The first new book from Daniel Keys Moran in seven years, "Tales" contains six unpublished Continuing Time stories, and twelve stories scattered around parts of the Great Wheel.
Tales of the Continuing Time The Shepherds 2049; Leftbehind 2485 - 2489; The Shivering Bastard at Devnet 2676; A Son Enters, Stage Right 2681; Smile and Give Me a Kiss 2821 - 2873; Platformer 3021 - 3022
Other Stories Realtime; The Gray Maelstrom; Given the Game; Strings; Play Date; Sideways; What Is And Is Not True; Uncle Jack; Old Man; A Conversation in the Kitchen With Her Father; Hell, Next Five Exits; All Possible Worlds
Look, there are two ways to look at this. For those who remain huge fans of an an obscure scifi series that ended abruptly thirty years ago, only to continue ten years ago as occasional ebooks, this is a wonder. At last we meet Ola Blue, at last we learn more about the long future.
For everyone who has no idea what I'm talking about, this is a great place to start. Well worth picking up. Ideas and theme appear here that are further explored in other books, and it's a great big collection of interesting pieces coming together in unexpected ways.
Recent Reads: Tales Of The Continuing Time And Other Stories. A collection of Daniel Keys Moran's short fiction is a treat from a favourite writer, a peek into his Continuing Time saga unveils hinted key characters. But it's the other fiction that intrigues. An excellent primer.
Somehow I missed the original release of this, so only read it after I'd bought & read Great Gods.
There was a time there when we didn't think we'd get the books that Daniel Keys Moran had planned when he was younger. Life gets in the way for many plans, even for great authors, I get that. This book was written and released when DKM himself didn't think he'd get around to finishing the stories in the larger universe. That makes this book incredibly valuable. A collection of short stories that spans a large period of the continuing time, and introduces us to many players. Several of these short stories feel like synopsis's of stories that could have been richer.
Nowadays, DKM has retired and is concentrating on his writing. Which means we've a good chance of getting the fuller version of these stories. I hope we do, but I suspect this book might not stand up to the fuller stories. Until then, this compendium is now on my re-read list :-)
I love the toss in on the Lakers in the last, I miss Jalian d'Arsennette. Some of the stories, I couldn’t track the timelines as intended, but I’m troubled. Def happy I purchased this, and it too shall become a reread.
Over the years, I've read many of these stories in various forms, mostly web pages or blog entries by Moran. To have them all collected in one place, polished and ready for market, has been excellent. And there are new stories, too; ones that hadn't yet seen the light of day (or the Net).
For people who haven't read Moran's "The Continuing Time" series, start by reading "Shepherds" in this collection. Then go read the novels Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, The Last Dancer, and A.I. War: The Big Boost, in that order. Then come back this volume and read the rest of the Tales, starting with "LeftBehind" (one of my all-time favorites, and as poignant today as it was when it was first written). Then settle in to wait impatiently for new stuff.