Love. An Archaeology by Fabio Fernandes
I would like to thank Luna Press Publishing for an advance copy od this collection in exchange for affair and honest review
Publisher – Luna Press
Published – 26/3
Price – £9.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook
Fourteen stories, ranging from science fiction to weird, mixing future scenarios (on and off-Earth) and alternate realities, but in fact, they are essentially about one thing: love and its malcontents.
A man who refuses to let death erase the memories of his loved ones; two time- travellers leaping through the aeons in a literal love-and-death relationship; a murderer in love with the ghost of his prey - and more.
What would you do for love? What lengths, in space and time, would you go to? These characters have done it all.
I like to think that stories like readers often are in conversation with each other. One story will inspire others sometimes in opposition or reaction against a tale; sometimes building on themes that the earlier story may only have scratched the surface of. A genre that moves forward rather than just looks back is a healthy one. In Fabio Fernandes’ fascinating collection of short stories ‘Love. An Archaeology’ we cross the borders of science fiction, fantasy and even horror bouncing off ideas to provide us with something truly memorable thanks to Fernandes’ skilled storytelling
Amongst the stories I enjoyed were
Seven Horrors – a strong opening tale of a group of unusually titled and powerful time travellers and a potential conflict that develops between two former lovers known only as The Assassin and the Time Traveller. A story with a nod to Harlan Ellison but for my brain also has an element of Doctor Who as we zip throughout the catastrophic events that end life on Earth past and future while also unlocking an unusual dynamic. Dizzyingly inventive and yet keeps an emotional heart throughout.
The Emptiness in the Heart of All Things – an undercover police officer investigating murders in the Brazilian jungle finds an unusual suspect in the heart of the jungle - a middle-aged woman with strong left leaning politics. A monster tale that also examines the sexism and dangers to woman in the new Brazil of the last decade. I was impressed by the development of the monster myth while exploring the way women can be forgotten by the government and officials in charge of the world.
WiFi Dreams – we move I into an unusual cyberpunk tale where a man is trapped between being chased by a homicidal version of Daffy Duck and waking up in a strange version of his hometown. Mixing video games, geek movies about reality and inventive idea about how dreams could be commercialised this is a wonderfully inventive puzzle for the reader to try and solve before our narrator can.
Nothing Happened in 1999 - a funny and yet intriguing piece of flash fiction exploring how a lift’s VR system led to the invention of time travel and then even more. In no more than three pages Fernandes gives us centuries of history, social change and does it with a sense of humour. Wonderfully delivered.
Mycelium – in a slightly linked tale to the former (and this time with Cordwainer Smith being credited as an inspiration) Ariana arrives to meet a research team in need of help. A return to the classic SF mystery tales where science provides both mystery and solution this tale explores consciousness and adds a layer of body horror which manages to also hint at future social changes to come in future tales.
Other Metamorphoses – A short piece of flash fiction that pays homage very clearly to another famous author’s ideas. Fun but I will lead the discovery to you Dear Reader.
The Boulton-Watt Frankenstein Company - a different flash fiction riff on Shelley’s tale goes in a steampunk direction and with extreme relish we get provided an alternate history of the 19th and 20th centuries. Fascinatingly constructed – you so will want to know more.
Who Mourns for Washington? – my favourite in the collection. It could simply be a tale of a relative whose memories have faded so much with time they have forgotten a sibling who dies young but Fernandes instead creates a story about memory and impermanence with such a level of heart I doubt I’ll forget reading this in a hurry.
A Lover’s Discourse: Five Fragments and a Memory of War – a slight dose of surrealism in this tale of stories and their real life interactions with authors. A twist on the idea of the Muses we see young ambitious students try to learn to partner up with an embodiment of a story. A tale that explores growing up; first loves and also the impact stories have on writers and the need to up their game, Another of my favourites.
Love. An Archaeology – two girls decide to use a device that explores alternate timeline to solve the mystery of their missing parent. A tale that discusses a family that falls apart and alternate hopes/fears for the future that in a series of short paragraphs creates for the reader both a new world and a really impressive sibling dynamic often all delivered by what is not being said in the short paragraphs explaining key parts of their life.
Overall a very impressive collection of tales that clearly loves science fiction and fantasy but also adds a lot itself to the genre. I look forward to reading more by Fernandes in the future! Strongly recommended.
