Odes To the Multiverse by Tonya R Moore
Published - Out Now
Price - £10.99 paperback £2.35 Kindle eBook
Tonya R. Moore's punk sci-fi, space opera, horror & urban fantasy vignettes, and short stories feature cosmic tales of distant worlds and strange futures where earthbound horrors unfold. This second-edition omnibus invites you to marvel at the macabre and maleficent and embrace the weird and wonderful.
Variety is the spice of life and what I love about the speculative genres of horror, fantasy and science fiction. You never quite know what you’re going to get. This is certainly true of Tonya R Moore’s very impressive short fiction collection Odes To The Multiverse we whip through a whole range of tales of monsters, heroes, magic and science and sometimes a bit of all of the above which I heartily enjoyed.
This collection drops you in the story to work out what is going on. Amongst the many I enjoyed particularly were
Tribute - an impressive atmospheric tale that explains little but is damn tantalising as a man carved a magical symbol on a woman’s back with her consent. What are they? Why are all hinted at and it’s a compellingly told tale.
Prey For A Flower - a tale of someone falling prey to a devious monster but written with adoration makes the horror all the more powerful.
Gatherer - one of my favourites has a young woman waking on a beach with no memories and a strange woman next to her who knows too much. Really cleverly delivered as the mystery is solved and plays with expectations.
Skin Dancer - a tale of two hunters battling but Moore delivers puzzles as to who is being hunted and fortunes can soon be reversed. I love the glimpse of the hidden world this story offers.
Tightrope Cat - a wonderfully dark horror tale as a young woman in her apartment fears she is in danger. The reader can only be a silent witness and it’s a genuinely creepy tale.
Cat Skin - a really impressive toy with emotions as a psychiatrist deals with a troubled patient who says she is cursed. The nature of it though is yet to be finally experienced- then we do!
Green Day - a coffee barista tells us how the world ended and carried on. This tells us just as much about our down to earth narrator and how the world changes in terrifying ways. Hugely enjoyable and skilful storytelling
Lightning Bug - a gloriously fairy tale like piece of SF about a young girl who cannot see yet sees more than anyone else can. It hints at a larger story that raises all sorts of questions which I loved.
Perish the Thought - loved this tale of prisoners sentenced to a dangerous mission to protect earth from inter dimensional invaders. Moore tells us the origins of the war; it’s weird justice system and the clear danger everyone is in and leaves us to ponder what happens next.
Devious Machines - a city is in danger from AI and rebels try to free the population. This tale plays with reality, our expectations and even has a political sting in the tale which makes it very memorable.
Memento Mori - a smart Murder mystery as a group of connected people are found horribly murdered. Our suspicions are aroused and then subverted with a disturbing final scene to enjoy.
Kingdom of Lethe - one of my favourites is this row of a gritty PI and their client piercing together a strange case of memory theft. The levels within the story and ultimate reveals are powerful and bittersweet. A beautiful story.
Mermaids Are From Outer Space - the 22nd century and a young woman explores the ruins of Kennedy Space Centre meeting a strange man with secrets. I loved this story a lot - the history of the world; it’s reveals of many hidden secrets and an ending that could fit horror or hope for the future made this stand out a lot.
A hugely enjoyable set of stories I strongly recommend if you enjoy short fiction with lots of variety
