
Small World is a story about redemption and finding one’s place in the world. It centres around the sheriff of a small American town, who just happens to be an exiled prisoner from another world. He soon learns, however, that he’s not the only alien life form when he arrests and interrogates a scout from a particularly hostile species.
Small World plays more like a first act of a larger story than a complete tale so there���s more to be told, and I feel it would make a good graphic novel series.
The alien menace is intriguing and harks back to ‘The Invaders’, if anyone remembers that.
4/5
The Ellian Convergence - Brent A. Harris
It’s the end of the war, and the synthetic crew of a space ship are on a last desperate mission to turn around their fortunes. Just as they rose against the humans, now a second-generation AI threatens their existence. Their only hope is to try and change the past before it can happen. If it sounds a bit ‘Terminator in space’ then there are some similarities in the premise, but it’s definitely its own story. The characters are interesting and distinct, and most of the time is set building up the relationships between the characters. This gives the story a much bigger emotional payoff and I really felt for the fate of the crew.
4/5
Lazarus Soldiers - Leo McBride
A military ship is in orbit around a colony base. Central command lost contact with the colony and so an investigation has been launched. The crew aren’t all quite the same as they were on the previous mission, however. Their personalities are downloaded into new bodies each time to save the hassle of long range transports, and to allow the crew to have distinct roles within the squad.
The base seems empty at first, but then they start find bodies. A lot more than should be there according to the population records…
The first half of Lazarus and character interplay is straight out of the Sulaco scenes in Aliens, but once the crew get to the planet and the story kicks in, it finds its own personality and style.
Lazarus soldiers asks questions about the value of life when the physical body is disposable. I enjoyed the story and although the characters are a bit stereotypical, they make good company and there are some tense scenes as the plot reaches its climax.
4/5
Deep In The Rock - Jessica Holmes
Carter and Reed are miners, scratching out a living working for an asteroid mining company. With all this modern technology why are they using picks and shovels to get out minerals of very little worth? And what about those news stories about another mining base being destroyed in mysterious circumstances?
While some science fiction focuses on high tech and gleam, these down-to-Earth miners live very much in the Nostromo end of dirt and grit.
Central to the story is the relationship between the two main characters which is very well handled, and the resolution is a poignant reminder of friendship.
4/5
In summary, although some of the stories are definitely stronger than others they are all worth checking out, focusing on different aspects of human nature and its relationship with AI, technology and alien life.
Overall 4/5
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review
The Devout Atheist - Daniel M. Bensen
The Devout Atheist is set in a future where religion and science have been swapped over, presumably many years after an alien invasion. While the existence of God is as clear as day, a sect of humans refuses to believe the obvious and puts their faith in unprovable science instead. How far will this belief stretch though when put to the test?
The devout atheist is more focused on philosophical discussion than story, and although it’s an interesting notion which turns the usual debate on its head, I felt it laid it on a bit thick and it didn’t quite fully resonate with me for some reason.
3/5
Upgrade to Murder - Rob Edwards
A bored technician alone on a space station decides to upgrade the AI that runs things in order to teach it about murder mystery novels. As the AI gains in experience and personality it starts to think of its own mysteries. What could possibly go wrong??
Upgrade to murder was a story that completely turned my preconceptions on their head and it’s a much more enjoyable tale for it. The relationship and conversations between Marcus and Hercules are witty and entertaining, and the AI has a great sense of humour. My only minor complaint is that it could have been longer – its sets something up I was really looking forward to but then skips past it to the end. Still, highly recommended.
4/5
Suliko - R.H. Nelson
Suliko is set in a totalitarian dystopian future where humans are segregated into two classes. The privileged get to live on through multiple lifetimes thanks to memory storage and an AI which runs the facility, whereas the ‘andies’ don’t. Transgressions mean being ‘forgotten’. Dimitri is a scientist who for some reason has taken a long time for his latest memory reboot to stick. Why this is, and the consequences are explored as the story progresses.
The author does a good job of setting the scene and there is a lot of world building apparent in the story. The backgrounds of the characters are also explored and there are shades of Baltar/Six from Battlestar Galactica throughout.
The main drawback for me is that I got very confused on which event was happening now and which was flashback as it moves around a lot (for example, one second the main character is looking at some information and suddenly two people are in the room with him), although I guess that may be the point. It didn’t make it easy to read though!
Suliko has a much bigger story to tell and I’ve love to see it expanded as a novella or even a full book
3.5/5
Dead In Space - Matthew Harvey
The Nebula Crow, a deep salvage ship, comes across an old derelict from the interstellar war and decide to investigate. During their search they hear a strange but very weak burst of static. With depleting oxygen and not much salvage of worth, is the sound even worth investigating?
The backstory of the interstellar war is good and there’s some great detail there and character interplay. The message I took from this story is that life should be given the same importance, regardless of its nature.
3/5
The Familiar Road - Pedro Camelo
Jonathan goes for the same walk every weekend, has the same conversation with his neighbour, and trips over the same rock on his journey. Meanwhile, his wife may or may not be having an affair.
I can’t really say any more without spoiling the plot, but it has lots of twists and moments of revelation, focusing on the nature of relationships. I really enjoyed this story and felt it had a real ‘Outer Limits’ vibe about it.
5/5
Cosmic Egg - Ricardo Victoria
A human / alien crew investigate a neutron star and make a startling discovery on its surface. Nearby, a dying star is acting very strangely and not giving the readings it should be.
The alien races in Cosmic Egg are well described and each have their own traits, and I loved the stroppy ship’s AI that refused to cooperate while it worked on a problem. The characters have some great dialogue, making this story a bit more of a relaxed and exploration tone than others in the anthology. The central part of the plot is similar to a recent Doctor Who episode but it didn’t affect my enjoyment, and anything that reminds me of Clara can’t be bad!
5/5
Small World - Brian S. Converse
Small World is a story about redemption and finding one’s place in the world. It centres around the sheriff of a small American town, who just happens to be an exiled prisoner from another world. He soon learns, however, that he’s not the only alien life form when he arrests and interrogates a scout from a particularly hostile species.
Small World plays more like a first act of a larger story than a complete tale so there���s more to be told, and I feel it would make a good graphic novel series.
The alien menace is intriguing and harks back to ‘The Invaders’, if anyone remembers that.
4/5
The Ellian Convergence - Brent A. Harris
It’s the end of the war, and the synthetic crew of a space ship are on a last desperate mission to turn around their fortunes. Just as they rose against the humans, now a second-generation AI threatens their existence. Their only hope is to try and change the past before it can happen. If it sounds a bit ‘Terminator in space’ then there are some similarities in the premise, but it’s definitely its own story. The characters are interesting and distinct, and most of the time is set building up the relationships between the characters. This gives the story a much bigger emotional payoff and I really felt for the fate of the crew.
4/5
Lazarus Soldiers - Leo McBride
A military ship is in orbit around a colony base. Central command lost contact with the colony and so an investigation has been launched. The crew aren’t all quite the same as they were on the previous mission, however. Their personalities are downloaded into new bodies each time to save the hassle of long range transports, and to allow the crew to have distinct roles within the squad.
The base seems empty at first, but then they start find bodies. A lot more than should be there according to the population records…
The first half of Lazarus and character interplay is straight out of the Sulaco scenes in Aliens, but once the crew get to the planet and the story kicks in, it finds its own personality and style.
Lazarus soldiers asks questions about the value of life when the physical body is disposable. I enjoyed the story and although the characters are a bit stereotypical, they make good company and there are some tense scenes as the plot reaches its climax.
4/5
Deep In The Rock - Jessica Holmes
Carter and Reed are miners, scratching out a living working for an asteroid mining company. With all this modern technology why are they using picks and shovels to get out minerals of very little worth? And what about those news stories about another mining base being destroyed in mysterious circumstances?
While some science fiction focuses on high tech and gleam, these down-to-Earth miners live very much in the Nostromo end of dirt and grit.
Central to the story is the relationship between the two main characters which is very well handled, and the resolution is a poignant reminder of friendship.
4/5
In summary, although some of the stories are definitely stronger than others they are all worth checking out, focusing on different aspects of human nature and its relationship with AI, technology and alien life.
Overall 4/5
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review
May 27, 2016
I got a free copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
I like short stories and have several years worth of science fiction short story magazines. Seeing this book, I was really interested to see the collection.
About the book in general: An anthology cannot be valued by a single story, but based on the average level of the content and how well they fit together by either following a common style or providing a whole 'package'. Well, this book delivered just what is expected from an anthology.
The short stories sported different levels of language and story. Of course the latter depends on personal taste as well. My general view of the result was a four star rating. Everyone who likes real science fiction will find a few to their liking.
A few words about the included stories:
=============================
The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Bensen
One can often encounter debates about evolution vs. creation, medicine vs. faith.
One of the good tricks to find out how hardly your view is engraved in stone and you lose real reasoning is to switch the subjects to something similar. Or simply switch the two sides.
"The Devout Atheist" is a funny short story with a world where religious and atheist backgrounds are switched.
=============================
Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards
Long, solitary missions in space will probably be well paid jobs in the future, but they will surely be boring as well.
People will inadvertently start to think about ways to make this time more entertaining. If you have a good AI at hand, you have myriads of opportunities. Our solitary space-worker loves classic murder novels. Why not involve the AI in the fun?
Murder investigation is different from mining and factory operation though. The modification is not straightforward.
But what if the AI gets the hang of it? The result will surely not be boring...
=============================
Suliko by R. H. Nelson
A world where the immortality of the few is provided by the transfer of memories into freshly grown bodies. But there is also a dark side.
Memories can be erased. Removing people while you are transferred, you will never know someone existed. As, of course, you can be erased as well.
