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Universal Genius: Collected Fiction of Erin Lale
A Time Yarns Universe Book
Most of the stories in this collection are reprinted from magazines that are currently out of print.
Short stories in this
The Timelessness Machine
(reprinted from The Sterling Web)
Hard sf
Obamaphone
Alternate history
In the Beginning Was the Microchip
(reprinted from The Science Fiction Store Club Magazine)
Hard sf / cyberpunk
The Betrayed
(reprinted from Mythic Circle)
Fantasy
Stopover on Monta Colony
(reprinted from The Science Fiction Store Club Magazine)
Sf
Gina
(reprinted from Collector’s Club Newsletter)
Sf
Russian Sauna
(reprinted from Shadowlane)
Magical realism
Infinity is a Function of This Universe
Hard sf
Tsim
Sf
Universal Genius is one of three volumes of collected works of Erin Lale. The other two volumes are Collected Nonfiction of Erin Lale and Renaissance Collected Art and Poetry of Erin Lale.
Time Yarns is a shared world transmedia universe of alternate space-time continua. It is an imprint of Magicalrealist Gallery.
Erin Lale's first book was Asatru For Beginners, first published as an ebook in 2002 and in its first print edition in 2010, but her publishing career goes back to 1985. She served on the Mythopoeic Society Fantasy Fiction Awards Committee, wrote for the sports page of The Sonoma Index-Tribune, published and edited the full format quarterly magazine Berserkrgangr for 16 issues, owned and operated The Science Fiction Store in Las Vegas, and wrote and directed the magical realist short indie art film Rain Dance.
Most of the stories in this collection are reprinted from magazines that are currently out of print.
Short stories in this
The Timelessness Machine
(reprinted from The Sterling Web)
Hard sf
Obamaphone
Alternate history
In the Beginning Was the Microchip
(reprinted from The Science Fiction Store Club Magazine)
Hard sf / cyberpunk
The Betrayed
(reprinted from Mythic Circle)
Fantasy
Stopover on Monta Colony
(reprinted from The Science Fiction Store Club Magazine)
Sf
Gina
(reprinted from Collector’s Club Newsletter)
Sf
Russian Sauna
(reprinted from Shadowlane)
Magical realism
Infinity is a Function of This Universe
Hard sf
Tsim
Sf
Universal Genius is one of three volumes of collected works of Erin Lale. The other two volumes are Collected Nonfiction of Erin Lale and Renaissance Collected Art and Poetry of Erin Lale.
Time Yarns is a shared world transmedia universe of alternate space-time continua. It is an imprint of Magicalrealist Gallery.
Erin Lale's first book was Asatru For Beginners, first published as an ebook in 2002 and in its first print edition in 2010, but her publishing career goes back to 1985. She served on the Mythopoeic Society Fantasy Fiction Awards Committee, wrote for the sports page of The Sonoma Index-Tribune, published and edited the full format quarterly magazine Berserkrgangr for 16 issues, owned and operated The Science Fiction Store in Las Vegas, and wrote and directed the magical realist short indie art film Rain Dance.
107 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2011
3 people want to read
About the author
Erin Lale
33 books17 followersErin Lale writes nonfiction, fiction, poetry, speeches, book reviews, etc. She was the acquisitions editor at Eternal Press. She published and edited Berserkrgangr Magazine, owned The Science Fiction Store in Las Vegas, and writes the Pagansquare blog Gnosis Diary. She is the author of Asatru For Beginners.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 1, 2011
Diverse and full of depth, Erin Lale’s Universal Genius is an equally thought-provoking and captivating read.
Universal Genius is a collection of short stories, covering a wide spread of topics, ideas, and even genres. Within such diverse content it is difficult to identify a common thread, but that makes it no less fun to read - just like rummaging through a box of chocolate truffles, the reader never quite knows what to expect next; except that it will be delicious!
The Timelessness Machine is a clever twist on what happens in a competitive society where you have to sacrifice too much to stay in the game. Using scifi to investigate the what-ifs of present society is a time-honored tradition; the author expands on that theme with the cyberpunkish In the Beginning Was the Microchip, where we witness the information society's equivalent of a cat-burglar get in over her head (literally) driven by professional pride.
Aside from the pointed commentary on society's possible futures, the stories also have an element of personal involvement that is hard to resist. The characters feel real, and their actions are fraught with consequences. In The Betrayed we witness a tolkien style banquet where a young girl has to decide if she should use magic to inflict violence on others. No less magical, the contemporary Russian Sauna is a spellbinding story of personal discovery, masterfully painted on a rich cultural tapestry.
This collection is an impressive display of the author's breadth of talent and creativity. While some stories left me frustrated and wanting more, the fact that the author is able to involve you so thoroughly within the diminutive span of a short story tells you just how engrossing her work is. Think of this book as Erin Lale's ambassador, introducing you to her worlds filled with characters you immediately care about; and if this sample platter of expertly crafted tidbits woke up your appetite for a main course – you’re in luck, there're plenty more to choose from!
Ralph Ewig, scifi author of “Eleuthera”
Universal Genius is a collection of short stories, covering a wide spread of topics, ideas, and even genres. Within such diverse content it is difficult to identify a common thread, but that makes it no less fun to read - just like rummaging through a box of chocolate truffles, the reader never quite knows what to expect next; except that it will be delicious!
The Timelessness Machine is a clever twist on what happens in a competitive society where you have to sacrifice too much to stay in the game. Using scifi to investigate the what-ifs of present society is a time-honored tradition; the author expands on that theme with the cyberpunkish In the Beginning Was the Microchip, where we witness the information society's equivalent of a cat-burglar get in over her head (literally) driven by professional pride.
Aside from the pointed commentary on society's possible futures, the stories also have an element of personal involvement that is hard to resist. The characters feel real, and their actions are fraught with consequences. In The Betrayed we witness a tolkien style banquet where a young girl has to decide if she should use magic to inflict violence on others. No less magical, the contemporary Russian Sauna is a spellbinding story of personal discovery, masterfully painted on a rich cultural tapestry.
This collection is an impressive display of the author's breadth of talent and creativity. While some stories left me frustrated and wanting more, the fact that the author is able to involve you so thoroughly within the diminutive span of a short story tells you just how engrossing her work is. Think of this book as Erin Lale's ambassador, introducing you to her worlds filled with characters you immediately care about; and if this sample platter of expertly crafted tidbits woke up your appetite for a main course – you’re in luck, there're plenty more to choose from!
Ralph Ewig, scifi author of “Eleuthera”
August 12, 2011
I think one of my favorite developments that's come out of the self-/indie publishing movement is that out of print or limited print run stories and books that would have been unattainable are easily accessible to new readers now. This is especially true for short stories and inclusions in anthologies; I confess that I'm not a huge magazine reader so I would have completely missed out on all the stories included here if not for this collection.
As the synopsis indicates, a variety of genres that fall under the wider "science fiction" umbrella are included here, so not every story is going to be for everybody, but that's okay! The best thing about anthologies is being able to discover something that may normally not fall into one's purview. It's good to try new things, you know?
I'll say at the onset, my favorite story was Obamaphone, an alternate history gem that's short, sweet, biting, and hilarious all at the same time. Seriously, this is how I envision decisions being made. The dance between bloggers, traditional media, and the world around us certainly doesn't escape unscathed either. I giggled. I giggled a lot.
The other stories represent a variety of other subgenres, as well, but Obamaphone was really the breakout of the bunch. There is something for everyone lurking in here, though, so don't be afraid to give other new genres a shot.
Read more reviews at whatbookisthat.com!
As the synopsis indicates, a variety of genres that fall under the wider "science fiction" umbrella are included here, so not every story is going to be for everybody, but that's okay! The best thing about anthologies is being able to discover something that may normally not fall into one's purview. It's good to try new things, you know?
I'll say at the onset, my favorite story was Obamaphone, an alternate history gem that's short, sweet, biting, and hilarious all at the same time. Seriously, this is how I envision decisions being made. The dance between bloggers, traditional media, and the world around us certainly doesn't escape unscathed either. I giggled. I giggled a lot.
The other stories represent a variety of other subgenres, as well, but Obamaphone was really the breakout of the bunch. There is something for everyone lurking in here, though, so don't be afraid to give other new genres a shot.
Read more reviews at whatbookisthat.com!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews