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Energie della Galassia
DataCom, la multinazionale guidata dalle intelligenze artificiali, vuole sterminare gli umani. Aurelia trova il partner perfetto in un robot. L'esploratore spaziale Arcot offre la vita per l'impossibile conquista del cuore di Vril, la regina vampiro. Una mutante può assumere qualsiasi forma accenda i desideri erotici del poliziotto che la insegue. Alessio, il geniale imprenditore, lotta contro la corruzione in un universo da lui stesso creato. L'immotivata incarcerazione di un ingegnere costretto a subire il dominio di una spietata direttrice carceraria. Una dimensione magica che si svela a un sovrano immemore del proprio passato. Due anime straziate dal sentimento dell'abbandono che si rincorrono da una vita all'altra. Un gioco di realtà virtuale dove il cacciatore della temibile vedova nera ne diviene la preda.
248 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2012
31 people are currently reading
2480 people want to read
About the author
Luca Rossi
18 books386 followersResearch, science, science fiction and high technology: this is the world of Luca Rossi, and the main themes that run through his literary work.
He believes the internet provides a tool to bring people together and make the world a more open, fair and democratic place.
In 2013 he published Galactic Energies, a collection of short stories set in a universe where not just the laws of physics, but also the laws of eros, passion, desire and the spirit are a little different than our own.
He was born in Turin on April 15th, 1977. He likes to ride his bike, take walks through nature and spend most of his free time with his family.
He believes the internet provides a tool to bring people together and make the world a more open, fair and democratic place.
In 2013 he published Galactic Energies, a collection of short stories set in a universe where not just the laws of physics, but also the laws of eros, passion, desire and the spirit are a little different than our own.
He was born in Turin on April 15th, 1977. He likes to ride his bike, take walks through nature and spend most of his free time with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
October 25, 2013
When I came across this best-selling book of short stories in the Sci-Fi genre, I did not really expect anything of the kind. The narrative of this young but extraordinary author is undoubtedly astonishing. The style is both intellectual and lively, scientific and exciting. In other words, a supernatural mix of talent, ideas and delivery of exquisite literary work, incorporating a human touch into some universally significant issues. A book to be reread and enjoyed every single time with no regret whatever.
October 10, 2013
"Galactic Energies" by Luca Rossi is an interesting and unique blend of science, fantasy and exploration of the human condition. In this inspired selection of short stories Rossi takes us to new dimensions, planets and technological innovations, yet his heroes remain the same imperfect idealists and corrupt beings.
Highly original and intelligently composed the stories are written with a great distinctive voice. From the first amazing story onwards (where two Italian men invent a new paying system software) that voice held my interest with the promise of importance and meaning. The characters are well thought out creations that manage to make the unusual usual. Love, desire, hunger for power and other all too human qualities are perfectly set off against the artificial and virtual, futuristic, supernatural and paranormal.
Erotic and at times explicit these stories move across boundaries and dimensions; this is a feast for science fiction fans but also holds interest for readers in search of fresh or peculiar themes and innovative writing.
Highly original and intelligently composed the stories are written with a great distinctive voice. From the first amazing story onwards (where two Italian men invent a new paying system software) that voice held my interest with the promise of importance and meaning. The characters are well thought out creations that manage to make the unusual usual. Love, desire, hunger for power and other all too human qualities are perfectly set off against the artificial and virtual, futuristic, supernatural and paranormal.
Erotic and at times explicit these stories move across boundaries and dimensions; this is a feast for science fiction fans but also holds interest for readers in search of fresh or peculiar themes and innovative writing.
November 13, 2019
I racconti di Luca Rossi spaziano attraverso i sentimenti umani e gli eventi che hanno coinvolto e che continuano a coinvolgerci ogni giorno, ma in chiave fantastica. Quando si inizia a leggere una delle sue storie si viene proiettati insieme ai personaggi nel loro modo, per poi rimanerne sorpreso quanto i personaggi stessi riguardo l'evoluzione dei fatti, molto spesso ricordano eventi reali, tematiche odierne su cui ciascuno di noi almeno una volta si è trovato a riflettere, come per esempio il controllo delle nostre vite attraverso gli smartphone di nuova generazione, nel racconto di Luca si parla della onnipotente DataCom che localizza e conosce ogni elemento importante e meno importante di tutte le persone. Ricorda George Orwell con il suo 1984, ma Luca ha il suo stile ben distinto e definito che risulta asciutto e diretto. Una lettura coinvolgente che, una volta iniziata, tempo permettendo, si termina in giornata.
February 7, 2014
Every so often, you stumble across a book that makes time stop. Nothing matters from the words on the page and the author's voice. Luca Rossi's Galactic Energies is one of them.
Each of the stories has a different sci-fi theme. My favorite of the bunch if Latrodectus Mactans. It is the tale of a video game with a black widow spider- but this is not your usual spider. Heh. Heh.
Full of intensity, steamy scenes, and terror, Rossi's book will leave you wanting for more. I can't wait to read what's next.
Each of the stories has a different sci-fi theme. My favorite of the bunch if Latrodectus Mactans. It is the tale of a video game with a black widow spider- but this is not your usual spider. Heh. Heh.
Full of intensity, steamy scenes, and terror, Rossi's book will leave you wanting for more. I can't wait to read what's next.
January 23, 2014
I found these short stories a thrill to read. These innovative stories featured complex characters and had surprising twists. From shape shifters to BDSM control-freaks to a society victimized by technology, there’s something for every science fiction enthusiast in this collection! The themes explored in the stories were thought provoking – I particularly enjoyed the stories where characters were experiencing negative effects from a highly technological society. I can see it happening in real-life already... Expect the unexpected with this mix.