This story is about a man, who refuses to let his loved one be erased. But plans often do not work as intended.
=============================
Dead In Space By Matthew Harvey
An old, derelict military spaceship drifts in the void. The crew that finds it, boards to officially scavenge it.
The lost battle and the following alien boarding left its mark on the empty ship. Everything is destroyed or stripped.
Only some tiny static noise on the radio disturbs the otherwise uneventful mission.
=============================
The Familiar Road By Pedro Camelo
Jonathan leads a peaceful life. A better pay would come handy, but with a loving wife and his peaceful reading times every weekend things are alright. Every Saturday is blissfully 'boring'. A goodbye from his wife, a pack of food and his latest book, head out to his favourite spot in the forest, friendly greeting with the neighbour and decline his invitation for a beer, a day spent reading and dosing. This can have its perfection.
The problem is: Both his wife and the neighbour are perfectly aware about his clockwork habit. Jonathan's life may not be that simple after all...
=============================
Small World By Brian S. Converse
Throughout our own history and science fiction stories, we met cases when an individual stranded among another people or species starts to like them and feel part of them.
This story is about an alien living among us. Earth is a big prison to him, but he learned to like humans. When another alien race sets eyes on Earth, he decides to take our side.
=============================
The Ellian Convergence By Brent A. Harris
Humans are the top of evolution. Humans create AI. Android like AI gets better, takes over and dispose of humans.
Androids are the top of evolution. Androids produce a better AI. This fully mechanical entity gets better, takes over and is about to dispose of the androids.
One of the last surviving android lead ships seems to have a tiny chance to prevent what happened. But androids still have some human in them.
=============================
Lazarus Soldiers By Leo McBride
A distress signal is sent from a colony in the outer skirts of the Galaxy. A small military team is dispatched to investigate as after the signal, there was no contact.
To circumvent the problem of long travels, such military groups are actually uploaded to cloned bodies. No long physical travel is needed, just a nearby ship.
A seasoned commander leads the group into the deserted base trying to find out what happened. It turns out, that around the local cloning facility, the base is not deserted at all.
=============================
Deep In The Rock By Jessica Holmes
A small mining group on an asteroid. Boring job for a handful of people and the greatest challenge is enduring the others.
Then news arrives that yet another asteroid facility had a strange accident. Just like their own. Too many occurrences to be attributed as casual accident.
I like short stories and have several years worth of science fiction short story magazines. Seeing this book, I was really interested to see the collection.
About the book in general: An anthology cannot be valued by a single story, but based on the average level of the content and how well they fit together by either following a common style or providing a whole 'package'. Well, this book delivered just what is expected from an anthology.
The short stories sported different levels of language and story. Of course the latter depends on personal taste as well. My general view of the result was a four star rating. Everyone who likes real science fiction will find a few to their liking.
A few words about the included stories:
=============================
The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Bensen
One can often encounter debates about evolution vs. creation, medicine vs. faith.
One of the good tricks to find out how hardly your view is engraved in stone and you lose real reasoning is to switch the subjects to something similar. Or simply switch the two sides.
"The Devout Atheist" is a funny short story with a world where religious and atheist backgrounds are switched.
=============================
Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards
Long, solitary missions in space will probably be well paid jobs in the future, but they will surely be boring as well.
People will inadvertently start to think about ways to make this time more entertaining. If you have a good AI at hand, you have myriads of opportunities. Our solitary space-worker loves classic murder novels. Why not involve the AI in the fun?
Murder investigation is different from mining and factory operation though. The modification is not straightforward.
But what if the AI gets the hang of it? The result will surely not be boring...
=============================
Suliko by R. H. Nelson
A world where the immortality of the few is provided by the transfer of memories into freshly grown bodies. But there is also a dark side.
Memories can be erased. Removing people while you are transferred, you will never know someone existed. As, of course, you can be erased as well.
This story is about a man, who refuses to let his loved one be erased. But plans often do not work as intended.
=============================
Dead In Space By Matthew Harvey
An old, derelict military spaceship drifts in the void. The crew that finds it, boards to officially scavenge it.
The lost battle and the following alien boarding left its mark on the empty ship. Everything is destroyed or stripped.
Only some tiny static noise on the radio disturbs the otherwise uneventful mission.
=============================
The Familiar Road By Pedro Camelo
Jonathan leads a peaceful life. A better pay would come handy, but with a loving wife and his peaceful reading times every weekend things are alright. Every Saturday is blissfully 'boring'. A goodbye from his wife, a pack of food and his latest book, head out to his favourite spot in the forest, friendly greeting with the neighbour and decline his invitation for a beer, a day spent reading and dosing. This can have its perfection.
The problem is: Both his wife and the neighbour are perfectly aware about his clockwork habit. Jonathan's life may not be that simple after all...
=============================
Small World By Brian S. Converse
Throughout our own history and science fiction stories, we met cases when an individual stranded among another people or species starts to like them and feel part of them.
This story is about an alien living among us. Earth is a big prison to him, but he learned to like humans. When another alien race sets eyes on Earth, he decides to take our side.
=============================
The Ellian Convergence By Brent A. Harris
Humans are the top of evolution. Humans create AI. Android like AI gets better, takes over and dispose of humans.
Androids are the top of evolution. Androids produce a better AI. This fully mechanical entity gets better, takes over and is about to dispose of the androids.
One of the last surviving android lead ships seems to have a tiny chance to prevent what happened. But androids still have some human in them.
=============================
Lazarus Soldiers By Leo McBride
A distress signal is sent from a colony in the outer skirts of the Galaxy. A small military team is dispatched to investigate as after the signal, there was no contact.
To circumvent the problem of long travels, such military groups are actually uploaded to cloned bodies. No long physical travel is needed, just a nearby ship.
A seasoned commander leads the group into the deserted base trying to find out what happened. It turns out, that around the local cloning facility, the base is not deserted at all.
=============================
Deep In The Rock By Jessica Holmes
A small mining group on an asteroid. Boring job for a handful of people and the greatest challenge is enduring the others.
Then news arrives that yet another asteroid facility had a strange accident. Just like their own. Too many occurrences to be attributed as casual accident.
May 21, 2016
This is an entertaining collection of ten short stories, each by a different author. The twin themes of artificial intelligence and cloning run through most of the entries, which serve to bind the collection together nicely.
In short stories, the premise is all-important, given that both plot and character development are necessarily limited, and I was impressed by the fact that each title in this collection presents a compelling, well-defined idea that quickly hooks the reader. I also enjoyed the subtle humour that peppers some of the stories.
A good example is The Devout Atheist, in which theology and science have swapped places. The existence of God has been proved, science is now considered to be mumbo-jumbo, and profanity…, well I won't spoil that bit.
In Upgrade to Murder, a bored operator on an asteroid mining station plays with fire by introducing the station's AI to Agatha Christie murder mysteries. What could possibly go wrong there? Unconventional use of artificial intelligence is also the theme of The Familiar Road, a story with a clever twist in the tail. In The Ellian Convergence, AIs with almost human personalities have replaced their long dead creators. The universe is not much better off, however; a megalomaniacal AI called the Entity wants to eliminate all opposition to its dominance.
Suliko explores the consequences of keeping chosen individuals alive by downloading their consciousness into new bodies every sixty years or so. (How much longer do I have to wait for this technology in reality?) Another tale which uses this idea is Leo McBride's Lazarus Soldiers. Military personnel needed pronto on the other side of the galaxy? No problem; sending bulky human beings through time-consuming hyperspace in faster-than-light ships is yesterday's news. Just transmit personality downloads of the guys you need to clone bodies produced on site. Much more efficient. Tulliver is one of the Lazarus Soldiers of the title, a professional veteran of over a hundred such missions, who commands a squad of clones tasked with finding out why contact with a distant colony base has been lost. This is the best story in the collection, in my opinion.
Dead in Space is the haunting account of a salvage crew's discovery of an apparently dead space-wreck. Small World is the story of a bio-engineered Tratesian killing machine who has been exiled to Earth as punishment for his crimes. (They must have been really bad ones to deserve such a harsh sentence.) Cosmic Egg is another extremely well-told tale in which a band of space explorers find an unstable neutron star with peculiar characteristics. Stranded in the vicinity of the star by an overzealous AI, the motley crew of humans and aliens must work together to solve the mystery and simultaneously find a means of escape.
Deep in the Rock stars a couple of irascible asteroid miners who become curious about what the mining company is really looking for in the middle of a bunch of metal-poor space rocks.
If you are a short-story fan looking for an anthology replete with imagination, drama, humour, and twists that you won't see coming, Tales from the Universe is for you.
(I received a free copy of this story in exchange for a credible review.)
In short stories, the premise is all-important, given that both plot and character development are necessarily limited, and I was impressed by the fact that each title in this collection presents a compelling, well-defined idea that quickly hooks the reader. I also enjoyed the subtle humour that peppers some of the stories.
A good example is The Devout Atheist, in which theology and science have swapped places. The existence of God has been proved, science is now considered to be mumbo-jumbo, and profanity…, well I won't spoil that bit.
In Upgrade to Murder, a bored operator on an asteroid mining station plays with fire by introducing the station's AI to Agatha Christie murder mysteries. What could possibly go wrong there? Unconventional use of artificial intelligence is also the theme of The Familiar Road, a story with a clever twist in the tail. In The Ellian Convergence, AIs with almost human personalities have replaced their long dead creators. The universe is not much better off, however; a megalomaniacal AI called the Entity wants to eliminate all opposition to its dominance.
