Vessel

by Andrew Reichard

Alone on the interstellar ship Vessel, billions of light-years from his home, Tennar is confronted by a sudden, overpowering memory of a painting from the house where he grew up.This memory sets off a sequence of events — both internal and external — that lead him through a labyrinthine meditation on memory, solitude, and the interplay of these two elements on knowledge.And as the ship continues its search for the absolute void, the terminus of created space that it's been designed to reach, Tennar, within the ship, gradually approaches Vessel's conceptual center, and, he hopes, a more complete realization of his sudden memory and its significance.

"Drew Reichard is attuned to the vastness of space and the smallest movements of the human soul. Vessel is a story of both sorts of distance.It is surprising, original, and filled with wonder."
- Mark Kissler

"When I read [Reichard's] work, I watch for something I could never have imagined, but which he makes me totally believe in. And what I believe in is a character caught in a world so different from our own, but strangely familiar in its motivations and urgings ... His tone and diction are often the largest part of the story, in that they convey character and attitudinal motives that play out in the fantastic worlds and situations he creates.I was his writing teacher once; now, I read his work to figure out how he does what he does."
- Gary D. Schmidt, author of The Wednesday Wars

Andrew Reichard is an author who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and twin boys. His short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Collagist, Black Static, Exacting Clam (forthcoming), Space & Time Magazine, and others, including the first two volumes of Solum Journal. This is his first published book. Connect with him on Twitter @DrewReichard.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2023

About the author

Some of my writings can be found in various locations on the web, including these locations:

-The Collagist (Rupture): https://therupturemag.squarespace.com...

-decomP: http://www.decompmagazine.com/burning...

-Electric Athenaeum: http://electricathenaeum.com/2018/04/...

-Silver Blade:
https://www.silverblade.net/2018/11/a...

Reviews

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemplative and atmospheric, more philosophical treatise than linear plot. Like Dostoevsky set in space. Really got to the heart of "space as a metaphor for extremely deep yearning for a place you'll never return," which is a personal favorite.

PopSugar 2024: a self published author

[Caleb Michael Sarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really fun philosophical exercise. I think as a character study, I would've liked more character, but it had fun ruminating about the edge of existence as we know it.