February 21, 2013
Racconti assolutamente particolari e originali. Il mio preferito e` certamente "Le forme dell'amore", ottimo esempio di come l'erotismo possa sposare la fantascienza. Grande la capacita` dell'autore di ricreare situazioni ambigue e finali sorprendenti, nonche` di saper ricreare mondi inquietanti, contemporaneamente improbabili e credibili. Lettura consigliata a tutti gli amanti del genere :)
April 18, 2014
This wild collection of techno sci-fi stories took me out of my comfort zone and I'm so glad it did. I'm picky about my sci-fi and I don't read a lot of it as a result. The premise has to be plausible for me, as a reader, to be able to go WAY out there - and I do like to go way out there. Galactic Energies did that for me in each and every story. Smart. Fun. Really interesting.
April 4, 2013
Bello, bello e ancora bello!
Una lettura veloce, ma stimolante.
Leggere Luca Rossi è come sedersi a tavola gustando un buon pasto. Una serie di racconti diversi tra loro, tutti ben scritti e ben orchestrati.
Da leggere assolutamente!
Una lettura veloce, ma stimolante.
Leggere Luca Rossi è come sedersi a tavola gustando un buon pasto. Una serie di racconti diversi tra loro, tutti ben scritti e ben orchestrati.
Da leggere assolutamente!
January 20, 2014
Galactic Energies is a collection of short stories set in the space.
If you're looking for the classic sci-fi scheme you're a bit out of the road, as Luca Rossi's Galactic Energies are not about some mean emperor hungry to conquer other worlds. It's all about love and life changing decision, pictured by Rossi with a delicate touch of erotica which didn't mind me (I usually not a fan of erotica, to be fair).
Of course the scifi element is strongly present, but my reading experience was not entirely scifi-related, let's say, so this is a bonus point to Rossi.
5 stars for Galactic Energies, even though they should be 4.5: I am looking forward to Rossi's next work and I really expect much more from his great imaginative mind.
If you're looking for the classic sci-fi scheme you're a bit out of the road, as Luca Rossi's Galactic Energies are not about some mean emperor hungry to conquer other worlds. It's all about love and life changing decision, pictured by Rossi with a delicate touch of erotica which didn't mind me (I usually not a fan of erotica, to be fair).
Of course the scifi element is strongly present, but my reading experience was not entirely scifi-related, let's say, so this is a bonus point to Rossi.
5 stars for Galactic Energies, even though they should be 4.5: I am looking forward to Rossi's next work and I really expect much more from his great imaginative mind.
December 30, 2013
Excellent Shorts. Fantastic Author!
This series of Scifi shorts draws together different concepts with superb creation skills.
The erotica is well crafted. Each emotion is clearly expressed, and defined. Every scenario creates a desire to dive deeper into the story. Questions lead to answers that lead to more questions. Rarely do you find this quality of writing in such short stories.
This gifted author has brought to life full fledged stories in few words. This skill is rarely achieved so well. In each story the characters are alive, believable, and fun to follow.
As a new fan, I will be ready to devour any book with the name Luca Rossi on the cover.
This series of Scifi shorts draws together different concepts with superb creation skills.
The erotica is well crafted. Each emotion is clearly expressed, and defined. Every scenario creates a desire to dive deeper into the story. Questions lead to answers that lead to more questions. Rarely do you find this quality of writing in such short stories.
This gifted author has brought to life full fledged stories in few words. This skill is rarely achieved so well. In each story the characters are alive, believable, and fun to follow.
As a new fan, I will be ready to devour any book with the name Luca Rossi on the cover.
December 10, 2013
Galactic Energies by Luca Rossi is a great collection of science fiction short stories which will leave you wanting more after each story. If you like robots, vampires, shape shifters and magic you will find a story for you.
The author did a great job developing each of the stories, creating a tale which was both short and able to cover her subject. Each story was exciting and very intriguing.
I like each of the characters in the stories. Though each was very different, they were believable and easy to identify with.
I enjoyed reading Galactic Energies by Luca Rossi and recommend this book.
The author did a great job developing each of the stories, creating a tale which was both short and able to cover her subject. Each story was exciting and very intriguing.
I like each of the characters in the stories. Though each was very different, they were believable and easy to identify with.
I enjoyed reading Galactic Energies by Luca Rossi and recommend this book.
July 19, 2016
This collection of vast and engaging stories took me by surprise. Galactic Energies by Luca Rossi is a fascinating body of work. Each story whether it be shape-shifting mutants, vampires, reincarnation or robots seems to tell a deeper story than just the entertaining twists presented to us. I had a blast reading this well-written collection and can’t wait for more. Highly recommended – 5-stars!
December 25, 2013
Luca Rossi’s collection of short sci-fi/fantasy tales, Galactic Energies combines the wonders of technology, far advanced from today’s standards, human nature and the world of “what if,” in future times. Will election campaigns be conducted over the internet? Will orgies be holographic image offerings? What about celebrities, will they really make appearances or will their computer counterpart stand in for them? Is love possible with a robot? Will computers make life better for humans or will their objective become making a better world, eliminating humans and their desecration of the planet? If nothing else, each short story will spin around in your head as the possibilities for the future are endless!
Well written with wonderful detail, Luca Rossi’s Galactic Energies is fast-paced, entertaining and easily read, one story at a time, a perfect way for sci-fi newbies to test the waters so to speak. Each story is intriguing, unique in its own way with crisp and imaginative writing.
Publication Date: Original Publication - December, 2012
Publisher: Luca Rossi
Genre: Adult Science Fiction/Futuristic Fantasy
Number of pages: 236
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble (Italian Version)
Well written with wonderful detail, Luca Rossi’s Galactic Energies is fast-paced, entertaining and easily read, one story at a time, a perfect way for sci-fi newbies to test the waters so to speak. Each story is intriguing, unique in its own way with crisp and imaginative writing.
