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King Space Void
When you love someone, sometimes they can mean the whole world to you. Or several worlds. King Space Void is a planet-eating entity whose consciousness resides in the body of a gargantuan machine made to look like a man and powered by thousands of people. Dane Shipps is one of the best workers of in King Space Void, until the day he finds a mangled woman named Scarlet still alive and intertwined in the machine's ductwork who convinces him to step outside of his routine. Together they plan to take down King Space Void and everyone inside.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 28, 2015
Dane Shipps is one of thousands of workers aboard King Space Void, a starship of unimaginable size in the shape of a colossal human. When a woman named Scarlet shows up, she takes Dane on a journey through the innards of King Space Void that will shatter his world view...
Okay, the 2015 Bizarro Author series has blown my mind once again. King Space Void is kind of a space opera via Stan Lee. Picture the world devourer Galactus, only with civilizations of people living inside him. What happens when one of the workers realizes his ride is destroying worlds? Yeah, pretty good shit.
I love what Anthony Trevino has done with King Space Void. How can you not like a such a crazy scenario with surprisingly deep characters and exotic locales? Dane goes through the wringer and back and, in the end, makes the only choice possible, as difficult as it may be.
That's about all I want to say about this. It's best experienced for yourself. King Space Void is a great example of why I read Bizarro fiction. It's fiction without boundaries. Four out of five stars.
The 2015 New Bizarro Authors homepage
Okay, the 2015 Bizarro Author series has blown my mind once again. King Space Void is kind of a space opera via Stan Lee. Picture the world devourer Galactus, only with civilizations of people living inside him. What happens when one of the workers realizes his ride is destroying worlds? Yeah, pretty good shit.
I love what Anthony Trevino has done with King Space Void. How can you not like a such a crazy scenario with surprisingly deep characters and exotic locales? Dane goes through the wringer and back and, in the end, makes the only choice possible, as difficult as it may be.
That's about all I want to say about this. It's best experienced for yourself. King Space Void is a great example of why I read Bizarro fiction. It's fiction without boundaries. Four out of five stars.
The 2015 New Bizarro Authors homepage
May 17, 2016
This book contained everything I like in a story: an original spin on some well-worn tropes (in this case a bizarro-dystopian take on hard “spaceship” sci-fi), tons of body horror and gore, impossible worlds that somehow FEEL real even as they get progressively more impossible, and deep philosophical metaphors drawn out into tangible characters and settings. Yeah, it’s good stuff.
The plot centers around a biological planet-eating ship known as King Space Void whose denizens are blindly-worshiping human(?) cogs that live in his guts and help keep the wheels turning. When a worker named Dane finds an alien woman (Scarlet) on a suicide mission to save her home planet from becoming King Space Void’s lunch, the two of them must go on a journey through the man-ships body if they have any hope of surviving.
Along the way, we enter several different “worlds” within the world of King Space Void, and are treated an array of odd creatures who all serve some sorta autonomous function to keep the ship alive and afloat.
This is, as it were, one of the books greatest strengths and also its weakest point – while being full of fucking amazing ideas, we barely spend any time exploring these worlds before being sauntered off to the next. I get that there’s an urgency to Dane and Scarlet’s plans, but as a reader I wanted MORE time to see how the creatures and machinations of KSV worked. As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, a lot of the things happening inside KSV could be construed as metaphors (or be turned into metaphors, given the space to unfurl their wings) and it would’ve been nice to have a clearer picture on some of these places before going “Oh whoa, this is so wild and crazy” just in time to move on to the next.
As such, the book is more of a rollercoaster ride than the slow burner I would’ve liked. But I get it: this is a novella (and the author’s first, I believe) and it is a STRONG book DESPITE those two facts.
I would recommend this book to any sci-fi fans who are looking for some originality in their vanilla pudding OR any fans or people flirting with reading some straight-up GOOD bizarro fiction. Some stuffy old genre purists might read a few chapters and scoff at the scope here (like King Space Void himself perhaps biting off more than he can chew) but I, for one, really really enjoyed reading this.
The plot centers around a biological planet-eating ship known as King Space Void whose denizens are blindly-worshiping human(?) cogs that live in his guts and help keep the wheels turning. When a worker named Dane finds an alien woman (Scarlet) on a suicide mission to save her home planet from becoming King Space Void’s lunch, the two of them must go on a journey through the man-ships body if they have any hope of surviving.