Suliko explores the consequences of keeping chosen individuals alive by downloading their consciousness into new bodies every sixty years or so. (How much longer do I have to wait for this technology in reality?) Another tale which uses this idea is Leo McBride's Lazarus Soldiers. Military personnel needed pronto on the other side of the galaxy? No problem; sending bulky human beings through time-consuming hyperspace in faster-than-light ships is yesterday's news. Just transmit personality downloads of the guys you need to clone bodies produced on site. Much more efficient. Tulliver is one of the Lazarus Soldiers of the title, a professional veteran of over a hundred such missions, who commands a squad of clones tasked with finding out why contact with a distant colony base has been lost. This is the best story in the collection, in my opinion.
Dead in Space is the haunting account of a salvage crew's discovery of an apparently dead space-wreck. Small World is the story of a bio-engineered Tratesian killing machine who has been exiled to Earth as punishment for his crimes. (They must have been really bad ones to deserve such a harsh sentence.) Cosmic Egg is another extremely well-told tale in which a band of space explorers find an unstable neutron star with peculiar characteristics. Stranded in the vicinity of the star by an overzealous AI, the motley crew of humans and aliens must work together to solve the mystery and simultaneously find a means of escape.
Deep in the Rock stars a couple of irascible asteroid miners who become curious about what the mining company is really looking for in the middle of a bunch of metal-poor space rocks.
If you are a short-story fan looking for an anthology replete with imagination, drama, humour, and twists that you won't see coming, Tales from the Universe is for you.
(I received a free copy of this story in exchange for a credible review.)
July 26, 2016
*I received a free copy of this book and here it is my honest review.*
'Tales from the Universe' is a well balanced anthology with texts about possible futures for the universe. Future of humanity, space trips, AIs, aliens, ...
My favorite stories were 'Dead in Space' by Matthew Harvey and 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris.
The first one appears to be an ordinary scavenger story until the middle, and we read about what is in the old ship. A little sad...
The second one was interesting from beginning to end, and what a end! What could threaten a robotic civilization that overpowered and eliminated the humankind? Cool idea!
Another great point in this anthology is the stories with suspense and creepy feelings. For sure a variety of approach to the sci-fi world.
Recommended to scifi fans, for those who like short stories and for new in the genre.
'Tales from the Universe' is a well balanced anthology with texts about possible futures for the universe. Future of humanity, space trips, AIs, aliens, ...
My favorite stories were 'Dead in Space' by Matthew Harvey and 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris.
The first one appears to be an ordinary scavenger story until the middle, and we read about what is in the old ship. A little sad...
The second one was interesting from beginning to end, and what a end! What could threaten a robotic civilization that overpowered and eliminated the humankind? Cool idea!
Another great point in this anthology is the stories with suspense and creepy feelings. For sure a variety of approach to the sci-fi world.
Recommended to scifi fans, for those who like short stories and for new in the genre.
April 16, 2016
I can always rely on good a good science fiction tale to leave me thinking about humanity and the potential consequences of the choices we make. Tales from the Universe met my expectations and more. This collection of ten short stories is just the third anthology published by Inklings Press, and overall, I was very impressed with the quality of the stories, many of which left me wanting more.
Tales from the Universe is comprised of ten short stories, the majority of which are set in space. I will discuss my thoughts on each one separately.
1. The Devout Atheist, written by Daniel M. Benson provided an excellent start to the book. Looking back, it does seem a bit out of place as it is one of the few stories that does not take place in outer space or on a distant planet. That being said, I am glad that this story was included, because it was one of my favorites. This short story revolves around three archaeologists on a dig in Australia in a future where religion and science seem to have swapped positions. The story is one of faith, but from a different perspective than we are used to. This story left quite an impact on me and still has me thinking about the issues it poses.
2. Upgrade to Murder, written by Rob Edwards, is set 250 years in the future in a space station and is centered on a man named Marcus Wilson and his growing interaction with the computer system of the station. Marcus is the sole living occupant of the space station Hercules 11. He is in the middle of a multi-year tour of duty, and as one can imagine, he has been growing quite bored. In an effort find a reprieve from the daily monotony, Marcus commands the computer to read Agatha Christie books, and life in the space station isn’t the same ever again. I think the overall premise of this story had potential, but I think it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. It felt much too short, even for a short story; and I think more suspense or a twist ending would have made this story really stellar.
3. Suliko, written by R.H. Nelson, has the narrator Dr. Dimitri Fedorov waking up in a remembrance capsule in his 9th life. He wakes up to immediate questioning about the loss of his former love, Irina. Did he kill her? What happened to her, and why is Dimitri hearing her voice in his head? This was such an interesting story that demands be to reread and picked apart to fully appreciate. There were times when I felt lost, but it all comes together in the end.
4. Dead in Space, written by Matthew Harvey features the crew of a spaceship whose purpose is to salvage old wrecked ships. Captain Darryl Biest and his crew are searching a ship that had been destroyed some time ago, with no apparent signs of life to be found. This haunting story held more emotion for me than any other story in this book. The writing was truly excellent.
5. The Familiar Road, written by Pedro Camelo was another beautiful story in this book. The narrator, Jonathon, is a self-described creature of habit. Every Saturday, he follows the exact same routine, walking to his favorite place in the woods to read until sunset. He and his wife, Jessie, live a happy life together. But Jessie has been keeping a secret from Jonathon, a secret that will change everything. This was another favorite of mine. There were so many twists that continued surprising me right up until the very end. This is a beautiful story with an interesting take on love and relationships that will leave the reader thinking about it for some time.
6. Cosmic Egg, written by Ricardo Victoria was the only story that I did not like in this collection. The story follows a crew of aliens and humans aboard a spaceship examining what appears to be a neutron star. However, there is more to this star than meets the eye, and what the crew eventually witnesses will lead them to set aside their petty differences and squabbles and come together as a team. This story felt very amateur to me, as though it was written by a child. The writing/editing was not good, and I found it to be very distracting. Repeated use of words such as “dunno,” “wanna,” and “gonna” combined with sentences such as “David, who was uncomfortable in uncomfortable silence,” and “decide to whom we will send this to” made it very difficult for me to appreciate this story. It just isn’t up to par compared with the other wonderful works in this collection.
7. Small World, written by Brian S. Converse is a story about an alien who has been sentenced to 500 years on Earth as punishment for an undisclosed crime. During his time on Earth, this alien learns of an enemy that threatens the wipe out the entire human population, and he is setting out to hunt them down. The story itself is a log that he is recording to send back to his home planet asking for help for the people of Earth. I really enjoyed this story. There were bits and pieces that felt a little amateur, such as the use of terms and technology that could really date the story, but I loved the humor the author presented. This felt like the prologue for a much longer book, and I definitely wanted more.
8. The Ellian Convergence, written by Brent A. Harris takes place in a future wherein robots have taken over mankind, and are now being threatened by the next generation of intelligence. Captain D.C. Brackett and her crew on spaceship Kali are part of the resistance against their new overlords, the Entity, and are trying to get through to the safety of Earth, but at what cost? I will admit, the ending of this story was a bit confusing for me. Others might get it, but it wasn’t really for me.
9. Lazarus Soldiers, written by Leo McBride is a story about Captain Tulliver and his crew who are on a mission to check out a colony that had been attacked and wiped out. In this future, consciousness can be downloaded into new clone bodies which is helpful when a person is faced with death, or to save travel time between missions. The team soon discovers that all of this cloning may not be such a good idea after all. There was certainly a lot of action in this story, but I still found it a bit lacking. I just didn’t find myself caring about the characters. Maybe if more time had been devoted to actually getting to know them, it would have been different.
10. Deep in the Rock, written by Jessica Holmes, is a story about two miners named Carter and Reed. Carter and Reed are part of a crew mining an asteroid. No one is sure exactly what they are mining for. There doesn’t seem to be anything of value on this rock. When mining crews on similar asteroids start having “accidents”, Carter and Reed decide to start investigating just what it is they are digging for. This was another enjoyable read, and it was great to finally see a female author in the mix. The story was clear, concise, and well-told.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable collection of short stories. I liked how so many of the stories left me thinking about deeper issues such as faith and belief, humanity, the extent to which we will take technology, and the true nature of love. I think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoys other works of science fiction and those who enjoy philosophical thinking on a grand scale. The only things I disliked about this book (aside from the terrible writing in Cosmic Egg) was the lack of emotion felt in some of the stories. Many of them just felt like they needed more substance for the reader to truly care about the characters and their relationships. Overall, I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Tales from the Universe is comprised of ten short stories, the majority of which are set in space. I will discuss my thoughts on each one separately.
1. The Devout Atheist, written by Daniel M. Benson provided an excellent start to the book. Looking back, it does seem a bit out of place as it is one of the few stories that does not take place in outer space or on a distant planet. That being said, I am glad that this story was included, because it was one of my favorites. This short story revolves around three archaeologists on a dig in Australia in a future where religion and science seem to have swapped positions. The story is one of faith, but from a different perspective than we are used to. This story left quite an impact on me and still has me thinking about the issues it poses.
2. Upgrade to Murder, written by Rob Edwards, is set 250 years in the future in a space station and is centered on a man named Marcus Wilson and his growing interaction with the computer system of the station. Marcus is the sole living occupant of the space station Hercules 11. He is in the middle of a multi-year tour of duty, and as one can imagine, he has been growing quite bored. In an effort find a reprieve from the daily monotony, Marcus commands the computer to read Agatha Christie books, and life in the space station isn’t the same ever again. I think the overall premise of this story had potential, but I think it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. It felt much too short, even for a short story; and I think more suspense or a twist ending would have made this story really stellar.
