Official Review: Fusion by 25 contributors
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Official Review: Fusion by 25 contributors
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fusion" by 25 contributors.]
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I have always been a huge fan of scientific fiction and fantasy, of the beautiful worlds right outside of our reality! So this was an immediate grab when I chose to review it. Oh was I surprised at how clever these little stories were and how impressed I was that they all added a unique bit of excitement with each one! Truly a remarkable anthology!
“Fusion” consists of 25 short stories from the scientific fiction or fantasy genre each written by an original author in order to raise money for the World Cancer Research Funds (WCRF). Not only is this book supporting a great cause, but also it supports the wonderful minds of these various authors. Each one peeks into these creative authors’ minds and allows you to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Since there are 25 different stories, I will simply write a simple synopsis of the stories underneath so you can get an idea of what they are like.
1. “Tam and the Giantess” by Katy Huth Jones
Tam is about to receive a crown at her coronation, but not before being attacked by an enemy foreseen. With only her friend the giantess to help, she must look inside herself to overcome the threat that lies ahead if she is to claim her rightful heir.
2. “Bar-Code” by Denise Hayes
This one was too sexual for my liking. The story is about erotic encounters a woman has between people where they merely scan the barcode they have with each other and immediately know everything about one another, thus avoiding any flirting or having to find out who the other person is for yourself. That is, until she meets someone who is “offline”.
3. “Infinite Maze” by Leonie Ewing
Ariadne strives to figure her way out of the maze that is her life’s purpose. Some complications arise, however, and she fights to conquer the maze that isn’t as normal as it should be filled with unexpected turns and creatures.
4. “The Trouble with Dragons” by Danuta Reah
A young boy finds dragons near his home heavily guarded by unknown people, but nobody else believes him except his friend Richard Holly. The two would go visit them, but Richard’s uncle prohibited Richard to go, so the boy trekked alone. Mr. Holly isn’t very nice and scares the both of them. Who is more of a threat to them, though, the dragons or the beastly uncle?
5. “Baby Babble” by John Hoggard
Earth is facing the end, when an alien race approaches with deadly weapons. One Commander thinks he has the power to save them. But will his plan work?
6. “Metal” by Drew Wagar
Humanity has expanded past the borders of Earth’s atmosphere and many years later they are starting to search for viable planets that can aid the expansion of mankind. They come to a certain planet where one of their ships crashed many years ago, to recover the memory core. However, what they find is more than just a lost ship.
7. “Dust to Dust” by Polly Robinson
It is August 11, 2389. The world is burning to a crisp and is drying out as the so-called Reptilators invade with fire-guns that incinerate anyone in its path with a flick of a trigger. Tansy is fighting to survive and is looking for her friend Garam, but awaits her doom with an old geezer named Eric and a hopeful signal from a radio of sorts called “ventowaves”.
8. “The Flight of the Magician” by Jonny Rowland
A man meets a fellow traveller named Barry who befriends him as he enjoys a last minute snack. Little did the man know that when Barry started talking, a story would unveil of a mystical magician and the first and last trick he would ever perform.
9. “The Changeling” by Polly Robinson
This story is darker than the others, but quite interesting. It focuses on a fairy colony that searches for humans who discover fairy teeth, which are usually too small to be seen. When humans find them, they are marked until the hunters can collect them for an unexpected fate.
10. “White Noise” by David K. Paterson
A young computer nerd creates a program that translates encrypted frequencies after dangerous failures. Unanticipated to him was what he would be able to translate.
11. “Other Things” by Thomas Pitts
On a world plagued by toxic rain and other dangers, a mathematician must fend for his family’s life. In his attempt to find needed supplies, he heads back to his old office by braving the dangers outside, where he finds a shocking anomaly.
12. “Beyond the Fringe” by Natalie Kleinman
Rose Cavendish unwillingly begins to be lifted into the air by a rug surrounded by a force field. It rises and rises into a strange darkness without her control and finally stops when it appears in a white dome. What she uncovers at her new destination is something she never expected.
13. “Dorothy” by Dawn Hudd
Dorothy, an elderly woman, finally gives in to the world of the Internet. She can now email her son and talk to her grand kids, but things become peculiar as she receives an email from the Great Web and begins to worship this newfound deity.
14. “Human Fossil” by Denise Hayes
Galatea’s body is deteriorating and, at the encouragement of Sven, her last hope of being preserved is to become a Human Fossil in one of the evolutionary stratums. Although Galatea is no longer able to leave any more impressions on the world she leaves one last legacy with her fossilized body.
15. “Golf Planet” by Peter Ford
Ever played golf? What about on a planet seventy thousand light-years from Earth? An elderly couple enjoys a nice vacation on a planet named Royal Lytham Two, that is, until a mysterious robed stranger interrupts their game of golf.
16. “The Meeting at the Center of the Universe” by Walt Pilcher
The time has come for every civilization to meet up and discuss whatever the universe needs to talk about and the only fair place for everyone to meet is at the center of the universe. No one, however, has ever been there and they are all curious with how this meeting will turn out.
17. “Afternoon Express” by John-Paul Cleary
A man rides the train on his way to a new future surrounded by “extreme geriatrics” who have found ways to immortalize their lives and push off their death date. Not only does this hurt the economy by keeping jobs and living quarters from opening up, but it is also preventing the next generation from being able to succeed.
18. “The Removal Man” by David K. Paterson
The Removal Men are those that erase people from history who led it down a darker path than it should of. This is one Removal Man’s two cents on his job.
19. “Cat’s Eye” by Peter Holz
Jim comes upon a dead cat on the way to the movies, but seems a little disturbed by a flicker in its eye. He heads into his movie, regardless, only to be haunted by that menacing movement. When the movie finishes, he quickly goes to look at the cat only to find that something or someone is trapped inside the cornea.
20. “Night Watch” by Apeksha Harsh
` Mr. Neat has an interesting way of seeing the world. Although, his sight dims during the day, his eyes truly come alive when he extracts them out of his sockets and has them keep watch at night.
21. “The Monkey’s Kiss” by Brad Greenwood
A photojournalist comes to capture the moment the world has awaited as a monkey returns from a space trip testing time travel by way of a propulsion system. When the monkey emerges from the ship greeted by Dickey, the developer of the time travel system, the photojournalist catches something quite unusual. (*Has some sexual innuendos and religious exclamations)
22. “The Warrior Woman” by Joanna Vandenbring
Two warriors, one man and one woman, fight on a dangerous mountain to the point of exhaustion. When one of them finally overcomes the other an interesting conversation takes place.
23. “The Star Worker” by Sarah Cuming
A magical girl known as a star worker finds herself in an abominable iceland after fighting with an enemy known as a void worker. Now she must find safety and use magic to keep her warm before her powers extinguish from the cool air.
24. “The Truest Black” by Celia Coyne
Frank finds a very mysterious black flower that mesmerizes him after unexplainably appearing on a table in his home. After falling asleep, he wakes back up the next morning only to find that where his bathroom once was is now something dark and glorious, somehow caused by that curious dark flower.
25. “Rebirth” by Stuart Aken
Jared is at a point far past old age and is barely living as one of the last males of Earth surrounded by many clones. To his surprise, his long lost love comes back to offer him a rare but dangerous opportunity.
Although not all of these stories are for children (some have adult themes, i.e. “Bar-Code” by Denise Hayes), most stay on a family friendly side and are quite enjoyable. Reading one story after the next never dulled my excitement for a second, as my interest was immediately piqued from the first short story. Every single one, though there were similarities, had their own original twist to it. It would seem that there would be only a few good stories, but I generally enjoyed them all, which is rare in a compilation of short stories like this. A few of my favorites were “Metal”, “The Flight of the Magician” and “White Noise”, but there are more that deserve just as much praise. My least favorites were “Bar-Code” and “Infinite Maze”.
I give it a 4 out of 4 stars. I loved how exhilarating it was to jump through these stories, all quite simple, yet with an underlying complexity to each one. After flying through this book, I would likely read other stories written by these authors. I only hated the fact that they were so short! At times I felt myself wanting more. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a quick little read of science fiction or fantasy.
***
Buy "Fusion" on Amazon
View hassle-free sample of "Fusion"
Share This Review
“Fusion” consists of 25 short stories from the scientific fiction or fantasy genre each written by an original author in order to raise money for the World Cancer Research Funds (WCRF). Not only is this book supporting a great cause, but also it supports the wonderful minds of these various authors. Each one peeks into these creative authors’ minds and allows you to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Since there are 25 different stories, I will simply write a simple synopsis of the stories underneath so you can get an idea of what they are like.
1. “Tam and the Giantess” by Katy Huth Jones
Tam is about to receive a crown at her coronation, but not before being attacked by an enemy foreseen. With only her friend the giantess to help, she must look inside herself to overcome the threat that lies ahead if she is to claim her rightful heir.
2. “Bar-Code” by Denise Hayes
This one was too sexual for my liking. The story is about erotic encounters a woman has between people where they merely scan the barcode they have with each other and immediately know everything about one another, thus avoiding any flirting or having to find out who the other person is for yourself. That is, until she meets someone who is “offline”.
3. “Infinite Maze” by Leonie Ewing
Ariadne strives to figure her way out of the maze that is her life’s purpose. Some complications arise, however, and she fights to conquer the maze that isn’t as normal as it should be filled with unexpected turns and creatures.
4. “The Trouble with Dragons” by Danuta Reah
A young boy finds dragons near his home heavily guarded by unknown people, but nobody else believes him except his friend Richard Holly. The two would go visit them, but Richard’s uncle prohibited Richard to go, so the boy trekked alone. Mr. Holly isn’t very nice and scares the both of them. Who is more of a threat to them, though, the dragons or the beastly uncle?
5. “Baby Babble” by John Hoggard
Earth is facing the end, when an alien race approaches with deadly weapons. One Commander thinks he has the power to save them. But will his plan work?
6. “Metal” by Drew Wagar
Humanity has expanded past the borders of Earth’s atmosphere and many years later they are starting to search for viable planets that can aid the expansion of mankind. They come to a certain planet where one of their ships crashed many years ago, to recover the memory core. However, what they find is more than just a lost ship.
7. “Dust to Dust” by Polly Robinson
It is August 11, 2389. The world is burning to a crisp and is drying out as the so-called Reptilators invade with fire-guns that incinerate anyone in its path with a flick of a trigger. Tansy is fighting to survive and is looking for her friend Garam, but awaits her doom with an old geezer named Eric and a hopeful signal from a radio of sorts called “ventowaves”.
8. “The Flight of the Magician” by Jonny Rowland
A man meets a fellow traveller named Barry who befriends him as he enjoys a last minute snack. Little did the man know that when Barry started talking, a story would unveil of a mystical magician and the first and last trick he would ever perform.
9. “The Changeling” by Polly Robinson
This story is darker than the others, but quite interesting. It focuses on a fairy colony that searches for humans who discover fairy teeth, which are usually too small to be seen. When humans find them, they are marked until the hunters can collect them for an unexpected fate.
10. “White Noise” by David K. Paterson
A young computer nerd creates a program that translates encrypted frequencies after dangerous failures. Unanticipated to him was what he would be able to translate.
11. “Other Things” by Thomas Pitts
On a world plagued by toxic rain and other dangers, a mathematician must fend for his family’s life. In his attempt to find needed supplies, he heads back to his old office by braving the dangers outside, where he finds a shocking anomaly.
12. “Beyond the Fringe” by Natalie Kleinman
Rose Cavendish unwillingly begins to be lifted into the air by a rug surrounded by a force field. It rises and rises into a strange darkness without her control and finally stops when it appears in a white dome. What she uncovers at her new destination is something she never expected.
13. “Dorothy” by Dawn Hudd
Dorothy, an elderly woman, finally gives in to the world of the Internet. She can now email her son and talk to her grand kids, but things become peculiar as she receives an email from the Great Web and begins to worship this newfound deity.
14. “Human Fossil” by Denise Hayes
Galatea’s body is deteriorating and, at the encouragement of Sven, her last hope of being preserved is to become a Human Fossil in one of the evolutionary stratums. Although Galatea is no longer able to leave any more impressions on the world she leaves one last legacy with her fossilized body.
15. “Golf Planet” by Peter Ford
Ever played golf? What about on a planet seventy thousand light-years from Earth? An elderly couple enjoys a nice vacation on a planet named Royal Lytham Two, that is, until a mysterious robed stranger interrupts their game of golf.
16. “The Meeting at the Center of the Universe” by Walt Pilcher
The time has come for every civilization to meet up and discuss whatever the universe needs to talk about and the only fair place for everyone to meet is at the center of the universe. No one, however, has ever been there and they are all curious with how this meeting will turn out.
17. “Afternoon Express” by John-Paul Cleary
A man rides the train on his way to a new future surrounded by “extreme geriatrics” who have found ways to immortalize their lives and push off their death date. Not only does this hurt the economy by keeping jobs and living quarters from opening up, but it is also preventing the next generation from being able to succeed.
18. “The Removal Man” by David K. Paterson
The Removal Men are those that erase people from history who led it down a darker path than it should of. This is one Removal Man’s two cents on his job.
19. “Cat’s Eye” by Peter Holz
Jim comes upon a dead cat on the way to the movies, but seems a little disturbed by a flicker in its eye. He heads into his movie, regardless, only to be haunted by that menacing movement. When the movie finishes, he quickly goes to look at the cat only to find that something or someone is trapped inside the cornea.
20. “Night Watch” by Apeksha Harsh
` Mr. Neat has an interesting way of seeing the world. Although, his sight dims during the day, his eyes truly come alive when he extracts them out of his sockets and has them keep watch at night.
21. “The Monkey’s Kiss” by Brad Greenwood
A photojournalist comes to capture the moment the world has awaited as a monkey returns from a space trip testing time travel by way of a propulsion system. When the monkey emerges from the ship greeted by Dickey, the developer of the time travel system, the photojournalist catches something quite unusual. (*Has some sexual innuendos and religious exclamations)
22. “The Warrior Woman” by Joanna Vandenbring
Two warriors, one man and one woman, fight on a dangerous mountain to the point of exhaustion. When one of them finally overcomes the other an interesting conversation takes place.
23. “The Star Worker” by Sarah Cuming
A magical girl known as a star worker finds herself in an abominable iceland after fighting with an enemy known as a void worker. Now she must find safety and use magic to keep her warm before her powers extinguish from the cool air.
24. “The Truest Black” by Celia Coyne
Frank finds a very mysterious black flower that mesmerizes him after unexplainably appearing on a table in his home. After falling asleep, he wakes back up the next morning only to find that where his bathroom once was is now something dark and glorious, somehow caused by that curious dark flower.
25. “Rebirth” by Stuart Aken
Jared is at a point far past old age and is barely living as one of the last males of Earth surrounded by many clones. To his surprise, his long lost love comes back to offer him a rare but dangerous opportunity.
Although not all of these stories are for children (some have adult themes, i.e. “Bar-Code” by Denise Hayes), most stay on a family friendly side and are quite enjoyable. Reading one story after the next never dulled my excitement for a second, as my interest was immediately piqued from the first short story. Every single one, though there were similarities, had their own original twist to it. It would seem that there would be only a few good stories, but I generally enjoyed them all, which is rare in a compilation of short stories like this. A few of my favorites were “Metal”, “The Flight of the Magician” and “White Noise”, but there are more that deserve just as much praise. My least favorites were “Bar-Code” and “Infinite Maze”.
I give it a 4 out of 4 stars. I loved how exhilarating it was to jump through these stories, all quite simple, yet with an underlying complexity to each one. After flying through this book, I would likely read other stories written by these authors. I only hated the fact that they were so short! At times I felt myself wanting more. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a quick little read of science fiction or fantasy.
***
Buy "Fusion" on Amazon
View hassle-free sample of "Fusion"
If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Latest Review: The Immigrant's Lament by Mois benarroch
