Unreal: An Anthology Of Speculative Fiction: Volume 1

by Aditya Deshmukh (Editor), Jeff Sullins (Contributor), John M. Campbell (Contributor)

Each of the twenty stories is set in its own independent world. So this single book is your ticket to twenty diverse lands where mind-bending things happen! Speculative Fiction is a vast genre, but we have got delicacies from almost every subgenre. There's AI, magic, monkey gods, time travel, vampires, scary organisms, strange hidden-dimension particles, pirates, oppressive governments, ancient temples, weird futuristic tech . . . and of course aliens! These short stories (by the way, none of these are very short) are some really serious works of art. And since this is an anthology, you'll get to meet a bunch of some really terrific authors.
Contents:
..* A Door for Miriam / short story by Jeff Sullins
..* The Hidden Entity / short story by John Campbell, IV
..* Monaro Goes on a Walkabout / short story by Steve Carr
..* The Runners / short story by Lorenzo Crescentini
..* Blood of the Swan (2011) / short story by Vonnie Winslow Crist
..* The Wizards of Snails and Woodlice / short story by David Donachie
..*The Garden / short story by James S. Dorr [as by James Dorr]
..* Camp Napanoo / short story by Angelique Fawns
..* Checkpoint / novelette by Elana Gomel (variant of The Checkpoint 2017)
..* Undo / short story by John Haas
..* The Monkey's Tale / short story by Carlton Herzog
..* Dark Wings / short story by Tom Jolly
..* The Alien Emissary / short story by Shawn M. Klimek [as by Shawn Klimek]
..* Dottie / short story by W. T. Paterson
..* Full Integration / short story by Sophie Jupillat Posey
..* Beyond the Spires / short story by Frank Sawielijew
..* Abrama's End Game / short story by David F. Shultz [as by David Shultz]
..* Sunbringer / short story by Abiran Raveenthiran
..* The Gale at Quiet Cove / short story by Austin Worley
..* Food for the Moon / short story by Todd Zack
.

Also includes illustrations by Shannon Elizabeth.

450 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 26, 2020

Reviews

[Calyx Passailaigue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abiran Raveenthiran's short story Sunbringer was an excellent read! Full of unexpected and imaginative twists, while also a thoughtful rumination on the nature of evil and identity. It reminded me a bit of the Tales From the Black Freighter "story within a story" from Alan Moore's famous graphic novel Watchmen. Both stories not only have a unique pirate setting, but also deal with the corruption of one's soul through the mutability of identity, pursuit of revenge and experience of trauma (at least as I interpreted it). As in Moore's tale, the protagonist's psyche is corrupted, seemingly against his will, by an evil force which resides in (and is powered by) his own inner darkness; "I was a horror; amongst horrors must I dwell."

Though intentionally experimental with its use of shifting points of view, I nevertheless found the story easy to follow and well written. Though I guessed some of the "twists" before they happened, the story was nevertheless very compelling throughout! Great work!

[Jessica Renwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with dark tales with themes about humanity, good vs evil, trauma, and revenge (my favourite kind of stories!). I loved the beautiful artwork that accompanied each story! This was such a nice touch that deepened the atmosphere and themes. Abiran Raveenthiran's Sunbringer is an interesting story set on a pirate ship. It examines the effects on one's mind when faced with trauma and the author did a great job exploring that. I enjoyed being in set in Vijay's mind and seeing how he handled all the moral dilemmas and deliberations he was faced with. I definitely recommend this book to fans of dark, speculative fiction!

[Priyadarshni Palanikumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect such a long, complex and thematically varied collection of stories when I was offered a copy of this book to review. Mr Abiran Raveenthiran, who wrote Sunbringer in this list, was not kidding when he said that I wouldn't accept that these are 'short' stories. I needed everything I do for a novella read for each story in here, thereby making this read about six months long.

Speculative fiction at its heights is seen in this book. Name everything : magic of the fairies and elves, horror with mystical elements, science-fiction of the aliens and that of aritificial intelligence, dystopian themes, everything and more was there.

It's a joy for a lover of mixed genres and a must-read for someone sampling the Fantasy elements. I loved my LONG read.

[Christina Bhudda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these highly creative stories that have created for our enjoyment. Full of "darkling energy" (I stole that phrase - find it in this anthology somewhere), the worlds will draw you in and leave you thirsting for more. Enjoy!

[Dane Mastantuono · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stories were good from front cover to back cover but I especially loved Sunbringer. The writing was good and the twists were fantastic!

[Carlton Herzog · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the critic tries to capture his reading experience in words, he can only offer a mere approximation of the event. Naturally whatever is said comes freighted with his or her biases for better or for worse. In this case, I enjoyed this collection of speculative stories. For me, it was a ladder out of this reality into those adjacent to ours and all their latent possibilities. I suppose the real endorsement is that I purchased two copies: one for my bookshelf and another to highlight. That pretty much says it all.
CARLTON HERZOG