3. Suliko, written by R.H. Nelson, has the narrator Dr. Dimitri Fedorov waking up in a remembrance capsule in his 9th life. He wakes up to immediate questioning about the loss of his former love, Irina. Did he kill her? What happened to her, and why is Dimitri hearing her voice in his head? This was such an interesting story that demands be to reread and picked apart to fully appreciate. There were times when I felt lost, but it all comes together in the end.
4. Dead in Space, written by Matthew Harvey features the crew of a spaceship whose purpose is to salvage old wrecked ships. Captain Darryl Biest and his crew are searching a ship that had been destroyed some time ago, with no apparent signs of life to be found. This haunting story held more emotion for me than any other story in this book. The writing was truly excellent.
5. The Familiar Road, written by Pedro Camelo was another beautiful story in this book. The narrator, Jonathon, is a self-described creature of habit. Every Saturday, he follows the exact same routine, walking to his favorite place in the woods to read until sunset. He and his wife, Jessie, live a happy life together. But Jessie has been keeping a secret from Jonathon, a secret that will change everything. This was another favorite of mine. There were so many twists that continued surprising me right up until the very end. This is a beautiful story with an interesting take on love and relationships that will leave the reader thinking about it for some time.
6. Cosmic Egg, written by Ricardo Victoria was the only story that I did not like in this collection. The story follows a crew of aliens and humans aboard a spaceship examining what appears to be a neutron star. However, there is more to this star than meets the eye, and what the crew eventually witnesses will lead them to set aside their petty differences and squabbles and come together as a team. This story felt very amateur to me, as though it was written by a child. The writing/editing was not good, and I found it to be very distracting. Repeated use of words such as “dunno,” “wanna,” and “gonna” combined with sentences such as “David, who was uncomfortable in uncomfortable silence,” and “decide to whom we will send this to” made it very difficult for me to appreciate this story. It just isn’t up to par compared with the other wonderful works in this collection.
7. Small World, written by Brian S. Converse is a story about an alien who has been sentenced to 500 years on Earth as punishment for an undisclosed crime. During his time on Earth, this alien learns of an enemy that threatens the wipe out the entire human population, and he is setting out to hunt them down. The story itself is a log that he is recording to send back to his home planet asking for help for the people of Earth. I really enjoyed this story. There were bits and pieces that felt a little amateur, such as the use of terms and technology that could really date the story, but I loved the humor the author presented. This felt like the prologue for a much longer book, and I definitely wanted more.
8. The Ellian Convergence, written by Brent A. Harris takes place in a future wherein robots have taken over mankind, and are now being threatened by the next generation of intelligence. Captain D.C. Brackett and her crew on spaceship Kali are part of the resistance against their new overlords, the Entity, and are trying to get through to the safety of Earth, but at what cost? I will admit, the ending of this story was a bit confusing for me. Others might get it, but it wasn’t really for me.
9. Lazarus Soldiers, written by Leo McBride is a story about Captain Tulliver and his crew who are on a mission to check out a colony that had been attacked and wiped out. In this future, consciousness can be downloaded into new clone bodies which is helpful when a person is faced with death, or to save travel time between missions. The team soon discovers that all of this cloning may not be such a good idea after all. There was certainly a lot of action in this story, but I still found it a bit lacking. I just didn’t find myself caring about the characters. Maybe if more time had been devoted to actually getting to know them, it would have been different.
10. Deep in the Rock, written by Jessica Holmes, is a story about two miners named Carter and Reed. Carter and Reed are part of a crew mining an asteroid. No one is sure exactly what they are mining for. There doesn’t seem to be anything of value on this rock. When mining crews on similar asteroids start having “accidents”, Carter and Reed decide to start investigating just what it is they are digging for. This was another enjoyable read, and it was great to finally see a female author in the mix. The story was clear, concise, and well-told.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable collection of short stories. I liked how so many of the stories left me thinking about deeper issues such as faith and belief, humanity, the extent to which we will take technology, and the true nature of love. I think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoys other works of science fiction and those who enjoy philosophical thinking on a grand scale. The only things I disliked about this book (aside from the terrible writing in Cosmic Egg) was the lack of emotion felt in some of the stories. Many of them just felt like they needed more substance for the reader to truly care about the characters and their relationships. Overall, I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
November 30, 2017
This anthology deals with sci-fi that ranges from hardcore to a softer style. There were a few in here that were just a cut above, and highly imaginative. Although, all of the writing was excellent. I found myself contemplating the worlds the authors had created in a few short words, questioning and getting involved with the characters and their beliefs. I think my favorite story was A Familiar road, because the idea was so interesting. ( I wont put any spoilers) However, the stories range from familiar, to robots to space. Fans of sci-fi will not be disappointed!
April 26, 2017
This is another great collection, this time with sci-fi stories. The premises were intriguing and the execution great. One story could have used better editing after translation from its original language. Overall, that's just a small issue. This book is worth getting if you like science fiction and want to discover new authors.
November 29, 2018
"This is a great collection of ten stories written by various authors. I found each story had a good twist on the end like short stories should. The tales each have a sci-fi theme that will take readers out of this world and then on several intriguing journeys. Some of the stories I liked better than others, many were five stars though and I feel this collection lets readers sample stories from a variety of authors so they can pick out favorites and then look for other works by them.
October 11, 2016
On the whole, this was an enjoyable selection of stories to read. Some of them caught my attention more than others, and those that did shared a very similar theme; that of human/artificial consciousness, the aspects of self-awareness, and the effects of said consciousness being transferred/manipulated. Many of the stories investigate the question of the capability of artificial intelligences, in many different forms, to experience feelings and emotions. This is, by no stretch, a new idea, but each author manages to put their own unique spin on the theme.
I like the premise set in ‘Upgrade to Murder’, where an AI is reprogrammed over the course of several upgrades, until it starts to think like a famous Belgian detective (You know the one). I did think that the author could have explored the possibilities a bit more though, in order to provide a little more mystery and suspense along the way.
‘Suliko’ was one of my favourites in terms of messing with the human consciousness, because it plays with perspective and point of view, and has the reader questioning the reality of what the MC is seeing. It’s well enough done, though, that it is not confusing. It also very nicely explores the twin concepts of love and loss in a world where humans have effectively achieved immortality. As in ‘Suliko’, the story ‘The Familiar Road,’ also has love as a central theme. Though I liked the ideas it put forward, I did feel as though the story got a bit convoluted towards the end, with maybe a few too many twists in its tail.
‘The Ellian Convergence’ is another story that explores the magnitude of artificial intelligence, in terms of its ability to love, evolve, and its potential to become a despotic overlord. One of the things I did like about that one was the way it referenced ‘old’ Sci-fi films and TV shows, such as Star Trek and Terminator. The latter forms the basis of the main storyline, which is the MC’s desire to send a probe back in time, carrying certain information that will alter the timeline. The premise of altering timelines is also not a new one, and I was worried at one point that the story would descend into cliché, but the author managed to pull it around sufficiently to allay that fear.
My favourite story of the ones that concerned ‘Emotional AIs’ has to be ‘Dead in Space’. The piece was simply haunting. Of all the AI stories, it was the one that made me feel a significant emotional connection with the intelligence in question, because of the feeling of utter helplessness that the author manages to evoke. The other story that stuck out for me, and the one that made me want to read the rest of the book, was the first one, ‘The Devout Atheist’. I loved the basic idea, and the twist it created in the reader’s expectations, and as a short story, it works perfectly. It’s an idea I’d sort of like to see expanded on, but I’m not sure if the premise would stand up in a longer, more in depth piece. I could be completely wrong on that, of course, and will be quite willing in the future to eat my words.
Despite the clever and thought provoking content of many of these stories, it was the story ‘Lazarus Soldiers’ that really had me gripped. It had a very ‘aliens’ feel about it, with a group of soldiers landing at a terraforming facility that had unexpectedly ‘gone quiet’, but it was not an encounter with an alien species that was the cause of the kerfuffle. For the prevention of spoilers, I’ll not say what it was, but I will say that the pace, and the atmosphere of impending nastiness that the author creates, was more than sufficient to keep me reading, just to find out what on earth was going on.
So, all in all, this collection was a very enjoyable read throughout.
I like the premise set in ‘Upgrade to Murder’, where an AI is reprogrammed over the course of several upgrades, until it starts to think like a famous Belgian detective (You know the one). I did think that the author could have explored the possibilities a bit more though, in order to provide a little more mystery and suspense along the way.
‘Suliko’ was one of my favourites in terms of messing with the human consciousness, because it plays with perspective and point of view, and has the reader questioning the reality of what the MC is seeing. It’s well enough done, though, that it is not confusing. It also very nicely explores the twin concepts of love and loss in a world where humans have effectively achieved immortality. As in ‘Suliko’, the story ‘The Familiar Road,’ also has love as a central theme. Though I liked the ideas it put forward, I did feel as though the story got a bit convoluted towards the end, with maybe a few too many twists in its tail.
‘The Ellian Convergence’ is another story that explores the magnitude of artificial intelligence, in terms of its ability to love, evolve, and its potential to become a despotic overlord. One of the things I did like about that one was the way it referenced ‘old’ Sci-fi films and TV shows, such as Star Trek and Terminator. The latter forms the basis of the main storyline, which is the MC’s desire to send a probe back in time, carrying certain information that will alter the timeline. The premise of altering timelines is also not a new one, and I was worried at one point that the story would descend into cliché, but the author managed to pull it around sufficiently to allay that fear.