Publication Date: Original Publication - December, 2012
Publisher: Luca Rossi
Genre: Adult Science Fiction/Futuristic Fantasy
Number of pages: 236
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble (Italian Version)
February 10, 2014
Galactic Energies is a collection of short science fiction stories by Luca Rossi, covering a wide variety of concepts and themes, some of which unwind over several chapters, others which conclude in one. While some of the stories are set in the near future, others reach for the far future and distant planets, and cover everything from artificial intelligences taking over the planet, to vampire aliens enslaving human explorers. It is a highly imaginative read, with some great concepts and set-ups, and is generally well written and flows well. The authors writing style, although a little unorthodox – it is written very much in the present tense from a first person perspective – is highly readable, easy to follow and feels original. I don’t recall reading a book quite like this. My only real criticism is that the endings of some (and I emphasise the word ‘some’) of the stories don’t feel right, almost as if the last few pages of the stories have been ripped out, causing them to conclude abruptly. True, not all short stories should have a happy ending or even be concluded - leaving the readers on a cliff hanger - however you do need to feel like the stories have been concluded in a satisfactory manner, rather than be left wondering exactly what happened. And this fact alone, stops me giving the book 5 stars. I do however commend the author’s imagination and original voice and I will look forward to reading more from Luca Rossi in the future. Well done.
July 24, 2013
Scroll down for the English version
Luca Rossi ha la capacità di raccontare delle storie che non ti aspetti in un modo altrettanto inaspettato. Ognuno di questi racconti ha come unico punto comune tale peculiarità, per il resto ci si trova di fronte a mondi e protagonisti completamente diversi tra di loro, ognuno dei quali riesce a emozionarci in un suo modo del tutto particolare. Spaziando tra fantascienza, fantasy ed erotismo ognuna di queste storie ci cattura e soddisfa il nostro desiderio di una narrazione tutt'altro che scontata, dove davvero qualunque cosa può accadere.
Consigliato per gli amanti della fantascienza che vogliano lasciarsi sorprendere.
Luca Rossi has got the special talent to tell stories you don't expect in a way which is similarly unexpected. Each one of these short stories is characterised by this peculiarity, while you face completely different worlds and protagonists, each one able to amaze us in its own way. Moving among science fiction, fantasy and erotism each story captivates us and meets our desire of a narration which is less than expected, where really everything can happen.
Suggested to Sci-fi enthusiasts who would like to be surprised.
Luca Rossi ha la capacità di raccontare delle storie che non ti aspetti in un modo altrettanto inaspettato. Ognuno di questi racconti ha come unico punto comune tale peculiarità, per il resto ci si trova di fronte a mondi e protagonisti completamente diversi tra di loro, ognuno dei quali riesce a emozionarci in un suo modo del tutto particolare. Spaziando tra fantascienza, fantasy ed erotismo ognuna di queste storie ci cattura e soddisfa il nostro desiderio di una narrazione tutt'altro che scontata, dove davvero qualunque cosa può accadere.
Consigliato per gli amanti della fantascienza che vogliano lasciarsi sorprendere.
Luca Rossi has got the special talent to tell stories you don't expect in a way which is similarly unexpected. Each one of these short stories is characterised by this peculiarity, while you face completely different worlds and protagonists, each one able to amaze us in its own way. Moving among science fiction, fantasy and erotism each story captivates us and meets our desire of a narration which is less than expected, where really everything can happen.
Suggested to Sci-fi enthusiasts who would like to be surprised.
December 23, 2013
Galactic Energies by Luca Rossi is a book that left me gasping like a fish out of water. This incredible collection of futuristic short stories is full of imagination gone wild where anything goes and does with regular abandon. We kick off with two young Italian computer geeks who create the perfect banking software that gets the Star Trek treatment and goes rogue. There are mind-altering tales of artificial intelligence that we become dependent upon at our own detriment. Holographic prisons run by a sadistic female with a penchant for bondage. Society run by robots, witches in an alternate universe which was so Philip K Dick only more visually written. Every aspect of the human condition runs the gauntlet of Luca's imagination in this futuristic Kafkaesque collection of quality cut gems.
I give this fantasy novel FIVE STARS and highly recommend it to all fans of scifi.
I give this fantasy novel FIVE STARS and highly recommend it to all fans of scifi.
February 26, 2014
LOVE this story. It is a fiction book but it reads like NOW times and the way the plot line weaves kept me intrigued all the way through. This is like a parallel existence of the writer's fictional world into our real world. Could not put it down. The cover of the book too is absolutely beautiful. Cosmic now story of how things are changing in the world and high tech banking ... it all is in play and fluz and someone needs to create this program for real. LOVED the STORY, Roshandra warmly sharing and writing on
January 5, 2014
Un bel mix di fantascienza ed eros per questi racconti, capaci di stupirti e sorprenderti con cambi improvvisi di direzione. Erotismo particolare, talvolta estremo, storie d’amore completamente fuori dai canoni tradizionali; una carrellata di figure femminili forti, determinate, spesso dominatrici, a volte spietate. Di sicuro non mancano né la fantasia né l’orginalità a questi racconti che si leggono tutti d’un fiato.
July 29, 2016
Loved this book! I can't even keep track of how many times I have read these science fiction short stories. Galactic Energies is one of the best SciFi collections I have read in a long time. It’s a wonderful mix of cyberpunk, dystopian, erotica and fantasy tales. For science fiction lovers I can recommend them without hesitation. My favorite story is the Perfect Family.
April 4, 2014
This was a great selection of short stories. The stories I enjoyed the best were Rewind, Life in Prison, Forms of Love, Arcot and the Queen, The Perfect Family and Clouded Emotions. Mr. Rossi has great talent and I look forward to reading more of his books.
September 26, 2013
'I loved this collection of short stories, they have a freshness and an honesty about them and are very modern tales with enough twists and turns to delight any reader of this genre. They are ideal for lovers of science fiction, technology and computers. There is an amalgamation of clear scientific knowledge and experience from the author and he produces a crisp, sharp, intriguing look at modern day and the near future. The stories are written with style, characterization is superb and the descriptive prose is effortless in its apparent simplicity; a notable talent and skill of the writer. If you enjoy the laws of physics being altered or where technology almost overtakes humanity and our semblance, regulated sense of the normality, I urge you to purchase this book. I am very impressed with not just the sincere style of the writing but also the sheer exuberance and energy of the stories, which literally jump off the page to enthral, amaze and ultimately entertain the readership.'
December 22, 2013
Short stories with a sci-fi edge are not my usual reading material but what I do love is a good cover and this cover grabbed my attention immediately. And then I started reading... and couldn't stop. This is a great collection of shorts - highly imaginative, very descriptive and deliciously unique. There are mutants to discover, vampires and robots - there's erotica too - very tastefully done. Each and every tale offers a real flight of fancy, absorbing the reader completely. The author is Italian and I loved all the Italian names/place references - it made the writing, already stylish, even more so. I'm looking forward to more of Rossi's work but hoping for a full-length novel next time perhaps - some of the stories have got a ton of mileage in them and I'd look forward to getting to know the realms he has created in more detail.
October 23, 2015
2015 reader challenge: a book of short stories (30/50)
Rewind - 1 Star
The first story is called Rewind, and wow, we start with the shittiest one possible lol
We follow Alberto Ferrari's POV. He's one of the co-creators of an app that basically serves as an online Bank, except it makes actual banks go bankrupt because nobody uses them anymore and Star Bank is "safer" and "transparent". Then they become rich as fuck CEOs. Then Alberto is interviewed by a powerful Talk Show Hostess and becomes even more famous. Then he starts to run for presidency after that interview, because people liked him/his ideas so much that they thought he should be president. Then, he actually DOES become president, with a massive amount of votes even though he started running for it at the last fucking minute. Then, the Talk Show Hostess throws a party just for him, but then we find out it's actually an orgy...
DAFUQ???????????
And last but not least, Alberto has a crush on an actress called Jasmine Fantini, and guess who was the special guest at theparty orgy???? YEP. They don't fuck (actually, the only ones who actually fuck themselves are the ladies. He doesn't touch any of them.), but the Hostess somehow finds out about Alberto's crush and THAT'S why she even invited Jasmine.
All of those great things happen to him because of nothing. The universe just decided to grant him an infinite streak of good luck, out of nowhere. And when we find out WHY this is happening (), is through A. FUCKING. DIALOGUE.
That's all the explanation we get. Character A throws a bunch of information at Character B viablock of text dialogue. We don't even see shit, it's literally JUST the dialogue till the end. Wow. I told you we started with the shittiest one.
The Kingdom of Turlis - 1.5 stars
This one had the potential to be a lot better than Rewind, but.....
The story is too short to properly develop, so I feel like the author is running against time to write the story, so he does it sloppily and leaves out a ton of explanations/plot behind (and I fear this is going to be a recurring thing for ALL of these stories).
Antelmo is happily married to his wife Anna, but he's deeply annoyed by his elderly neighbour Constantino Valenti. So one night he???? just???? decides to get his bike and???? leave???????????????? Yeah, I don't get it either. It's not explained why he does it. This story is confusing as shit.
So he drives way too fast and uhm... draws attention from cops?????? and instead of explaining the whole thing he just???? uhm.... RUNS AWAY????????????? AGAIN: I DON'T GET IT EITHER.
Point is: he gets inside a random house to wait for the cops to leave, but the owner of the house is just coming back from buying groceries and, well, isn't that awkward.
Then we find out she (the owner, Irene) is a witch and... I'm so fucking confused. Nothing is fully explained, when SOMETHING is "explained" it's through dialogue and then they call it a different name that's difficult to remember and you have to reread it so you can remember who the fuck they're talking about and what does it all mean. Irene is not from this world, and she keeps refering to Antelmo's wife as "Cloradil" (I literally had to look it back because I couldn't for the life of me remember those weird ass names) and she keeps implying that Anna/Cloradil is not who he thinks she is and yadda yadda yadda.
This story also sucked, but it sucked less than Rewind.
Life in Prison - 0 stars
I'm not fucking kidding, Life in Prison deserves no stars at all. I thought Rewind was the worst they could do????? HA!!!!!!!! REWIND IS GOOD WHEN COMPARED TO THIS ONE
Germil was sent to Jail for... no reason. Some robots (who I think are also cops) showed up at his house one day, arrested him and that was it. He doesn't know why he's there and nobody will tell him. When he goes to court, the judge's like "lol nope you don't even get to talk to a lawyer byeeeeeeee"
He befriends his cellmate, who tells him that there's basically no way out of there and there's not even much to do anyway. They can eat something, exercise and maybe chat with other inmates, but that's it. He even says that some people can't take it, so they throw themselves out of the window and fall into a void.
However, one day, the facility's chairman (or rather, chairWOMAN) takes an interest on him (for NO REASON AT ALL, MIGHT I ADD) and oftenly takes him out of his cell to... "talk". Though they actually talk very little.
It's never explained why Germil went to jail in the first place. It's never explained why the director targeted him, in particular. NOTHING IS EVER EXPLAINED IN THIS STORY!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
The director makes him drink a strange blue drink (lol also not explained wtf it was) and he suddenly takes a liking in her (he hated her before). He starts to get instantly aroused and wants to fuck her. She obviously planned that all along, so she lets him, but she also takes a whip out of nowhere anD PROCEEDS TO BEAT HIM WITH IT WITHOUT HIS CONSENT.
If the director was a man and the inmate was a female, there'd be a bunch of people shitting on this book already because this scene is RAPEY AS SHIT. It isn't even a one-time only thing, the director keeps sending Germil to her office and keeps forcing him to drink that blue thing and again he's FORCED to fuck her. When he goes back to his cell (and to his "senses"), he feels horrible about it. The drink also kind of erases his memory, so he can't even remember his wife or his kids' faces or even where he used to work at. This is some level 8000 roofies she's constantly giving him.
The ending is unsatisfactory as fuck and I actually lost all hope for the rest of this book. Three stories in and one is worse than the other. I have better shit to do with my time, so I'm DNF'ing this crap.
Rewind - 1 Star
The first story is called Rewind, and wow, we start with the shittiest one possible lol
We follow Alberto Ferrari's POV. He's one of the co-creators of an app that basically serves as an online Bank, except it makes actual banks go bankrupt because nobody uses them anymore and Star Bank is "safer" and "transparent". Then they become rich as fuck CEOs. Then Alberto is interviewed by a powerful Talk Show Hostess and becomes even more famous. Then he starts to run for presidency after that interview, because people liked him/his ideas so much that they thought he should be president. Then, he actually DOES become president, with a massive amount of votes even though he started running for it at the last fucking minute. Then, the Talk Show Hostess throws a party just for him, but then we find out it's actually an orgy...
“Don't worry. We don't expect you to satisfy all of us,” she adds, mischievously.
“But...I really -”
“You really can do and have who you want, and you've got all night long,” she continues in a serious tone of voice. “And if you like it here with me, you can come back any night you want. You can whip them or let them whip you. You can let them walk all over you. You can fuck three at once, or five, or as many as you want. You can tell them what you want them to wear or ask them for hot little shows or stripteases. You're the president, nobody will deny you anything.”
DAFUQ???????????
And last but not least, Alberto has a crush on an actress called Jasmine Fantini, and guess who was the special guest at the
All of those great things happen to him because of nothing. The universe just decided to grant him an infinite streak of good luck, out of nowhere. And when we find out WHY this is happening (), is through A. FUCKING. DIALOGUE.
That's all the explanation we get. Character A throws a bunch of information at Character B via
The Kingdom of Turlis - 1.5 stars
This one had the potential to be a lot better than Rewind, but.....
The story is too short to properly develop, so I feel like the author is running against time to write the story, so he does it sloppily and leaves out a ton of explanations/plot behind (and I fear this is going to be a recurring thing for ALL of these stories).
Antelmo is happily married to his wife Anna, but he's deeply annoyed by his elderly neighbour Constantino Valenti. So one night he???? just???? decides to get his bike and???? leave???????????????? Yeah, I don't get it either. It's not explained why he does it. This story is confusing as shit.
So he drives way too fast and uhm... draws attention from cops?????? and instead of explaining the whole thing he just???? uhm.... RUNS AWAY????????????? AGAIN: I DON'T GET IT EITHER.
Point is: he gets inside a random house to wait for the cops to leave, but the owner of the house is just coming back from buying groceries and, well, isn't that awkward.
Then we find out she (the owner, Irene) is a witch and... I'm so fucking confused. Nothing is fully explained, when SOMETHING is "explained" it's through dialogue and then they call it a different name that's difficult to remember and you have to reread it so you can remember who the fuck they're talking about and what does it all mean. Irene is not from this world, and she keeps refering to Antelmo's wife as "Cloradil" (I literally had to look it back because I couldn't for the life of me remember those weird ass names) and she keeps implying that Anna/Cloradil is not who he thinks she is and yadda yadda yadda.
This story also sucked, but it sucked less than Rewind.
Life in Prison - 0 stars
I'm not fucking kidding, Life in Prison deserves no stars at all. I thought Rewind was the worst they could do????? HA!!!!!!!! REWIND IS GOOD WHEN COMPARED TO THIS ONE
Germil was sent to Jail for... no reason. Some robots (who I think are also cops) showed up at his house one day, arrested him and that was it. He doesn't know why he's there and nobody will tell him. When he goes to court, the judge's like "lol nope you don't even get to talk to a lawyer byeeeeeeee"
He befriends his cellmate, who tells him that there's basically no way out of there and there's not even much to do anyway. They can eat something, exercise and maybe chat with other inmates, but that's it. He even says that some people can't take it, so they throw themselves out of the window and fall into a void.
However, one day, the facility's chairman (or rather, chairWOMAN) takes an interest on him (for NO REASON AT ALL, MIGHT I ADD) and oftenly takes him out of his cell to... "talk". Though they actually talk very little.
It's never explained why Germil went to jail in the first place. It's never explained why the director targeted him, in particular. NOTHING IS EVER EXPLAINED IN THIS STORY!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
The director makes him drink a strange blue drink (lol also not explained wtf it was) and he suddenly takes a liking in her (he hated her before). He starts to get instantly aroused and wants to fuck her. She obviously planned that all along, so she lets him, but she also takes a whip out of nowhere anD PROCEEDS TO BEAT HIM WITH IT WITHOUT HIS CONSENT.
If the director was a man and the inmate was a female, there'd be a bunch of people shitting on this book already because this scene is RAPEY AS SHIT. It isn't even a one-time only thing, the director keeps sending Germil to her office and keeps forcing him to drink that blue thing and again he's FORCED to fuck her. When he goes back to his cell (and to his "senses"), he feels horrible about it. The drink also kind of erases his memory, so he can't even remember his wife or his kids' faces or even where he used to work at. This is some level 8000 roofies she's constantly giving him.
The ending is unsatisfactory as fuck and I actually lost all hope for the rest of this book. Three stories in and one is worse than the other. I have better shit to do with my time, so I'm DNF'ing this crap.
May 27, 2014
With short stories, it's often hard to get too invested in the characters because they end so quickly. Sometimes, the best kind of short story is the kind that has a twist ending, something that shocks you and makes it more memorable. Luca Rossi manages to create several short stories where you do feel connected to the characters in many of them, and there are also quite a few that end with a punch. This book was originally written in Italian, so I commend the translator for doing a fantastic job. The writing is both smooth and engaging. The majority of the stories are science fiction, and each one is uniquely creative and inventive. There is also an erotic element to many of them as well.
Here is quick rundown of what I thought of each story:
"Rewind": This was a great story to start with. I quickly became immersed in this story where a young owner of a web agency becomes hugely successful despite the corrupt businesses that try to shut him down. It shows just how powerful social media has become. The main character is likable, and I was happy when his greatest fantasy becomes reality. But then the ending leaves you saying, what in the hell just happened?
"The Kingdom of Turlis": This story had a really strong and intriguing beginning. But then it turned into more of a fantasy story (rather than sci-fi), and that's not a preferred genre of mine. However, it still had an interesting plot that kept me turning the pages.