Along the way, we enter several different “worlds” within the world of King Space Void, and are treated an array of odd creatures who all serve some sorta autonomous function to keep the ship alive and afloat.
This is, as it were, one of the books greatest strengths and also its weakest point – while being full of fucking amazing ideas, we barely spend any time exploring these worlds before being sauntered off to the next. I get that there’s an urgency to Dane and Scarlet’s plans, but as a reader I wanted MORE time to see how the creatures and machinations of KSV worked. As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, a lot of the things happening inside KSV could be construed as metaphors (or be turned into metaphors, given the space to unfurl their wings) and it would’ve been nice to have a clearer picture on some of these places before going “Oh whoa, this is so wild and crazy” just in time to move on to the next.
As such, the book is more of a rollercoaster ride than the slow burner I would’ve liked. But I get it: this is a novella (and the author’s first, I believe) and it is a STRONG book DESPITE those two facts.
I would recommend this book to any sci-fi fans who are looking for some originality in their vanilla pudding OR any fans or people flirting with reading some straight-up GOOD bizarro fiction. Some stuffy old genre purists might read a few chapters and scoff at the scope here (like King Space Void himself perhaps biting off more than he can chew) but I, for one, really really enjoyed reading this.
September 2, 2018
King Space Void is a fine example of oddball science fiction. The ideas on display in it show Trevino as an imagination with a lot of potential. This novella is well worth picking up.
Full Review
Full Review
April 16, 2016
Being in the military I tend to a travel a lot, to the point where airports are my third home. On the way back from LA (specifically #AWP16) I settled into the exit row and cracked open King Space Void by bizarro newcomer Anthony Trevino.
Dane Shipps works inside the guts of a giant planet eating entity known as King Space Void. He never questions his existence or the floating God he worships until a couple of pods make a crash landing into his workspace. He meet a dangerous woman who makes him question his existence and he joins her to meet King Space Void, collect some answers, and ultimately destroy his God to save the universe.
This is one of those books that makes you question blind faith, becoming a cog in a corrupt corporation, and becoming “woke” in general. Trevino does it in subtle way and doesn’t bang you over the head with social commentary. His prose is crisp and the novella doesn’t overstay its welcome.
King Space Void is a fun slice of Kirbyesque bizarro sci-fi and a solid debut from Anthony Trevino. I’m excited to see what else Trevino has to offer in the future.
Dane Shipps works inside the guts of a giant planet eating entity known as King Space Void. He never questions his existence or the floating God he worships until a couple of pods make a crash landing into his workspace. He meet a dangerous woman who makes him question his existence and he joins her to meet King Space Void, collect some answers, and ultimately destroy his God to save the universe.
This is one of those books that makes you question blind faith, becoming a cog in a corrupt corporation, and becoming “woke” in general. Trevino does it in subtle way and doesn’t bang you over the head with social commentary. His prose is crisp and the novella doesn’t overstay its welcome.
King Space Void is a fun slice of Kirbyesque bizarro sci-fi and a solid debut from Anthony Trevino. I’m excited to see what else Trevino has to offer in the future.
July 28, 2016
Solid book. A tad more standard piece of storytelling than the other NBaS releases, but it was plenty weird, imaginative and transgressive for most audiences. Think of it as Star Trek meets Snowpiercer and it will make sense and deliver its metaphors and allegories to you (they're not super obscure or difficult). I very much enjoyed the classically told story of class struggle and the colorful, yet efficient imagery of flesh and machine being intertwined inside of King Space Void. Like Pedro Proença, I'm not sure Anthony Trevino REALLY is a bizarro writer, but he's a good storyteller. That, KING SPACE VOID confirms.
February 23, 2016
King Space Void – Anthony Trevino
Gargantuan, Semi-Robotic, Planet-Eating Monster, you say? I'm in!
All right, King Space Void owes a teeny, tiny little nod to Jack Kirby and Galacticus but let's be honest here, everyone who is being creative at this moment in time owes a debt to Marvel somewhere.
So, King Space Void is the tale of Dane Shipps, a worker in the guts of the eponymous, planet-devouring god. He's a regular schmo, but slightly dissatisfied, think Winston Smith at the start of 1984. He meets Scarlett, who is a sort of commando from one of the planets about to be devoured. She, using Danes naivety, convinces him to step outside his routine. Together they journey through the titan's innards in an attempt to stop the monster once and for all.