My favourite story of the ones that concerned ‘Emotional AIs’ has to be ‘Dead in Space’. The piece was simply haunting. Of all the AI stories, it was the one that made me feel a significant emotional connection with the intelligence in question, because of the feeling of utter helplessness that the author manages to evoke. The other story that stuck out for me, and the one that made me want to read the rest of the book, was the first one, ‘The Devout Atheist’. I loved the basic idea, and the twist it created in the reader’s expectations, and as a short story, it works perfectly. It’s an idea I’d sort of like to see expanded on, but I’m not sure if the premise would stand up in a longer, more in depth piece. I could be completely wrong on that, of course, and will be quite willing in the future to eat my words.
Despite the clever and thought provoking content of many of these stories, it was the story ‘Lazarus Soldiers’ that really had me gripped. It had a very ‘aliens’ feel about it, with a group of soldiers landing at a terraforming facility that had unexpectedly ‘gone quiet’, but it was not an encounter with an alien species that was the cause of the kerfuffle. For the prevention of spoilers, I’ll not say what it was, but I will say that the pace, and the atmosphere of impending nastiness that the author creates, was more than sufficient to keep me reading, just to find out what on earth was going on.
So, all in all, this collection was a very enjoyable read throughout.
June 20, 2016
A work-out for the imagination
Getting hold of an anthology of short stories by different authors is like opening a box of chocolates - you just know there will be a selection of diverse and intriguing sweet moments in the same wrapper and you can't wait to dive in. When the stories are science-fiction, it is almost a guarantee that the selection will be even more diverse and that each story will be fascinating, engaging and provocative.
This anthology does not disappoint on that expectation. It explores some classic sci-fi themes such as AI, immortality, aliens (of course), strange worlds and space travel. But it opens with something very un-classic: 'The Devout Atheist' by Daniel M. Bensen, which is an explosively original exploration of the relationship we have with science and religion.
There are some stunning stories which all have very different takes on the nature of AI and our possible relationship to it: 'Upgrade to Murder' by Rob Edwards, which looks at how a relationship with AI might develop in a completely unexpected way; 'Dead In Space' by Matthew Harvey, which challenges us to think about the ethical consequences of AI sapience and sentience from the perspective of the AI; and 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris, in which AI/human issues become almost role-reversed.
Two of the stories look at the idea of body-shifting consciousness: 'Suliko' by R.H. Nelson and 'Lazarus Soldiers' by Leo McBride, but where 'Suliko' considers it more from the idea of immortality and the kind of consequences that can lead to, 'Lazarus Soldiers' has an exploration of the pragmatism of such a technology and what issues we might find with it.
Every science fiction collection has to include aliens and 'Small World' by Brian S. Converse, gives us a double-dose of aliens on earth, whilst 'Cosmic Egg' by Ricardo Victoria, moves into the realms of the awe and wonder we might experience in an unexpected alien encounter in deep space.
There are stories which I would prefer not to categorise too closely as to do so would be to give away a chunk of the plot, but it is enough to say that 'The Familiar Road' by Pedro Camelo is a wonderful love story and 'Deep In The Rock' by Jessica Holmes has a lot to teach about friendship.
Some of the stories left me chilled or saddened and others finished with a powerful sense of hope and optimism. But all gave me pause and all provoked a response, which has to be the hallmark of good short story writing. As a result, I can't pick out one single favorite - they were all thundering good stories, as this is a strong anthology from some excellent authors.
This is not a book to sit down and read through at a single sitting, not if you want to do justice to each of the stories. So if you want something easy to read or comfortable, this is not going to be your cup of tea. But if you like to open the doors and windows of your mind to let in the fresh breeze of speculation and original ideas, this is a book you will find it well worthwhile to check out.
After all, is that not the role of science fiction? Isn’t it there to remind us of what we are capable of, who we should be, or at the very least, to warn us of our actions? from 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris.
Getting hold of an anthology of short stories by different authors is like opening a box of chocolates - you just know there will be a selection of diverse and intriguing sweet moments in the same wrapper and you can't wait to dive in. When the stories are science-fiction, it is almost a guarantee that the selection will be even more diverse and that each story will be fascinating, engaging and provocative.
This anthology does not disappoint on that expectation. It explores some classic sci-fi themes such as AI, immortality, aliens (of course), strange worlds and space travel. But it opens with something very un-classic: 'The Devout Atheist' by Daniel M. Bensen, which is an explosively original exploration of the relationship we have with science and religion.
There are some stunning stories which all have very different takes on the nature of AI and our possible relationship to it: 'Upgrade to Murder' by Rob Edwards, which looks at how a relationship with AI might develop in a completely unexpected way; 'Dead In Space' by Matthew Harvey, which challenges us to think about the ethical consequences of AI sapience and sentience from the perspective of the AI; and 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris, in which AI/human issues become almost role-reversed.
Two of the stories look at the idea of body-shifting consciousness: 'Suliko' by R.H. Nelson and 'Lazarus Soldiers' by Leo McBride, but where 'Suliko' considers it more from the idea of immortality and the kind of consequences that can lead to, 'Lazarus Soldiers' has an exploration of the pragmatism of such a technology and what issues we might find with it.
Every science fiction collection has to include aliens and 'Small World' by Brian S. Converse, gives us a double-dose of aliens on earth, whilst 'Cosmic Egg' by Ricardo Victoria, moves into the realms of the awe and wonder we might experience in an unexpected alien encounter in deep space.
There are stories which I would prefer not to categorise too closely as to do so would be to give away a chunk of the plot, but it is enough to say that 'The Familiar Road' by Pedro Camelo is a wonderful love story and 'Deep In The Rock' by Jessica Holmes has a lot to teach about friendship.
Some of the stories left me chilled or saddened and others finished with a powerful sense of hope and optimism. But all gave me pause and all provoked a response, which has to be the hallmark of good short story writing. As a result, I can't pick out one single favorite - they were all thundering good stories, as this is a strong anthology from some excellent authors.
This is not a book to sit down and read through at a single sitting, not if you want to do justice to each of the stories. So if you want something easy to read or comfortable, this is not going to be your cup of tea. But if you like to open the doors and windows of your mind to let in the fresh breeze of speculation and original ideas, this is a book you will find it well worthwhile to check out.
After all, is that not the role of science fiction? Isn’t it there to remind us of what we are capable of, who we should be, or at the very least, to warn us of our actions? from 'The Ellian Convergence' by Brent A. Harris.
April 13, 2016
DISCLAIMER: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I normally prefer reading novels over short stories, simply because I feel that short stories don't have enough of a platform to develop characters and plot, let alone have enough breadth to emotionally involve the reader. Even so, I was excited to receive a free copy of this new collection of short stories from the publisher. Each story is written by a different sci-fi author which I found to be one of its strongest assets. Because of the varied experience levels, this anthology acts somewhat of a case study in short-form science fiction, in that I was able to quickly compare what did/didn't work because of different approaches by different authors to the art of writing shorter works.
The character development in "Small World" and "Deep in the Rock" is impressive. I appreciated the clever devices employed, such as in the former where the narrator tells us early on, "My own story is long; you should have access to my conviction record in the files of the Galaxy Council". The author weaves plenty of little details like "conviction record" to acquaint us with the character of the protagonist.
"Deep in the Rock" presents us with two characters whose demeanor is quickly established. "A horrendous caterwauling screeched in Carter's ear... Which of these idiots had decided to inflict their singing on him?" It's clear that Carter is going to be an agitated and short-tempered character.
There are plenty of thought-provoking scenarios in this volume as well. Various authors capture the imagination with their take on the future of artificial intelligence, such as in the genre-bending "Upgrade to Murder", cerebral "The Familar Road", or dystopic "The Ellian Convergence". I also thoroughly enjoyed the heart-stopping suspense of "Lazarus Soldiers" and the shocking conclusion of "Deep in the Rock".
I felt that even the stories that missed the mark did so because the author took on an ambitious effort that was too much for so few pages. "Small World" and "Suliko" are two such examples that I think the authors could develop into larger works. The former feels rushed, likely because of the word count confinement, while the latter seems to build a world of terms and concepts that could benefit from better development.
In spite of a couple of rough spots along the way, I felt that this anthology was well worth the read and look forward to future publications from Inklings Press.
In the end, it's tough to give a single rating to a collection of 10 different stories, but considering that there are some real gems in here, and taking into account the excellent editing quality from the publisher, I give this a four-star effort.
I normally prefer reading novels over short stories, simply because I feel that short stories don't have enough of a platform to develop characters and plot, let alone have enough breadth to emotionally involve the reader. Even so, I was excited to receive a free copy of this new collection of short stories from the publisher. Each story is written by a different sci-fi author which I found to be one of its strongest assets. Because of the varied experience levels, this anthology acts somewhat of a case study in short-form science fiction, in that I was able to quickly compare what did/didn't work because of different approaches by different authors to the art of writing shorter works.
The character development in "Small World" and "Deep in the Rock" is impressive. I appreciated the clever devices employed, such as in the former where the narrator tells us early on, "My own story is long; you should have access to my conviction record in the files of the Galaxy Council". The author weaves plenty of little details like "conviction record" to acquaint us with the character of the protagonist.
"Deep in the Rock" presents us with two characters whose demeanor is quickly established. "A horrendous caterwauling screeched in Carter's ear... Which of these idiots had decided to inflict their singing on him?" It's clear that Carter is going to be an agitated and short-tempered character.
There are plenty of thought-provoking scenarios in this volume as well. Various authors capture the imagination with their take on the future of artificial intelligence, such as in the genre-bending "Upgrade to Murder", cerebral "The Familar Road", or dystopic "The Ellian Convergence". I also thoroughly enjoyed the heart-stopping suspense of "Lazarus Soldiers" and the shocking conclusion of "Deep in the Rock".
I felt that even the stories that missed the mark did so because the author took on an ambitious effort that was too much for so few pages. "Small World" and "Suliko" are two such examples that I think the authors could develop into larger works. The former feels rushed, likely because of the word count confinement, while the latter seems to build a world of terms and concepts that could benefit from better development.
In spite of a couple of rough spots along the way, I felt that this anthology was well worth the read and look forward to future publications from Inklings Press.
In the end, it's tough to give a single rating to a collection of 10 different stories, but considering that there are some real gems in here, and taking into account the excellent editing quality from the publisher, I give this a four-star effort.
June 12, 2016
I was interested to review this latest collection from Inklings Press. I’m a lifelong Asimov fan (and secretly a Trekkie), and the cover artwork by Ricardo Victoria Uribe lured me in – a talented illustrator surely bound for more exposure. I found it resonant of the covers of bygone years die-hard scifi fans will love and remember.
The stories are an interesting and eclectic mix for the purist science fiction enthusiast – asteroid mining, the possibilities of artificial intelligence, futuristic consciousness transference, theories of space travel and time manipulation, this collection has it all.
The taut claustrophobic atmosphere of Jess Holmes’ story ‘Deep in the Rock’ was a great story to end on. I liked the difficult and fractious relationship of the two asteroid miners, their complaints and disgruntlement was just how one would imagine it would be in such adverse working conditions. Shame there’s only one female writer in this collection. Although strong female characters abound in science fiction, women authors are often underrepresented these days.
I was fascinated by Daniel Benson’s ‘The Devout Atheist’, with its interesting take on a Biblical, speculative Universe. I’ll say no more.
An Upgrade to Murder explored the prospect of how an AI could be taught detection skills using Agatha Christie as a learning model. Tongue in cheek and enjoyable.
Certainly, for myself, I always feel scifi excels when it is considered within a close and restricted atmosphere – the ‘tin can’ of Bowie’s Space Oddity. In ‘Dead in Space’, a tale of a space salvage crew, the ‘locked in’ aspect of the survivor of a space wreck was written well and did the job of evoking emotion.
I found the science of ‘The Familar Road’ well considered. Rather than space, it explores the confusing world of someone who keeps repeating a particular route into a forest. No spoilers, but the human dilemma in this makes a good short story.
Science fiction’s enduring fascination ideally rests upon the extreme nature of space and future science, and the challenges and tragedies that the protagonists, and by extension, the reader can face, the many boundaries that it pushes us beyond. Readers should never forget the contribution science fiction makes to future science, for good or ill. SciFi stories do sometimes under-explore the depth of characterisation, sometimes even the worlds they’re based in, in sacrifice to the concepts or the central premise. There is a little of this in these tales, but with a word restriction it’s not surprising – new worlds take their time to unfold.
Tales from the Universe is a good read to transport and entertain anyone looking beyond the end of their local neighbourhood, and up to the stars.
The stories are an interesting and eclectic mix for the purist science fiction enthusiast – asteroid mining, the possibilities of artificial intelligence, futuristic consciousness transference, theories of space travel and time manipulation, this collection has it all.
The taut claustrophobic atmosphere of Jess Holmes’ story ‘Deep in the Rock’ was a great story to end on. I liked the difficult and fractious relationship of the two asteroid miners, their complaints and disgruntlement was just how one would imagine it would be in such adverse working conditions. Shame there’s only one female writer in this collection. Although strong female characters abound in science fiction, women authors are often underrepresented these days.
I was fascinated by Daniel Benson’s ‘The Devout Atheist’, with its interesting take on a Biblical, speculative Universe. I’ll say no more.
An Upgrade to Murder explored the prospect of how an AI could be taught detection skills using Agatha Christie as a learning model. Tongue in cheek and enjoyable.
Certainly, for myself, I always feel scifi excels when it is considered within a close and restricted atmosphere – the ‘tin can’ of Bowie’s Space Oddity. In ‘Dead in Space’, a tale of a space salvage crew, the ‘locked in’ aspect of the survivor of a space wreck was written well and did the job of evoking emotion.
I found the science of ‘The Familar Road’ well considered. Rather than space, it explores the confusing world of someone who keeps repeating a particular route into a forest. No spoilers, but the human dilemma in this makes a good short story.
Science fiction’s enduring fascination ideally rests upon the extreme nature of space and future science, and the challenges and tragedies that the protagonists, and by extension, the reader can face, the many boundaries that it pushes us beyond. Readers should never forget the contribution science fiction makes to future science, for good or ill. SciFi stories do sometimes under-explore the depth of characterisation, sometimes even the worlds they’re based in, in sacrifice to the concepts or the central premise. There is a little of this in these tales, but with a word restriction it’s not surprising – new worlds take their time to unfold.
Tales from the Universe is a good read to transport and entertain anyone looking beyond the end of their local neighbourhood, and up to the stars.
May 24, 2016
First of all, i really liked this book. It just felt a bit short. But every story in it was entertaining, and some made me think twice about it.
1.“The Devout Atheist” by Daniel M. Bensen http://thekingdomsofevil.com
This little tale feels a little bit out of place in this collection, but it is a nice story about religion and archeology from a different universe very similar but completely different from ours. Is likely to make you think twice
2. Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards www.storycastrob.co.uk
A lone operator on a space station finds unexpected recreations with the computer system controlling the station.
It’s a good story that do not quite deliver. It could have been great but it’s not quite there.
3. Suliko by R. H. Nelson
This i as love story with a twist and one of my favorite in the book. It’s quite confusing but it’s all explained in the end.
4. Dead in Space by Matthew Harvey
A story about a salvage crew searching an old war wreck. Very good writing and quite an emotional tale.
5. The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo (facebook.com/PedroCameloAuthor)
Another beautiful story and favourite of mine. A story about secrets and discoveries.
6. Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria (@wingedleo on Twitter)
Story about an impossible discovery on the surface of a neutron star. A bit weak and ranked in the bottom two of the collection.
7. Small World by Brian S. Converse (facebook.com/BrianSConverse)
Aliens is invading the earth and in its way stands a single alien exiled to our world. Great story but feels just like an opening act. Would buy the book.
8. The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris (@BrentAHarris1 on Twitter)
Another tale of AIs and a good one too.
9. Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride (facebook.com/leomcbrideauthor)
Cloned soldiers finds a much greater and different threat than anticipated. Ok story but it did not compare to well to the others.
10. Deep in the Rock by Jessica Holmes (@scribblingjess on Twitter)
An asteroid mining crew is wondering what they are mining for. A good solid story, well told. Good ending to the book.
This is a book i would recommend to all lovers of speculative science fiction. Some of the stories would benefit from a little fleshing out but overall they make a great collection that is likely to make you thinks twice.
4 out of 5.
I received this book at the Goodreads Space Opera Fans community for free in exchange for a fair and honest review
1.“The Devout Atheist” by Daniel M. Bensen http://thekingdomsofevil.com
This little tale feels a little bit out of place in this collection, but it is a nice story about religion and archeology from a different universe very similar but completely different from ours. Is likely to make you think twice
2. Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards www.storycastrob.co.uk
A lone operator on a space station finds unexpected recreations with the computer system controlling the station.
It’s a good story that do not quite deliver. It could have been great but it’s not quite there.
3. Suliko by R. H. Nelson
This i as love story with a twist and one of my favorite in the book. It’s quite confusing but it’s all explained in the end.
4. Dead in Space by Matthew Harvey
A story about a salvage crew searching an old war wreck. Very good writing and quite an emotional tale.
5. The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo (facebook.com/PedroCameloAuthor)
Another beautiful story and favourite of mine. A story about secrets and discoveries.
6. Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria (@wingedleo on Twitter)
Story about an impossible discovery on the surface of a neutron star. A bit weak and ranked in the bottom two of the collection.
7. Small World by Brian S. Converse (facebook.com/BrianSConverse)
Aliens is invading the earth and in its way stands a single alien exiled to our world. Great story but feels just like an opening act. Would buy the book.
8. The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris (@BrentAHarris1 on Twitter)
Another tale of AIs and a good one too.
9. Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride (facebook.com/leomcbrideauthor)
Cloned soldiers finds a much greater and different threat than anticipated. Ok story but it did not compare to well to the others.
10. Deep in the Rock by Jessica Holmes (@scribblingjess on Twitter)
An asteroid mining crew is wondering what they are mining for. A good solid story, well told. Good ending to the book.
This is a book i would recommend to all lovers of speculative science fiction. Some of the stories would benefit from a little fleshing out but overall they make a great collection that is likely to make you thinks twice.
4 out of 5.
I received this book at the Goodreads Space Opera Fans community for free in exchange for a fair and honest review
August 15, 2017
I received a copy of this book from one of the authors for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
Tales From the Universe is the second anthology from Inklings Press that I have reviewed and read. There are a few science fiction based books I have liked. I'm beginning to like science fiction more and it might be because of my own Doctor Who love.
In fact, one of the stories in this anthology reminded me of a Doctor Who episode. It had cloning and fighting. It reminded me of the episode The Doctor's Daughter, but the cloning and war mentality are the only similarities. I just liked that it made me think of my favorite show.
The first story is going to throw you off. It threw me off. It isn't a typical science fiction, but it definitely makes you think. Once you get past the fact that science is a religion and religion is fact, the story definitely made me pause and wonder. It poses some questions that aren't addressed too often. Yes, science fiction does that in general, but instead of the typical "should man play god" it questioned my basis of reality.
All in all, the anthology had some good stories. There were a few more I enjoyed, but I think you should read it if you like sci-fi anthologies. I would have liked it better if some stories were longer, but I still liked the book.
Tales From the Universe is the second anthology from Inklings Press that I have reviewed and read. There are a few science fiction based books I have liked. I'm beginning to like science fiction more and it might be because of my own Doctor Who love.
In fact, one of the stories in this anthology reminded me of a Doctor Who episode. It had cloning and fighting. It reminded me of the episode The Doctor's Daughter, but the cloning and war mentality are the only similarities. I just liked that it made me think of my favorite show.
The first story is going to throw you off. It threw me off. It isn't a typical science fiction, but it definitely makes you think. Once you get past the fact that science is a religion and religion is fact, the story definitely made me pause and wonder. It poses some questions that aren't addressed too often. Yes, science fiction does that in general, but instead of the typical "should man play god" it questioned my basis of reality.
All in all, the anthology had some good stories. There were a few more I enjoyed, but I think you should read it if you like sci-fi anthologies. I would have liked it better if some stories were longer, but I still liked the book.
May 31, 2016
I found this collection of sci-fi stories to be intriguing and fresh. It was great to get my sci-fi fix in bite-size pieces without having to mentally invest myself in the demands of novel-reading. I read this anthology at a time when I was very busy and exhausted from work and family commitments, and found the opportunity to read and complete a unique and interesting story at the end of each day to be relaxing and uplifting. The first story in the collection, delving into religious themes, may put some readers off, but as the rest of the stories are of a much more tried and true sci-fi flavor, I would say just keep reading and don't let it put you off. If any one of the stories isn't your cup of tea, there is most likely something in there that will be. Variety is the saving grace of an anthology. In fact, I will honestly say that this anthology has opened me up to the notion of incorporating other anthologies into my reading list. I think short stories may be the perfect medicine for the very busy reader or for the reader with a short attention span--teens, or anyone with ADD who has trouble staying focused for lengthy novels. I would recommend this anthology to all sci-fi fans.
May 17, 2016
Ten Amazing Stories From Tomorrow is well worth the read. I don't usually go in for short stories these days but this book was a pleasant surprise. The quality of the plot-lines and the degree of empathy (always hard to achieve in short stories, I think) varies, but there is something that challenges your imagination in each of them. I particularly enjoyed the whimsy of "upgrade to murder", the pathos of "dead in space" and the quirkiness of the "The Familiar Road."
I recommend this anthology to those who enjoy short science fiction stories featuring AI, intelligent alien life forms and imaginative stories.
I was provided with a copy of this book in return for a non-reciprocal, honest review.
I recommend this anthology to those who enjoy short science fiction stories featuring AI, intelligent alien life forms and imaginative stories.
I was provided with a copy of this book in return for a non-reciprocal, honest review.
April 19, 2016
My favourite two chapters were the first two, The Devout Atheist and Upgrade to Murder. I particularly liked the author's skilful use of log notes to counterbalance the prose in Upgrade to Murder and the quirkiness of the computer masquerading as famed detective Hercule Poirot.
As for the rest of the stories, they held some interest for me but didn't quite grab my fancy. That's to be expected in an anthology of short stories by various authors.
As for the rest of the stories, they held some interest for me but didn't quite grab my fancy. That's to be expected in an anthology of short stories by various authors.
November 25, 2016
This is a great collection of stories. It was great to discover some new, talented authors. The only thing that prevented me from giving it a 5-star rating is there were two stories I didn't care for. They weren't bad stories, just not a style that I care for. Very glad to have found this collection. Very enjoyable.
November 19, 2017
I like this collection.
The one drawback is that the editing is not consistent, with some stories following certain conventions and other stories following others, with some stories having some typos while others don’t.
The stories are science fiction. Some of them twist things and ask questions about who we are and what we believe, and that’s very cool. Definitely some writers that I’ll be watching.
I feel like I should write more, but if I start delving into each story… well there are ten stories. And being short stories, I don’t want to give anything away.
If you like science fiction and the short story format, you should definitely check this out.
The one drawback is that the editing is not consistent, with some stories following certain conventions and other stories following others, with some stories having some typos while others don’t.
The stories are science fiction. Some of them twist things and ask questions about who we are and what we believe, and that’s very cool. Definitely some writers that I’ll be watching.
I feel like I should write more, but if I start delving into each story… well there are ten stories. And being short stories, I don’t want to give anything away.
If you like science fiction and the short story format, you should definitely check this out.
August 11, 2018
A collection of short sci-fi stories from different authors.
I quite enjoyed the stories. My only real issue is with the first story - why to people always insist on describing Darwin, Australia as a dry, dusty desert? It's a tropical city surrounded by wetlands, escarpments, and crocodile-infested rivers.
I quite enjoyed the stories. My only real issue is with the first story - why to people always insist on describing Darwin, Australia as a dry, dusty desert? It's a tropical city surrounded by wetlands, escarpments, and crocodile-infested rivers.
January 24, 2017
Interesting SF / fantasy anthology
As with most anthologies, some stories are more hit than miss and some are more miss than hit. Fortunately, most stories in this collection are "hit," and there's enough of a variety of themes, styles, characters, and conceits to satisfy SF fan preferences. I particularly enjoyed Lazarus Soldiers and The Devout Atheist, but then again I have a preference for SF on the "hard science" side as well as philosophically/religiously oriented stories.
As with most anthologies, some stories are more hit than miss and some are more miss than hit. Fortunately, most stories in this collection are "hit," and there's enough of a variety of themes, styles, characters, and conceits to satisfy SF fan preferences. I particularly enjoyed Lazarus Soldiers and The Devout Atheist, but then again I have a preference for SF on the "hard science" side as well as philosophically/religiously oriented stories.
March 18, 2017
I found this to be a pretty solid sci-fi anthology. Lots of imagination here and generally speaking the writing is tight. My favorite story by far was the first one...it deals with the whole science versus religion issue in a very creative way. I recommend checking out this collection.
October 24, 2020
I found the ten stories to be very entertaining and thought-provoking. Definitely stories worth reading.
September 25, 2016
The title of this book, “Tales from the Universe: Ten Amazing Stories from Tomorrow”, reminded me of the old tv show ‘Amazing Stories’ and similar sci-fi shows from that era. I’ve always been a fan of short, idea driven stories and looked forward to reading this collection.
The book started with “The Devout Atheist”. I’m not a huge fan of mixing religion with sci-fi, but thought the author maintained a somewhat neutral position as he posed his philosophical questions.
"Upgrade to Murder” was a fun take on the ‘suddenly sentient’ computer story. I was prepared for disaster, as that is often the case with ‘suddenly sentient’ technology stories, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Kind of sweet, really.
“Suliko” told a love story in a world where a core (or soul) is maintained perpetually as computer code that can be re-downloaded into new bodies. A dilemma arises when two lovers are separated as one has her code overwritten (and forgotten by the great computer), but the other finds himself reborn again. Love finds a way.
“Dead in Space” was another sentient computer story. The writing was full of character backstory and technological details, but a bit short on plot or story arc. This one had a darker tone and disturbing conclusion.
“The Familiar Road” was another story about a sentient AI. This time we are there for the moment our AI protagonist learns that he isn’t human. This one was a bit convoluted, for me. An exposition-y style of writing kept me from really engaging. Felt like I was reading backstory the whole time.
“Cosmic Egg” is about a group of space explorers who discover a mysterious ziggurat with a surprise inside. I thought the author developed its characters efficiently while simultaneously developing the plot. I found it easy to jump into this story and was satisfied with its conclusion.
“Small World” is a fun story about two alien races secretly inhabiting our planet. One parasitic, insect race is plotting to take over the Earth, while a member of a different alien race, banished here as punishment, works to save the human race. I thought the story did a nice job at creating a likeable character and set the stage for a longer story.
“The Ellian Convergence” Is a complicated sci-fi puzzle with a somewhat unreliable narrative voice that keeps the reader guessing. There are several thought-provoking ideas presented, though at times, it there was almost too much going on. Felt like too many ideas were wedged into this action-filled, love story, space battle philosophy.
“Lazarus Soldiers” was somewhat similar to ‘Suliko’ except much more action oriented. The start reminded me of a video game, with each character picking an avatar to play. The story follows a squad of soldiers as they investigate a colony, but the interesting part of this one, to me, was the re-spawning of the soldiers. The author put some thought into how ‘souls’ would be transferred into new bodies and how battles might play out if the soul inside didn’t get out of the old body in time. It was an interesting look at a future style of war.
“Deep in the Rock” was story about a mining squad on the cusp of a major discovery. This story might have been my favorite. It was very easy to get into and presented a believable sci-fi situation that quickly escalated into an intriguing mystery.
These were good. I found all ten stories to be well written with a strong concept driving each. If you like your sci-fi quick and to the point, and you enjoy stories about sentient AI, or the digital transference of souls, or mysterious space eggs, you’ll probably enjoy “Tales from the Universe”. Solid four stars.
The book started with “The Devout Atheist”. I’m not a huge fan of mixing religion with sci-fi, but thought the author maintained a somewhat neutral position as he posed his philosophical questions.
"Upgrade to Murder” was a fun take on the ‘suddenly sentient’ computer story. I was prepared for disaster, as that is often the case with ‘suddenly sentient’ technology stories, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Kind of sweet, really.
“Suliko” told a love story in a world where a core (or soul) is maintained perpetually as computer code that can be re-downloaded into new bodies. A dilemma arises when two lovers are separated as one has her code overwritten (and forgotten by the great computer), but the other finds himself reborn again. Love finds a way.
“Dead in Space” was another sentient computer story. The writing was full of character backstory and technological details, but a bit short on plot or story arc. This one had a darker tone and disturbing conclusion.
“The Familiar Road” was another story about a sentient AI. This time we are there for the moment our AI protagonist learns that he isn’t human. This one was a bit convoluted, for me. An exposition-y style of writing kept me from really engaging. Felt like I was reading backstory the whole time.