"Life in Prison": I loved the concept of this story, even though it was quite disturbing. A man is falsely accused of a crime and is placed in a futuristic prison, which is located inside a cave and manned by robots. He has no idea why he is there, and when he meets the Director, his situation becomes even more precarious... This story was one of my favorites.
"Forms of Love": I'm a sucker for romance so I loved this one. A police officer has chased a mutant criminal all over the galaxy, and he finally manages to capture her. She is able to change forms, so she chooses to become the exact image of his ex-girlfriend...
"Latrodectus Mactans": This is probably the shortest story out of them all. A virtual reality game goes wrong due to hackers, and it becomes all too real...
"Arcot and the Queen": Captain Arcot goes to a planet to trade with the vampires that live there. These vampires are very powerful, and soon, he is under the Queen's complete control. The plot was interesting, but this was one of the few stories where I didn't feel much of a connection with the characters. Considering what the story was about, it really wasn't surprising that I couldn't relate to any of them.
"The Perfect Family": Aurelia has the perfect man. It sounds impossible, right? Well, the only reason he's so perfect is because he's a robot. But when she decides to have a child with him, she finds out that it is possible to be too perfect, and that's not always a good thing. I liked the concept of this story, but Aurelia seemed very petty and shallow so I didn't care for her much. It was intriguing to see where this all was going though!
"Maciste": I'm a dog lover (and that's an understatement) so I enjoyed this tale of reincarnation. Maria was a horrible person, and that's all I'm going to say!
"Clouded Emotions": An IT genius is tricked into creating a code that causes people to commit suicide. The company behind this, DataCom, is run by artificial intelligence, and they believe they are saving earth by killing off the human race. The story is fast paced, and the characters keep switching sides. I wasn't surprised when I finished it that the story isn't over yet. It is still being developed, and readers can even vote on and make suggestions on how the plot should unfold. This story definitely has the potential to be a full length novel, so I thought this was an interesting idea.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I would definitely recommend this imaginative collection of stories!
Here is quick rundown of what I thought of each story:
"Rewind": This was a great story to start with. I quickly became immersed in this story where a young owner of a web agency becomes hugely successful despite the corrupt businesses that try to shut him down. It shows just how powerful social media has become. The main character is likable, and I was happy when his greatest fantasy becomes reality. But then the ending leaves you saying, what in the hell just happened?
"The Kingdom of Turlis": This story had a really strong and intriguing beginning. But then it turned into more of a fantasy story (rather than sci-fi), and that's not a preferred genre of mine. However, it still had an interesting plot that kept me turning the pages.
"Life in Prison": I loved the concept of this story, even though it was quite disturbing. A man is falsely accused of a crime and is placed in a futuristic prison, which is located inside a cave and manned by robots. He has no idea why he is there, and when he meets the Director, his situation becomes even more precarious... This story was one of my favorites.
"Forms of Love": I'm a sucker for romance so I loved this one. A police officer has chased a mutant criminal all over the galaxy, and he finally manages to capture her. She is able to change forms, so she chooses to become the exact image of his ex-girlfriend...
"Latrodectus Mactans": This is probably the shortest story out of them all. A virtual reality game goes wrong due to hackers, and it becomes all too real...
"Arcot and the Queen": Captain Arcot goes to a planet to trade with the vampires that live there. These vampires are very powerful, and soon, he is under the Queen's complete control. The plot was interesting, but this was one of the few stories where I didn't feel much of a connection with the characters. Considering what the story was about, it really wasn't surprising that I couldn't relate to any of them.
"The Perfect Family": Aurelia has the perfect man. It sounds impossible, right? Well, the only reason he's so perfect is because he's a robot. But when she decides to have a child with him, she finds out that it is possible to be too perfect, and that's not always a good thing. I liked the concept of this story, but Aurelia seemed very petty and shallow so I didn't care for her much. It was intriguing to see where this all was going though!
"Maciste": I'm a dog lover (and that's an understatement) so I enjoyed this tale of reincarnation. Maria was a horrible person, and that's all I'm going to say!
"Clouded Emotions": An IT genius is tricked into creating a code that causes people to commit suicide. The company behind this, DataCom, is run by artificial intelligence, and they believe they are saving earth by killing off the human race. The story is fast paced, and the characters keep switching sides. I wasn't surprised when I finished it that the story isn't over yet. It is still being developed, and readers can even vote on and make suggestions on how the plot should unfold. This story definitely has the potential to be a full length novel, so I thought this was an interesting idea.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I would definitely recommend this imaginative collection of stories!
March 6, 2014
Enter the delightfully unique world of Luca Rossi
If MC Escher was a writer, he would write like this. This diverse series of novellas is chock full of interesting ideas and concepts including travels to other dimensions, reincarnation, mutant shape shifters, advanced technologies and even some dark nightmares. Galactic Energies serves up a mix of fantasy, science fiction, erotica and the metaphysical just for starters. Luca Rossi has an engaging way of writing that is uniquely his own.
A brave and interesting new voice on the indie writing scene. I eagerly await his next work.
If MC Escher was a writer, he would write like this. This diverse series of novellas is chock full of interesting ideas and concepts including travels to other dimensions, reincarnation, mutant shape shifters, advanced technologies and even some dark nightmares. Galactic Energies serves up a mix of fantasy, science fiction, erotica and the metaphysical just for starters. Luca Rossi has an engaging way of writing that is uniquely his own.
A brave and interesting new voice on the indie writing scene. I eagerly await his next work.
September 16, 2013
I give this 4 stars. An absorbing, wonderful collection of short stories that takes you into an alternative time and place and yet, you think, the situations could so easily apply to our everyday lives - if it isn't happening already! The best part for me was the author's writing style - simple and elegant, it commands your attention easily and there is absolutely no need to read things twice or thrice to make sure you understood.
