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Multitude
We float to the surface, and we see that there is more to the world than the ocean. We see stars.
Then one day, we hear a song from far away.
It could be nothing, a new dance of energies made by stars muttering to themselves... but it could be everything. We pull tight to your direction in the hope that the universe may gift us a conversation. A banquet.
In Australia, a SETI Technician asks her colleague, "A fake from 44 parsecs?"
In Nevada, a soldier flinches as unidentified craft fly overhead.
In Beirut, a mathematician pets her cat and thinks about language.
We are coming. For the hospice orderly with open arms, the seamstress in her alleyway shop, the lawyer angry at her neighbor's sloppy garden. For you are many, and cannot speak as one.
And yet we see you communicate without words. We see you organize and build.
We see you killing us.
For fans of Ray Nayler, Ann Leckie, and Martin MacInnes, follow the hivemind of cephalopod aliens and explore the power of language, community, and hope.
Then one day, we hear a song from far away.
It could be nothing, a new dance of energies made by stars muttering to themselves... but it could be everything. We pull tight to your direction in the hope that the universe may gift us a conversation. A banquet.
In Australia, a SETI Technician asks her colleague, "A fake from 44 parsecs?"
In Nevada, a soldier flinches as unidentified craft fly overhead.
In Beirut, a mathematician pets her cat and thinks about language.
We are coming. For the hospice orderly with open arms, the seamstress in her alleyway shop, the lawyer angry at her neighbor's sloppy garden. For you are many, and cannot speak as one.
And yet we see you communicate without words. We see you organize and build.
We see you killing us.
For fans of Ray Nayler, Ann Leckie, and Martin MacInnes, follow the hivemind of cephalopod aliens and explore the power of language, community, and hope.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
184 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 12, 2026
3 people are currently reading
4991 people want to read
About the author
Marie Vibbert
82 books136 followersNebula and Hugo Award finalist Marie Vibbert has over 100 short stories in top magazines like Analog, F&SF, Nature, and more. Her debut novel about a biker gang in outer space, Galactic Hellcats, was called "A rip-roaring space heist" by publisher's weekly. It was long-listed by the British Science Fiction Award!
Marie is a software developer in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended the Clarion writer's workshop in 2013 and joined the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2014. She belongs to the Cleveland Science Fiction writer's workshop headed by Mary Turzillo.
She also has been a medieval (SCA) squire, a lineman for the Cleveland Fusion women's tackle football team and has ridden 18% of the roller coasters in North America.
She lives with her husband Brian Crick and their child in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Marie is a software developer in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended the Clarion writer's workshop in 2013 and joined the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2014. She belongs to the Cleveland Science Fiction writer's workshop headed by Mary Turzillo.
She also has been a medieval (SCA) squire, a lineman for the Cleveland Fusion women's tackle football team and has ridden 18% of the roller coasters in North America.
She lives with her husband Brian Crick and their child in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Of all the different forms aliens take in science fiction, hive minds have always been one of the most fascinating because they are so contrary to how human thought functions, and a good exploration of them is always much appreciated.
First contact with a collective consciousness is the deftly executed premise of Marie Vibbert’s upcoming novella Multitude. Vibbert expertly captures the chaos and confusion that comes when two extremely different species meet. The aliens, a cephalopod species that shares every moment of their existence with their kin and ancestors’ memories stretching back to the dawn of time, advanced enough to explore the stars before humanity. The humans, in contrast, are noisy, hostile, and every bit as wonderful and terrible as we know ourselves to be. In their quest to understand our species, the aliens—who see no issue with experimenting on randomly chosen humans or culling invasive species—cause a worldwide panic.
The real strength of this novella is Vibbert’s use of perspective. She beautifully contrasts alien points of view with a wide range of human perspectives. While quite a few chapters are pure standalones, in others several characters recur as their perspectives intertwine and build toward a climax. From seamstresses living in England and India to an American soldier to a Lebanese mathematician (my personal favourite), each voice is treated with just as much dignity, regardless of their proximity to the aliens. Vibbert’s ability to set the scene with only a few lines is impressive and helps the reader remain immersed without bogging down the narrative. As the story progresses, the chorus of voices produces insightful commentary on the disconnected state of the world under late-stage capitalism, how the practice of science itself remains political, the importance of sustainable living, and, of course, how we try to understand each other. When the aliens are forced into a precarious position, the fate of our world hangs in the balance.