“Cosmic Egg” is about a group of space explorers who discover a mysterious ziggurat with a surprise inside. I thought the author developed its characters efficiently while simultaneously developing the plot. I found it easy to jump into this story and was satisfied with its conclusion.
“Small World” is a fun story about two alien races secretly inhabiting our planet. One parasitic, insect race is plotting to take over the Earth, while a member of a different alien race, banished here as punishment, works to save the human race. I thought the story did a nice job at creating a likeable character and set the stage for a longer story.
“The Ellian Convergence” Is a complicated sci-fi puzzle with a somewhat unreliable narrative voice that keeps the reader guessing. There are several thought-provoking ideas presented, though at times, it there was almost too much going on. Felt like too many ideas were wedged into this action-filled, love story, space battle philosophy.
“Lazarus Soldiers” was somewhat similar to ‘Suliko’ except much more action oriented. The start reminded me of a video game, with each character picking an avatar to play. The story follows a squad of soldiers as they investigate a colony, but the interesting part of this one, to me, was the re-spawning of the soldiers. The author put some thought into how ‘souls’ would be transferred into new bodies and how battles might play out if the soul inside didn’t get out of the old body in time. It was an interesting look at a future style of war.
“Deep in the Rock” was story about a mining squad on the cusp of a major discovery. This story might have been my favorite. It was very easy to get into and presented a believable sci-fi situation that quickly escalated into an intriguing mystery.
These were good. I found all ten stories to be well written with a strong concept driving each. If you like your sci-fi quick and to the point, and you enjoy stories about sentient AI, or the digital transference of souls, or mysterious space eggs, you’ll probably enjoy “Tales from the Universe”. Solid four stars.
December 5, 2016
This latest review is of a different variety for me, My Gentle Readers. It is a collection of short stories from different authors. I want to specifically thank Leo McBride for bringing this book to my attention. We will get to his contribution to the book in due course.
What I'm going to attempt to do is write a few sentences about each story. So hold onto your hats friends, it's going to be an exciting ride.
The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Benson
Daniel flips the age old Religion versus Science debate around in this short work. His archaeologists are digging up unicorns and dragons looking for evidence of why Noah dropped marsupials off in Australia when they have a philosophical debate with their dedicated atheist colleague. Definitely could be expanded upon.
Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards
Rob explores the controversial field of AI in this brief work. He raises an interesting question about what could happen if computers were to gain a measure of sentience.
Suliko by R. H. Nelson
Nelson tackles a futuristic society where important people, those needed for society, don't die. Their consciousness is downloaded into a new body, unless you are "forgotten". What if someone didn't want to let go of a "forgotten"? Nelson explores that in this piece that could use a massive expansion.
Dead in Space by Matthew Harvey
A salvage team and an old military ship adrift in space, but something is still alive.
The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo
A story of a man of habits, his loving wife, and the old man next door who just wants to have a beer with his neighbor. Not all is as it seems.
Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria
Three different races grouped together for space exploration. A neutron star about to explode and a mysterious structure on the surface that defies logic.
Small World by Brian S. Converse
What do you do when you are a galactic criminal exiled to earth? You become sheriff of a small town, that's what.
The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris
Brent weaves a tale of machines rising against what comes next after they have already gained sentience. Even in this short piece he weaves a world of possibility with cohesion.
Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride
How fast could the military respond if they could just download your personality into a cloned body near the mission site? Logistics is now a matter of a ship on auto pilot with the proper supplies in a cargo hold. Leo explores this in his story that has potential for so much more.
Deep In The Rock by Jessica Holmes
From her bio Jessica is a new author but I can't wait rinsed where she goes after this Space Mining short story.
Tales From The Universe was a joy to read and I hope all of these authors have longer works coming that I can track down in the future.
What I'm going to attempt to do is write a few sentences about each story. So hold onto your hats friends, it's going to be an exciting ride.
The Devout Atheist by Daniel M. Benson
Daniel flips the age old Religion versus Science debate around in this short work. His archaeologists are digging up unicorns and dragons looking for evidence of why Noah dropped marsupials off in Australia when they have a philosophical debate with their dedicated atheist colleague. Definitely could be expanded upon.
Upgrade to Murder by Rob Edwards
Rob explores the controversial field of AI in this brief work. He raises an interesting question about what could happen if computers were to gain a measure of sentience.
Suliko by R. H. Nelson
Nelson tackles a futuristic society where important people, those needed for society, don't die. Their consciousness is downloaded into a new body, unless you are "forgotten". What if someone didn't want to let go of a "forgotten"? Nelson explores that in this piece that could use a massive expansion.
Dead in Space by Matthew Harvey
A salvage team and an old military ship adrift in space, but something is still alive.
The Familiar Road by Pedro Camelo
A story of a man of habits, his loving wife, and the old man next door who just wants to have a beer with his neighbor. Not all is as it seems.
Cosmic Egg by Ricardo Victoria
Three different races grouped together for space exploration. A neutron star about to explode and a mysterious structure on the surface that defies logic.
Small World by Brian S. Converse
What do you do when you are a galactic criminal exiled to earth? You become sheriff of a small town, that's what.
The Ellian Convergence by Brent A. Harris
Brent weaves a tale of machines rising against what comes next after they have already gained sentience. Even in this short piece he weaves a world of possibility with cohesion.
Lazarus Soldiers by Leo McBride
How fast could the military respond if they could just download your personality into a cloned body near the mission site? Logistics is now a matter of a ship on auto pilot with the proper supplies in a cargo hold. Leo explores this in his story that has potential for so much more.
Deep In The Rock by Jessica Holmes
From her bio Jessica is a new author but I can't wait rinsed where she goes after this Space Mining short story.
Tales From The Universe was a joy to read and I hope all of these authors have longer works coming that I can track down in the future.
September 14, 2016
I haven’t read really good short Scifi in a long time. What a wonderful treat this book has been. The stories were cerebral without taking themselves too seriously. I enjoyed the twists on commonly held beliefs that marks great science fiction. Due to the nature of short stories, the plot and characters had to develop quickly, which often left me wanting to read more in some of these fun and intriguing new world. But each story gave me the full serving of a well-developed story line, and I never left feeling shorted.
The use of AI technology was prevalent throughout the book, but not always in predictable ways. One of my favorite stories was The Devout Atheist, which doesn’t seem to be as popular with some of the other reviewers. I enjoyed the idea of an antagonist AI, not something you typically see in science fiction.
Some of the other stories dealt with controversial topics such as the definition of humanity, the impact of time travel and the cost of excessive dependence on technology. Another one of my favorites Small World, a story that touches on how we define good and evil (a heady topic), but fleshed out in a small-town America setting that was easy to get into and fun to follow.
In short, I enjoyed this read from beginning to end. Of course, some stories appealed to me more than others, but overall, this was a great compilation of short fiction that made me take a second look at ideas I held as truths, that might only be based on my personal reality.
The use of AI technology was prevalent throughout the book, but not always in predictable ways. One of my favorite stories was The Devout Atheist, which doesn’t seem to be as popular with some of the other reviewers. I enjoyed the idea of an antagonist AI, not something you typically see in science fiction.
Some of the other stories dealt with controversial topics such as the definition of humanity, the impact of time travel and the cost of excessive dependence on technology. Another one of my favorites Small World, a story that touches on how we define good and evil (a heady topic), but fleshed out in a small-town America setting that was easy to get into and fun to follow.
In short, I enjoyed this read from beginning to end. Of course, some stories appealed to me more than others, but overall, this was a great compilation of short fiction that made me take a second look at ideas I held as truths, that might only be based on my personal reality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2016
Ten Science Fiction Short Stories exploring different ideas of the future but all have a similar tone. It reminds me a lot of stories from the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Thinking of future technology as a starting point then examining how people will interact with those changes.
For fans of the old Astounding Science Fiction magazine that launched the careers of Asimov, Heinlein, and Ellison, but wish those stories were updated to fit our modern world, this is a joy.
Sometimes polishing off an old idea is radical. In the case of these stories that idea is that the future is filled with wonder and awe. A radical departure from all the dystopian sci-fi stories that have come out recently.
I really enjoyed all these stories, and was reminded of growing up reading the old (they were 45 years old back then) stories. Most of these stories take what I loved about the nearly century old stories and put a new and modern angle into them.
One thing is clear all the writers are true science fiction fans, not just fans of the popular Movies and TV.
The Five Star rating is from a fan of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
For fans of the old Astounding Science Fiction magazine that launched the careers of Asimov, Heinlein, and Ellison, but wish those stories were updated to fit our modern world, this is a joy.
Sometimes polishing off an old idea is radical. In the case of these stories that idea is that the future is filled with wonder and awe. A radical departure from all the dystopian sci-fi stories that have come out recently.
I really enjoyed all these stories, and was reminded of growing up reading the old (they were 45 years old back then) stories. Most of these stories take what I loved about the nearly century old stories and put a new and modern angle into them.
One thing is clear all the writers are true science fiction fans, not just fans of the popular Movies and TV.
The Five Star rating is from a fan of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
January 20, 2017
It's a decent anthology. There are some good ideas here, and, like a lot of anthologies, some are good, some are great, and some are dull. If you like science fiction short stories, certainly read this book. They're all about various ideas of our futures, including lesbian robots! The authors are talented, and will hopefully write more.
January 10, 2017
A great collection!
This is a great set of short stories and perfect for those who are wanting to trial the sci fi genre or just looking for quick reads. Each story is different in its own way. A good read that I enjoyed!
This is a great set of short stories and perfect for those who are wanting to trial the sci fi genre or just looking for quick reads. Each story is different in its own way. A good read that I enjoyed!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews