Official Review: Tales From The Universe
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sarahw
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- Latest Review: "Tales From The Universe" by Daniel M Bensen, Ricardo Victoria, Brent A Harris, Pedro Camelo, Jess Holmes, Brian S Converse, RH N
Official Review: Tales From The Universe
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tales From The Universe" by Daniel M Bensen, Ricardo Victoria, Brent A Harris, Pedro Camelo, Jess Holmes, Brian S Converse, RH N.]
3 out of 4 stars
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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 a 3 out of 4 rating.
******
Tales From The Universe
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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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 a 3 out of 4 rating.
******
Tales From The Universe
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like sarahw's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Tales From The Universe" by Daniel M Bensen, Ricardo Victoria, Brent A Harris, Pedro Camelo, Jess Holmes, Brian S Converse, RH N
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Inklings Press
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Many thanks for the review, Sarah - glad you found some new authors to entice you! Will be sure to share with the writers!