While I don’t know if I can quite classify it as a happy read, Multitude is something I couldn’t put down once I started, with exactly the kind of direct, snappy prose I expect in a novella. The novella releases on May 12th, 2026, but can already be preordered through the Apex Book Company’s website.
This review has been crossposted to our blog: https://imaginatlas.ca/catch-of-the-m...
First contact with a collective consciousness is the deftly executed premise of Marie Vibbert’s upcoming novella Multitude. Vibbert expertly captures the chaos and confusion that comes when two extremely different species meet. The aliens, a cephalopod species that shares every moment of their existence with their kin and ancestors’ memories stretching back to the dawn of time, advanced enough to explore the stars before humanity. The humans, in contrast, are noisy, hostile, and every bit as wonderful and terrible as we know ourselves to be. In their quest to understand our species, the aliens—who see no issue with experimenting on randomly chosen humans or culling invasive species—cause a worldwide panic.
The real strength of this novella is Vibbert’s use of perspective. She beautifully contrasts alien points of view with a wide range of human perspectives. While quite a few chapters are pure standalones, in others several characters recur as their perspectives intertwine and build toward a climax. From seamstresses living in England and India to an American soldier to a Lebanese mathematician (my personal favourite), each voice is treated with just as much dignity, regardless of their proximity to the aliens. Vibbert’s ability to set the scene with only a few lines is impressive and helps the reader remain immersed without bogging down the narrative. As the story progresses, the chorus of voices produces insightful commentary on the disconnected state of the world under late-stage capitalism, how the practice of science itself remains political, the importance of sustainable living, and, of course, how we try to understand each other. When the aliens are forced into a precarious position, the fate of our world hangs in the balance.
While I don’t know if I can quite classify it as a happy read, Multitude is something I couldn’t put down once I started, with exactly the kind of direct, snappy prose I expect in a novella. The novella releases on May 12th, 2026, but can already be preordered through the Apex Book Company’s website.
This review has been crossposted to our blog: https://imaginatlas.ca/catch-of-the-m...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This novel is perfect for those who love a positive Science Fiction story, between “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “The War of the Worlds.”
As we all are fighting each other and ourselves day after day, what would happen if Aliens were coming to our little planet? In her novel, Marie Vibbert follows different individuals around the world, all representative of woman and mankind, as the Encounters unfold. Some portraits may be a little clichéd at times, but it is fascinating to read the Aliens' point of view.
What would they see in our world? How would they see us, humankind?
And us? How would we react?
An agreeable reading experience, “Multitude” is a novel that may reconcile “you” with “us”.
As we all are fighting each other and ourselves day after day, what would happen if Aliens were coming to our little planet? In her novel, Marie Vibbert follows different individuals around the world, all representative of woman and mankind, as the Encounters unfold. Some portraits may be a little clichéd at times, but it is fascinating to read the Aliens' point of view.
What would they see in our world? How would they see us, humankind?
And us? How would we react?
An agreeable reading experience, “Multitude” is a novel that may reconcile “you” with “us”.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A thoughtful and emotional novella.
The way the author weaves together so many fine threads of her characters into a cohesive whole mirrors her themes of interconnectedness and belonging. Reminded me of Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich in that way.
From the first page, Vibbert’s hive-minded cephalopod aliens call to the part of the reader yearning for connection. The meta-narrative would be cumbersome if the book was any longer, but you can read it in one sitting and capture the essence of the book’s themes.
A meditative commentary on the world we live in, this book represents the author’s distinct point of view.
The way the author weaves together so many fine threads of her characters into a cohesive whole mirrors her themes of interconnectedness and belonging. Reminded me of Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich in that way.
From the first page, Vibbert’s hive-minded cephalopod aliens call to the part of the reader yearning for connection. The meta-narrative would be cumbersome if the book was any longer, but you can read it in one sitting and capture the essence of the book’s themes.
A meditative commentary on the world we live in, this book represents the author’s distinct point of view.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
spinetingling
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A unique, thought provoking novella about alient contact. I enjoyed it overall until the ending which seemed displaced unless I completely missed something. Still worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews