A Journey Through the Multiverse
"Many Worlds" and an entire crop of short fiction.
Review: Many Worlds or, the Simulacra
This anthology edited by Cadwell Turnbull and Josh Eure falls somewhere between a themed anthology and a shared world. The thirteen stories in this volume deal with the multiverse to some degree and in some form. The conceit is that the world changes. Some people remember. Some can even travel between timelines, intentionally or otherwise. Most remember the changed world as if it has always been that way.
The stories include an evil high school play that seems to eat performers, a story about what little Black girls know (quite disturbing and my favorite in the volume), an encounter with an Old One. As mentioned, the shared world is loose here, but then, it is a multiverse. Some stories appear to have been written for the anthology, some appear to be trunk stories tweaked to fit, but all are pretty good.
Recommended for people who want to read a variety of stories with just a trace of an arc to them.
Short fiction
“A Meal for Fredrick” by Nick Thomas (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). Feed the dragon. Or else. Superstitions…or is it real magic. I’d almost call this magic realism. Almost.
“The Day of the Sea” by Jennifer Hudak (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). Be careful what you wish for. And treat your wishes gently. Life must change. It’s about climate change but also how you treat your mom.
“What To Do When a Protagonist Visits Your Generic Village” by Dan Peacock (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). Second person alert, but in this case it works because it’s meant to invoke a gamebook. And make a point about those worlds. One which has been made before, but Peacock does a good job with it.
“Pedestals, Proclivities, and Perpetuities” by Celeste Rita Baker (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). The fantasy here is subtle, but it’s really about relationships. About marriage and expectations and a bit of a joke about putting women on pedestals.
“A Time to Sing” by Eddie D. Moore (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). A very short piece of microfiction. It’s just fun, but I can’t say much without spoilers.
“The Giant’s Dream” by Beth Goder (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). They live inside a giant. And he’s dying. Or something. Surreal, but well written.
“All Our History Begins at the End” by Marisca Pichette (Gargantua). The universe is dying. There’s one last refuge left. It’s a big smart object story, but cute.
“The Flock” by Marisca Pichette (Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic). Bird body horror. Creepy (perhaps too much for some people). Very well written, though. Pichette does creepy well. If the idea of feathers and birds sprouting all over somebody isn’t too gross, try it out.
“More Human” by Marisca Pichette (Nature Futures). AI, human, human, AI. Identity and confusion. Nice little piece that isn’t quite cyberpunk, but close.
“5 Signs You Might Be a Midsummer Witch” by Marisca Pichette (Enchanted Living). Another listicle story, although they go on from each other rather than being a true listicle. I found that slightly disappointing. Sorry, Marisca.
“A Half-Remembered World” by Aimee Ogden (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). We had the people who lived in a giant and now the people who live on a crab. These are from the same issue. I liked this one much better, but Ogden does know how to spin a tale.
“To Catch the Dual Sunrise” by Lyndsey Croal (The Commuter). It’s about a robot who is helping a human exploration team. The robot could do it on its own…
“Acid Skin” by Marisca Pichette (No Trouble At All). I think Pichette was kinda annoyed at men when she wrote this. It’s about a woman who wishes for lethal skin. She’s asexual (I think) and never wants to be touched like that. Gets a bit gruesome. There’s acid. People melt.
“The Rules of the Game” by Marisca Pichette (Tumbled Tales). It’s a satire of the D&D adventuring party meeting in a tavern. It’s also about literature and how it impacts history. Well written.
“The Rhododendrons Stop, and Wait” by Marisca Pichette (F(r)iction). Rhododendrons take a lot of nutrient out of the soil. They don’t let anything else grow too close to them. They’re horribly invasive. Pichette apparently knew this as she makes them a destructive force in this horror story.
“The Reception of Signals” by John Walters (Astaria Books). It’s another story in Walters’ telepathy world. What happens if a football player suddenly develops telepathy. Should he use it to cheat? What are the ethics here? The dilemma is resolved a bit predictably.
Whewf. I had so much time to read when it got dark at 4:30pm!