Anthony's novella has a smattering of the Orwellian about it. The great clanking machine which one cannot possibly hope to destroy and the small rebel band trying to take it out. But, it also reminded me of the Odyssey as well (just like Karl's Towers but in a different way). The episodic nature as Dane travels from organ to organ, each organ being a new setting of weird, is good and fun and keeps the story from becoming stale and it is this quality which reminded me of Odysseus's journey.
Some of these island stop off's didn't work for me, although they are varied I would have preferred them be directly linked and representing each biological system, and then the descriptions and inhabitants reflecting that. And sometimes the pacing can get confusing especially during the action sequences. But these are little quibbles and in future projects I'm sure Anthony can refine this.
At first glance, this novella can appear a little nihilistic – there's a giant, robotic, planet-devouring monster on a search for the end of the universe and we're the ones running it! But look a little closer and there is hope in here. Perhaps hope in just the moment of existence before you are obliterated, or perhaps hope in a wider sense, the reader will have to decide.
Do, I recommend King Space Void? Yes. If you like the idea of Orwellian 1984, mixed with some Homeric Odyssey, through the filter of Marvel's Galacticus, then you're completely bat-sh*t crazy, but you've also found the book for you! So, take a journey on King Space Void, it's well worth the read.
Gargantuan, Semi-Robotic, Planet-Eating Monster, you say? I'm in!
All right, King Space Void owes a teeny, tiny little nod to Jack Kirby and Galacticus but let's be honest here, everyone who is being creative at this moment in time owes a debt to Marvel somewhere.
So, King Space Void is the tale of Dane Shipps, a worker in the guts of the eponymous, planet-devouring god. He's a regular schmo, but slightly dissatisfied, think Winston Smith at the start of 1984. He meets Scarlett, who is a sort of commando from one of the planets about to be devoured. She, using Danes naivety, convinces him to step outside his routine. Together they journey through the titan's innards in an attempt to stop the monster once and for all.
Anthony's novella has a smattering of the Orwellian about it. The great clanking machine which one cannot possibly hope to destroy and the small rebel band trying to take it out. But, it also reminded me of the Odyssey as well (just like Karl's Towers but in a different way). The episodic nature as Dane travels from organ to organ, each organ being a new setting of weird, is good and fun and keeps the story from becoming stale and it is this quality which reminded me of Odysseus's journey.
Some of these island stop off's didn't work for me, although they are varied I would have preferred them be directly linked and representing each biological system, and then the descriptions and inhabitants reflecting that. And sometimes the pacing can get confusing especially during the action sequences. But these are little quibbles and in future projects I'm sure Anthony can refine this.
At first glance, this novella can appear a little nihilistic – there's a giant, robotic, planet-devouring monster on a search for the end of the universe and we're the ones running it! But look a little closer and there is hope in here. Perhaps hope in just the moment of existence before you are obliterated, or perhaps hope in a wider sense, the reader will have to decide.
Do, I recommend King Space Void? Yes. If you like the idea of Orwellian 1984, mixed with some Homeric Odyssey, through the filter of Marvel's Galacticus, then you're completely bat-sh*t crazy, but you've also found the book for you! So, take a journey on King Space Void, it's well worth the read.
February 18, 2016
Ok, the back cover description sets the stage nicely. The story takes place inside a ginormous MACHINE GOD slash GALACTUS slash LEVEL 4 CIVILIZATION. Our lead, Dane, is one lousy dude. His known world is crashing down upon him but he is too weak of mind and spirit to act independently and pretty much gets dragged through the book by the much stronger supporting terrorist, Scarlet. She’s tough enough to make up for his shortcomings, and thank the MACHINE GOD because otherwise he’d have been greasy gopher guts by page 20.
Trevino pulls some serious rabbits out his world-building hat in this relatively short bizarro novella. The story keeps the reader in the waiting room for the first act but once the rubber hits the road, what seemed to be a fairly one, maybe two set piece story turns into a highly compressed and successful road trip – and let’s go ahead and all caps that: TRIP. There’s plenty of drug use throughout the book along with all kinds of sex and slurpy whatnot. Trevino ain’t the Neapolitan Ice Cream of erotic scene setters – there’s every damn flavor you could think of and a few you never would. Trevino’s a bit of a sick puppy, much to the reader’s benefit.
Also, there’s some gore and body horror and a fantastic lightning-paced parade of horrific and surreal imagery, from exploding oozy spiders to zombified cyborgs fighting the leash. Trevino runs you through his machine god world with urgency but every image is painstakingly clear and haunting.
A fine addition to the league of New Bizarro Author Series books from Eraserhead Press. I’m already looking forward to the author’s follow up.
Trevino pulls some serious rabbits out his world-building hat in this relatively short bizarro novella. The story keeps the reader in the waiting room for the first act but once the rubber hits the road, what seemed to be a fairly one, maybe two set piece story turns into a highly compressed and successful road trip – and let’s go ahead and all caps that: TRIP. There’s plenty of drug use throughout the book along with all kinds of sex and slurpy whatnot. Trevino ain’t the Neapolitan Ice Cream of erotic scene setters – there’s every damn flavor you could think of and a few you never would. Trevino’s a bit of a sick puppy, much to the reader’s benefit.
Also, there’s some gore and body horror and a fantastic lightning-paced parade of horrific and surreal imagery, from exploding oozy spiders to zombified cyborgs fighting the leash. Trevino runs you through his machine god world with urgency but every image is painstakingly clear and haunting.
A fine addition to the league of New Bizarro Author Series books from Eraserhead Press. I’m already looking forward to the author’s follow up.
April 22, 2016
What if the only way to survive was to preside over nothingness? Survival is the keystone of King Space Void - all its bizarre denizens, fleeting beauties, and architectural horrors are occupied with the project of outliving the universe. Their goal is to get to The Edge, a nebulous "end" of the universe where oneness and peace awaits. The price for this quest, however, is wholesale destruction. They can touch nothing without ruining it, and only by devouring planets can the Machine continue onward. In its own bizarro sci-fi way, King Space Void is a travel narrative. Our protagonists traverse the interior of this reality-defying, Galactus-like superstructure, encountering civilizations and perils while dealing with the existential horror of their own quest. The language is strong and poetic, the imagery striking. The antagonists are all oddly casual, as though their fantastical environment were more a fever dream than a massive spaceship.
My biggest criticism is one of length. The book's latter half was rushed and some of the action a little confused. Given a longer medium and more time for editing, Trevino's narratives would really blossom, creating something truly unique in the weird sci-fi genre. I look forward to it.
My biggest criticism is one of length. The book's latter half was rushed and some of the action a little confused. Given a longer medium and more time for editing, Trevino's narratives would really blossom, creating something truly unique in the weird sci-fi genre. I look forward to it.
September 19, 2016
I'm excited for Anthony Trevino. I'm eager to see what his future holds. King Space Void is rad. I love weird space books, and this is a weird space book with an awesome concept and it gets better when you zero in on the plot.
I was hooked from the start, and as the story progressed into more surreal places I got a strong Carlton Mellick vibe. I really enjoyed the detail and direction early on. I felt that later on the story wasn't as easy to follow or that the direction wasn't as clear, like perhaps there were too many twists to flesh them out and embed meaning into them and perhaps there was too much riding on the endgame that the latter parts of the book were just motions to reach that point. Although having said that, it's something I struggle a lot with, and I think overall Trevino handled the story well.
I love some of the details which make this world stand out. The descriptions were fantastic, good action and fast-pace. This is the sort of stuff I want to see more of in bizarro, and I hope Trevino comes up with more stories like this.
I was hooked from the start, and as the story progressed into more surreal places I got a strong Carlton Mellick vibe. I really enjoyed the detail and direction early on. I felt that later on the story wasn't as easy to follow or that the direction wasn't as clear, like perhaps there were too many twists to flesh them out and embed meaning into them and perhaps there was too much riding on the endgame that the latter parts of the book were just motions to reach that point. Although having said that, it's something I struggle a lot with, and I think overall Trevino handled the story well.
I love some of the details which make this world stand out. The descriptions were fantastic, good action and fast-pace. This is the sort of stuff I want to see more of in bizarro, and I hope Trevino comes up with more stories like this.
May 23, 2016
This book is burdened with horrific grammar, incredibly overused tropes, and an infantile grasp of what the word 'plot' means. I couldn't decide what was more painful: was it the complete lack of character development or the inability to fully establish traits in the first place? Was it the rapid overloading of universe complexity or the author's inability to elaborate or further explain them in any way? I was physically unable to contain my regular outbursts of "God, this book sucks." The distress I experienced while trudging through this failure of a story was not at all worth what was, initially, a very intriguing concept. I lament the failure to fully bring this novelette to its potential.
January 17, 2016
New Bizarro author series entry by my friend Anthony. I am not required to like it, but thankfully I do. AT is great young writer. Very interesting bizarro surreal sci-fi. My favorite NBAS book so far, which is saying something.
June 23, 2017
Working for a large corporation is, in many ways, like feeding an endlessly hungry, psychopathic monster...
Read the rest here: http://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/boo...
Read the rest here: http://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/boo...
June 4, 2019
Working for a large corporation is, in many ways, like feeding an endlessly hungry, psychopathic monster. I've worked for fast-food chains, grocery stores, hospital systems, and electronics giants. At all these places, two facts of life are drilled into your head over and over again. One: you don't matter. Two: work hard enough, and we may be benevolent enough to slightly ease your miserable existence. Far from empowering work, the entity only glorifies your tiny contribution to the higher cause, which is always earning more profit for them. Sure, there might be cosmetic gestures to show something other than total greed. But at the end of the day, any food drive or charity run is a drop in the bucket compared to their true earnings. The only true goal is profit, at the expense of people, animals, the environment – really the entire planet. When this is taken into account, Anthony Trevino's King Space Void is a pretty apt metaphor for what seems to be our inevitable corporate future.
You can read Matt's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Matt's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
December 4, 2016
This is a 3.5 star review.
This is a story about Dane Cooks. Shit! I'm sorry, this is a story about Dane Shipps! Though similar to Mr. Cooks, not quite the same.
Reading King Space Void is like reading a cross between Brave New World and The City of Lost Children only in outer space. It's like Alien meets Snowpiercer. In other words, it's fast-passed, full of challenges, and a religious sect uses lovely rhymes to brainwash its followers.
The commentary on religion, and more specifically, blind faith, is original and great! Overall, this book is a quick read and a lot of fun!
With that said, it is by no means a perfect book. There are two big bummers about this book for me (two things that kept me from really loving it). First, there are a number of errors ranging from grammatical mistakes to multiple occasions where characters names are misspelled. As a reader, I find these types of errors incredibly distracting and they almost always take me out of the story (at least momentarily). This might not be an issue for you. It's a personal pet peeve. Second, I felt Dane Shipps were a bit more complex. He is by no means a flat character, but there were times throughout the book where his actions seemed too easy. In other words, there were moments where he gave into a situation without putting up a fight, which seemed unbelievable.
But enough of that. This books is one of the stronger novellas in this years NBAS. And if you are a fan of the series, I strongly suggest you give this one a go. And I look forward to what Trevino has in store for us next!
This is a story about Dane Cooks. Shit! I'm sorry, this is a story about Dane Shipps! Though similar to Mr. Cooks, not quite the same.
Reading King Space Void is like reading a cross between Brave New World and The City of Lost Children only in outer space. It's like Alien meets Snowpiercer. In other words, it's fast-passed, full of challenges, and a religious sect uses lovely rhymes to brainwash its followers.
The commentary on religion, and more specifically, blind faith, is original and great! Overall, this book is a quick read and a lot of fun!
With that said, it is by no means a perfect book. There are two big bummers about this book for me (two things that kept me from really loving it). First, there are a number of errors ranging from grammatical mistakes to multiple occasions where characters names are misspelled. As a reader, I find these types of errors incredibly distracting and they almost always take me out of the story (at least momentarily). This might not be an issue for you. It's a personal pet peeve. Second, I felt Dane Shipps were a bit more complex. He is by no means a flat character, but there were times throughout the book where his actions seemed too easy. In other words, there were moments where he gave into a situation without putting up a fight, which seemed unbelievable.
But enough of that. This books is one of the stronger novellas in this years NBAS. And if you are a fan of the series, I strongly suggest you give this one a go. And I look forward to what Trevino has in store for us next!
July 16, 2020
I enjoyed this book and would have rated it higher, but I felt the story lost focus toward the end. If you are into a bizarre trip through the bowels of a godlike being floating through space from the perspective of a newly jaded ex-cult member then, yeah, I'd say the journey is well worth the couple of hours it takes to reach the end of this novella. What really makes it worthwhile are the ever crazier environments the protagonist (Dane) must fight his way through in his quest to reach the brain of his 'god.' Not to mention the exquisitely disgusting descriptions along the way, some that might even make Clive Barker jealous.
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