Galactic Energies opens up with Rewind and I'm intrigued from the very beginning, wondering why the protagonist is so enchanted by the actress. From rags to riches combined with an extraordinary run of good luck, I follow the protagonist's progress over the years, how he and his partner, Alessio, apply their business acumen in the heart of Europe, coping and planning against corruption which is pretty much the angst of nearly all ordinary citizens living in Europe. The author relays the frustration of the people well and I found myself cheering on the protagonist. The ending was a surprise, albeit a good one, in form with the sci-fi theme. This was my favourite story from the entire collection and I would give it a 5.
The Kingdom of Turlis started well and once again, Lucas Rossi has a wonderful, engaging style and I kept turning the pages to find out what would happen. The story wanders into the realms of fantasy and while interesting, it's also where the frustration begins because there is not enough background on the characters. I understand it is a short story and even though there is a conclusion, I felt unsatisfied. 4.
Life in Prison was the most interesting, absorbing and frustrating story in this entire collection. At the end of this story, I felt robbed of any proper explanation as to why the main character ended up in prison. I felt the author should have taken the time to explain or given some clues, and the reasoning that a futuristic society could deny telling a person why they are in prison is rather hard to swallow. True, there were obstacles in the way but, even at the end, some sort of explanation would have been nice. It left me very frustrated and because of this, my rating dropped to 3.
Forms of Love was absorbing and it was amusing to read about the alien female attempting to seduce the hard, unshakable detective who had been chasing her throughout the galaxy for many years. I didn't like the ending however; I didn’t think it was necessary that the detective found it necessary to do what he did, particularly where there was another, easier solution that could have guaranteed a happy life for him. But that may be due to the title of the story - perhaps it was a form of love indeed. It just defied logic to me. 4
Latrodactus Mactans was an excellent idea for a video game and oh boy, if someone could really create something like that, then I foresee major protests regarding animal, moral, and religious issues. 5 for ingenuity, but despite the cool idea, I found this the hardest to read. Also, I was also left a little confused at the ending and I'm not sure if it was deliberate. I get that the character got stuck in an endless loop caused by hackers but then it ended with two spiders approaching and I wondered ... who were the spiders? 3.5 stars.
Arcot and the Queen was okay for me. While the writing is engaging and the story is not boring, it was the most normal one for me, despite it being about vampires. 3.5
The Perfect Family is set in a futuristic society where robots have begun to replace men as the perfect husbands and fathers. However, there is a catch. What happens when perfection takes a hold of family life and what does it mean for the substituted sex? 5 stars.
Maciste - when I think of what happened to poor Maciste, I get angry. A sad tale and not enough payback I think. But other readers may think otherwise and that Maciste was sufficiently rewarded. 4.5
Clouded Emotions is another well written, absorbing story and a little longer than the usual short story I think. But that worked to its benefit and while the concept is not new, it had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It still had the kind of ending I didn't like though but not too bad. I can sort of imagine what happened to the characters so it wasn't a complete hanger. 4.5
I've not yet looked at the interactive story but I plan to do that shortly. Overall, I really enjoyed Galactic Energies and it has been a while since I've come across a writer with a simple yet engaging style. Lucas Rossi could make a terrible story into a best selling novel just with his distinctive style. I would never say no to reading any of his work.
Galactic Energies opens up with Rewind and I'm intrigued from the very beginning, wondering why the protagonist is so enchanted by the actress. From rags to riches combined with an extraordinary run of good luck, I follow the protagonist's progress over the years, how he and his partner, Alessio, apply their business acumen in the heart of Europe, coping and planning against corruption which is pretty much the angst of nearly all ordinary citizens living in Europe. The author relays the frustration of the people well and I found myself cheering on the protagonist. The ending was a surprise, albeit a good one, in form with the sci-fi theme. This was my favourite story from the entire collection and I would give it a 5.
The Kingdom of Turlis started well and once again, Lucas Rossi has a wonderful, engaging style and I kept turning the pages to find out what would happen. The story wanders into the realms of fantasy and while interesting, it's also where the frustration begins because there is not enough background on the characters. I understand it is a short story and even though there is a conclusion, I felt unsatisfied. 4.
Life in Prison was the most interesting, absorbing and frustrating story in this entire collection. At the end of this story, I felt robbed of any proper explanation as to why the main character ended up in prison. I felt the author should have taken the time to explain or given some clues, and the reasoning that a futuristic society could deny telling a person why they are in prison is rather hard to swallow. True, there were obstacles in the way but, even at the end, some sort of explanation would have been nice. It left me very frustrated and because of this, my rating dropped to 3.
Forms of Love was absorbing and it was amusing to read about the alien female attempting to seduce the hard, unshakable detective who had been chasing her throughout the galaxy for many years. I didn't like the ending however; I didn’t think it was necessary that the detective found it necessary to do what he did, particularly where there was another, easier solution that could have guaranteed a happy life for him. But that may be due to the title of the story - perhaps it was a form of love indeed. It just defied logic to me. 4
Latrodactus Mactans was an excellent idea for a video game and oh boy, if someone could really create something like that, then I foresee major protests regarding animal, moral, and religious issues. 5 for ingenuity, but despite the cool idea, I found this the hardest to read. Also, I was also left a little confused at the ending and I'm not sure if it was deliberate. I get that the character got stuck in an endless loop caused by hackers but then it ended with two spiders approaching and I wondered ... who were the spiders? 3.5 stars.
Arcot and the Queen was okay for me. While the writing is engaging and the story is not boring, it was the most normal one for me, despite it being about vampires. 3.5
The Perfect Family is set in a futuristic society where robots have begun to replace men as the perfect husbands and fathers. However, there is a catch. What happens when perfection takes a hold of family life and what does it mean for the substituted sex? 5 stars.
Maciste - when I think of what happened to poor Maciste, I get angry. A sad tale and not enough payback I think. But other readers may think otherwise and that Maciste was sufficiently rewarded. 4.5
Clouded Emotions is another well written, absorbing story and a little longer than the usual short story I think. But that worked to its benefit and while the concept is not new, it had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It still had the kind of ending I didn't like though but not too bad. I can sort of imagine what happened to the characters so it wasn't a complete hanger. 4.5
I've not yet looked at the interactive story but I plan to do that shortly. Overall, I really enjoyed Galactic Energies and it has been a while since I've come across a writer with a simple yet engaging style. Lucas Rossi could make a terrible story into a best selling novel just with his distinctive style. I would never say no to reading any of his work.
February 24, 2014
Because I most like stories in which there’s time to get to really know characters, I rarely get around to reading short stories so this was a treat. I enjoyed most all of the stories save The Kingdom of Turlis and Arcot and the Queen. There was nothing wrong with those stories but I just wasn’t as much interested in the fantasy angle of the former nor the vampire theme of the latter. My favorite stories were the first part of Rewind, Life in Prison (I still want to know why the man was arrested!), The Perfect Family (engaging but grim) and Clouded Emotions (a great ender that left me wanting a bit more). Forms of Love was well done but didn’t speak to me deeply. Latrodectus Mactans was Kafka-esque and frankly I was skeeved by the whole spider thing, so while well done, I was a bit glad when that one was over. Also, there’s sort of a foot theme that drops in occasionally in a few of the stories. None of the stories struck me as erotic in the least but the sexual encounters characters had were well written. I’m glad I chose this as my Prime borrow & would recommend this. Also, I would read more from this author.
November 29, 2013
A Futuristic book with glimpses of genius
It’s a collection of short stories and in each story every now and then there are moments of sheer genius which might go unrecognized if one reads it too quickly.
There were a few stories which I couldn’t understand and I put that down to my ignorance. The author is trying to tell me something but I had difficulty in understanding the underlying meaning.
Erotica was tastefully embedded every now and then and the book is written in easy to read English. It’s highly futuristic so if that’s your genre then this book is a must read.
It’s a collection of short stories and in each story every now and then there are moments of sheer genius which might go unrecognized if one reads it too quickly.
There were a few stories which I couldn’t understand and I put that down to my ignorance. The author is trying to tell me something but I had difficulty in understanding the underlying meaning.
Erotica was tastefully embedded every now and then and the book is written in easy to read English. It’s highly futuristic so if that’s your genre then this book is a must read.
August 30, 2018
Energie della galassia è una raccolta di racconti accattivanti, scritta in modo molto scorrevole e non pesante, che spazia tra la fantascienza, il fantasy e l'erotismo, ambientate in un futuro prossimo. Un libro che mi ha preso tantissimo e che mi sarebbe piaciuto durasse un po' di più...
September 6, 2013
Galactic Energies is a collection of science fiction short stories, many of which have themes related to modern communications technology. This is the English translation of an Italian original.
I always find reviewing collections of short stories difficult because, inevitably, the reader will like some more than others. I might also add that I think writing a good short story is very difficult. The stories I enjoyed most were ‘Rewind’ and ‘Maciste’. For me, these had the most interesting plot twists. ‘Kingdom of Turlis’ I found somewhat messy and incoherent, although it had some interesting moments. ‘Life in Prison’ I was enjoying, but I was disappointed with the ending. ‘Forms of Love’ I did not find particularly imaginative or original. ‘Lactodectus Mactans’ had potential, but didn’t quite reach it. ‘Arcot and the Queen’ didn’t really engage me. ‘Perfect Family’ was quite good, but could have been so much punchier. ‘Clouded Emotions’ irritated me. It chopped and changed, jumped from scene to scene, and didn’t really finish. I only found out after reading it that this was intended to be an interactive story, and that I could go to a website and contribute to the story’s evolution. I felt cheated by that. It wasn’t what I signed on for. I also wondered if the choppiness of the story was the result of earlier interaction. Not a good idea, in my opinion.
The erotic element in some of the stories is well-written and lifts those particular stories somewhat. Foot fetishists out there might be particularly titillated.
In short stories there is little opportunity to really develop characters. For the most part, Rossi does well enough in this regard. But for me it is the plot and pace which are most important. My overall impression after reading the collection was that most of the stories fell somewhere between the ‘not bad’ and the ‘quite good’, with nothing really standing out. I might also add that I find the title quite mystifying. It is not the title of any of the individual stories, and it does nothing to capture the overall theme or flavour these stories. If I could I would give this 3.5 stars. As I can’t, and as I certainly don’t think it is worth four stars, I give it three.
I always find reviewing collections of short stories difficult because, inevitably, the reader will like some more than others. I might also add that I think writing a good short story is very difficult. The stories I enjoyed most were ‘Rewind’ and ‘Maciste’. For me, these had the most interesting plot twists. ‘Kingdom of Turlis’ I found somewhat messy and incoherent, although it had some interesting moments. ‘Life in Prison’ I was enjoying, but I was disappointed with the ending. ‘Forms of Love’ I did not find particularly imaginative or original. ‘Lactodectus Mactans’ had potential, but didn’t quite reach it. ‘Arcot and the Queen’ didn’t really engage me. ‘Perfect Family’ was quite good, but could have been so much punchier. ‘Clouded Emotions’ irritated me. It chopped and changed, jumped from scene to scene, and didn’t really finish. I only found out after reading it that this was intended to be an interactive story, and that I could go to a website and contribute to the story’s evolution. I felt cheated by that. It wasn’t what I signed on for. I also wondered if the choppiness of the story was the result of earlier interaction. Not a good idea, in my opinion.
The erotic element in some of the stories is well-written and lifts those particular stories somewhat. Foot fetishists out there might be particularly titillated.
In short stories there is little opportunity to really develop characters. For the most part, Rossi does well enough in this regard. But for me it is the plot and pace which are most important. My overall impression after reading the collection was that most of the stories fell somewhere between the ‘not bad’ and the ‘quite good’, with nothing really standing out. I might also add that I find the title quite mystifying. It is not the title of any of the individual stories, and it does nothing to capture the overall theme or flavour these stories. If I could I would give this 3.5 stars. As I can’t, and as I certainly don’t think it is worth four stars, I give it three.
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